Emigrant Festival

Casalattico, the Comino Valley village that becomes a little Ireland

Every summer, in the heart of the Comino Valley, in the province of Frosinone, the small village of Casalattico experiences its most emotional day. The Emigrant Festival — also known as the Irish Fest, the most international celebration in the valley — calls back to the historic center the children and grandchildren of those who, starting in the early 20th century, left this corner of Lazio to seek their fortune abroad. A town of only a few hundred residents that, during the festival, hosts up to eighteen hundred people.

From Ciociaria to Ireland: a history of emigration

Casalattico is the cradle of the largest Italian community in Ireland. Over seventy percent of the population emigrated during the 20th century, primarily to Ireland and Great Britain, but also to Scotland, Canada, France, and Uruguay. It was the Ciociaro emigrants who brought the famous fish and chips to the Emerald Isle: most Irish chip shops still trace their roots back to this village today. Among its most illustrious sons is Carmine Forte, who became Lord Charles Forte, founder of an international hospitality empire, to whom the hamlet of Monforte is dedicated. The bond with Ireland is sealed by the twinning with the town of Naas.

The program: music, dance, and memory

For one day, the streets and the square of the historic center fill with music and color. The flags of twenty-seven nations fly, testifying to how far the people of Casalattico have traveled. Irish folk music and Celtic melodies intertwine with the Ciociaro saltarello and traditional dances, in a dialogue between two cultures that coexist naturally here: many inhabitants speak both the local Ciociaro dialect and English with ease.

• Concerts and sessions of Irish and Celtic folk music
• Traditional dances and Ciociaro saltarello through the village streets
• Flag parade and moments dedicated to the memory of the emigrants
• Food stalls with Irish and Ciociaro specialties

Flavors between Ciociaria and Ireland

The table is the true bridge between these two worlds. Alongside fish and chips, burgers, bacon, smoked salmon, Irish sausages, and Guinness, the stalls offer local culinary specialties: polenta, pasta e fagioli, coratella, Pecorino di Picinisco PDO, and Atina DOC wines. A meeting of flavors that tells the story of this community's dual identity better than any words.

A festival of roots

More than just a food festival, the Emigrant Festival is a collective ritual of return. For those who grew up far away, returning to Casalattico in the summer means rediscovering their grandparents' home, familiar faces, and the language of their origins. It is a celebration for those who have never stopped feeling connected to this village in the Comino Valley, in the most authentic and surprising part of Lazio.