Domestic and Farm Animal Festival (in honor of Saint Anthony Abbot)

A rural festival within Rome

There are few places in the world where you can witness a blessing of the animals accompanied by bagpipes, with the Roman aqueducts looming in the background. The Domestic and Farm Animal Festival, dedicated to Saint Anthony Abbot, takes place every year in mid-January in the Caffarella Valley, inside the Appian Way Regional Park, in the Municipality of Rome (Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Lazio). It is a free, family-friendly event deeply rooted in the rural culture of Lazio, reaching its twenty-third edition in 2026.

Saint Anthony Abbot, patron saint of animals

On January 17th, Italian popular tradition celebrates Saint Anthony Abbot, the protector of domestic and farm animals. In the countryside of Lazio, as in much of the peninsula, this occasion was the time when farmers brought their livestock and barnyard animals to the church to receive a blessing, and when large bonfires were lit to ward off the end of winter. The Caffarella, the last remaining stretch of Roman countryside intact at the gates of the historic center, is the natural stage for reviving this ritual: visitors arrive with their dogs, cats, rabbits, chickens, horses, and even donkeys.

The day's program

The festival runs from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM and revolves around three main highlights.

• 10:00 AM — Circular guided tour: departure from the Park Authority stand (Viale Mario Leigheb, Largo Tacchi Venturi entrance) for a route that touches the Vaccareccia Farmhouse, the Torlonia Barn, the Valca Tower, and the Nymphaeum of Egeria, among the most evocative spots in the valley.
• 11:30 AM — Holy Mass and blessing of the animals: celebrated by the parish priest of the San Giuda Taddeo Apostolo church, this is the heart of the event; at the end, all animals present receive a blessing.
• 3:00 PM — Music and lighting of the Saint Anthony bonfire: the ritual fire concludes the day, accompanied live by the Pigneto Orkestra, a Roman ensemble of over thirty members.

Bagpipes, market stalls, and activities for children

Throughout the day, the valley is animated by the sounds of the zampogna (bagpipe) and ciaramella, with a traveling concert curated by the Zampogne d'Italia association: these are the pastoral melodies that once accompanied the winter months in the Lazio and Apennine countryside. Around the meadow, institutional stands, stalls from park farms, and regional producers under the Natura in campo brand—dedicated to sustainable agri-food products from Lazio's protected natural areas—line the path: cheeses, honey, vegetables, preserves, and bread from the Roman countryside. Free play stations and workshops for children are managed by volunteers from the Universal Civil Service, alongside environmental education activities on nature, biodiversity, and rural traditions.

The Caffarella Valley

The Caffarella is a vast agricultural plateau of about 190 hectares between the Appian Way and the Via Latina, crossed by the Almone stream. Here, grazing flocks, Roman ruins, 16th-century farmhouses, and one of the landscapes most celebrated by Grand Tour travelers coexist. The fact that a rural festival like this continues to take place just a few kilometers from the Colosseum tells the story of the Appian Way Park better than any guidebook: a protected area that is simultaneously a monument, a countryside, and a neighborhood.

Why visit

It is one of the few occasions of the year when the Caffarella fills with Roman families in the middle of winter. Admission is free, no reservation is required to participate in the festival, and the atmosphere is that of a simple, convivial village fair, with the advantage of being reachable by metro. Those who want to extend their day can combine the visit with the nearby monumental stretch of the Appian Way or the Nymphaeum of Egeria complex.