Ernica Etnica

A journey into the roots of Italian music

Ernica Etnica — officially subtitled «The music in our hearts» — is one of the longest-running folk music festivals in the Lazio region. Every summer, in the historic center of Veroli, a medieval village in the province of Frosinone nestled on the slopes of the Ernici Mountains, the festival offers a journey to rediscover the sounds, songs, dialects, rhythms, and instruments of Italy's diverse regions. The name of the event itself is a tribute to the territory: the Ernici are the central Apennine mountain range that frames the city, on the border between Lazio and Abruzzo.

History: from the 2000 Jubilee to today

The festival was born in 2000, the year of the Jubilee, from an idea by journalist and TV author Giuseppe Gennaro, who proposed that the Municipality of Veroli add a traditional music festival to its summer events. Since then, Ernica Etnica has grown edition after edition to become a nationally significant event, attracting world music enthusiasts and lovers of folk traditions from all over Lazio and beyond. In 2026, the festival reaches the milestone of its 25th edition, officially announced in the «Veroli Estate 2026» program presented by the municipal administration.

Piazza Santa Maria Salome, a stage under the stars

The heart of the festival is Piazza Santa Maria Salome, one of the most evocative squares in Veroli's historic center, dominated by the basilica that houses the remains of the patron saint. Here, for three consecutive nights — traditionally on the first weekend of August, starting at 9 PM — top-tier groups and artists from all over Italy take the stage. All concerts are free of charge, in the spirit of popular celebration that characterizes the event.

Artists who have made the festival's history

Over the years, Ernica Etnica has hosted many of the protagonists of the Italian folk scene. The 2025 edition, the 24th, brought to the square:

• Musicanti del Piccolo Borgo, a historic ensemble that celebrated its fifty years of activity in Veroli together with Nando Citarella;
• Ars Nova Napoli, with an overwhelming repertoire of pizzica, tammurriata, and tarantella;
• Ambrogio Sparagna with the Orchestra Popolare Italiana and the Piccola Banda di Castro dei Volsci, in the show «Per grazia ricevuta», a tribute to Nino Manfredi and the music of Ciociaria.

Guests from past editions also include the Antonio Amato Ensemble and numerous groups representing the traditions of Abruzzo, Campania, and Salento.

More than just concerts

Beyond the music, the festival enlivens the squares of the historic center with craft stalls, book and musical instrument stands, and food and wine tasting points, transforming Veroli into a great celebration of folk cultures. It is also an opportunity to discover one of the most beautiful villages in Ciociaria, with its Scala Santa, the nearby Casamari Abbey, and the medieval alleys of the center.

A defining event for Veroli and Lazio

Strongly supported by the Municipality of Veroli, the festival is now part of the city's cultural identity and represents one of the main events dedicated to oral tradition music in the Lazio region, alongside the great pizzica and tarantella gatherings of central and southern Italy.