Enotica - Wine and Eros Festival

A wine festival like no other

Enotica is not your typical wine fair: it is a cultural festival that uses wine as a lens to explore pleasure, the body, and conviviality. Born and raised within the CSOA Forte Prenestino, a historic occupied social center in the Centocelle district of Rome, the event brings together small-scale organic and biodynamic winemakers, street artists, musicians, and a massive crowd that fills the tunnels and parade grounds of the fortress every March.

The title—Wine and Eros Festival—openly declares its intent: to tell the immortal story of the bond between fine drinking and desire, away from the frantic pace of modern life. The result is a colorful, playful, respectful, and diverse event where serious tasting blends seamlessly with spectacle and celebration.

Forte Prenestino, a unique setting

Forte Prenestino is a late 19th-century military fortification, part of Rome's defensive system, which has been occupied since 1986 and transformed into one of Europe's most renowned self-managed spaces. During Enotica, its underground tunnels and cells become tasting rooms: you wander with a glass in hand, meet the winemakers directly, and hear their stories, all accompanied by a curated, subtle musical backdrop. Outside, the parade ground hosts the stages, the acrobatics arena, and food areas.

Natural wines and independent producers

The selection favors small-scale wineries from across the peninsula, following a clear philosophy: organic and biodynamic agriculture, a rejection of industrial farming, and a focus on price transparency. Alongside the wines, you will find artisanal food products—cheeses, cured meats, preserves, and bread—offered by the producers themselves. Many wineries have participated for years, building a relationship of trust with a Roman audience that learned to appreciate natural wines here long before they became trendy.

Music, bodies, and performance

The artistic program is an integral part of the festival, not just an afterthought. Each day features a mix of concerts on the main stages, DJ sets in various areas of the parade ground and the underground tunnels, performances by equilibrists, contortionists, and fire artists, as well as aerial acrobatics in the outdoor arena, organized by the Forte's gymnastics courses. Over the years, the festival has hosted Balkan, funk, soul, and reggae groups, all with a strong emphasis on Roman DIY culture.

Self-management and grassroots pricing

Enotica is entirely self-funded: there are no corporate sponsors, and the proceeds support the social center's activities and the event's independence. Admission is affordable, and tastings are paid for with a modest contribution, following the political pricing logic that characterizes all of the Forte's programming. This choice defines the audience: young people, wine enthusiasts, local families, and curious visitors from all over Lazio.

Why it's worth the trip

• One of the few Italian events where natural wine is experienced in a truly grassroots, non-elitist cultural context.
• An extraordinary architectural setting: tunnels, moats, and casemates of a 19th-century fortress.
• A continuous live performance program, from the afternoon until late at night on Friday and Saturday.
• Direct contact with winemakers, free from commercial filters.

For those visiting Rome in March, Enotica is the perfect opportunity to discover a city beyond the tourist circuits: the eastern districts, Centocelle, and its long tradition of self-managed spaces, which today represent one of the most vibrant hubs of the capital's food and wine scene.