Evenings Under the Castle

A festival that reawakens the village

The Evenings Under the Castle were born from a simple yet successful idea: to bring evening life back to the ancient heart of Rocca Priora, the highest town in the Castelli Romani, located at an altitude of about 768 meters in the Metropolitan City of Rome, in the Lazio region. The Nuova Pro Loco Rocca Priora chose Vicolo di Mezzo, one of the most characteristic passages at the foot of the fortress, as its headquarters, building a summer calendar of frequent, free-entry events.

The result is a festival that goes beyond a single night: for several weeks, from late July to the Ferragosto holiday, the village becomes a pedestrian route featuring panoramic views of the Alban Hills, shops reopened for the occasion, and impromptu tables set up under the walls.

The evening wine bar, the heart of the event

The signature element of the Evenings Under the Castle is the evening wine bar set up in Vicolo di Mezzo. It typically opens around 7:00 PM, offering an informal and accessible experience: charcuterie and cheese boards, vegetarian options, and traditional Roman and Castelli dishes—the nights featuring beans and pork rinds have become a small classic—all accompanied by Castelli Romani wine and traditional wine biscuits.

It is not a festival in the strict sense, but a meeting point that remains open throughout the event, using its proceeds to fund other Pro Loco initiatives: from free medieval tours of the village to astronomical observation nights and small improvements to the historic center.

Street art, games, and words

A deliberately varied program revolves around the wine bar, designed for diverse audiences. Along the streets of the historic center, a street art exhibition is set up with photographs, paintings, and sculptures displayed in open spaces and shop windows, which can be visited freely while walking.

• Community tournaments and games: the burraco tournament is one of the most popular events for residents.
• Urban orienteering with tastings, organized in collaboration with local businesses, to discover the village in an active way.
• Poetry and writing marathon, with the participation of the Rocca Priora Writers' Group: public readings in the square, open to anyone who wishes to step up and read.
• Medieval costume tours through the alleys, often proposed as the closing moment of the festival.
• Musical and dance evenings, sports aperitifs, and events dedicated to families.

Rocca Priora and the Castelli Romani

Rocca Priora owes its identity to its location: overlooking the edge of the Lake Albano crater and the Roman countryside, it has always been a summer resort destination for those seeking cool air just a short distance from Rome. The castle that gives the festival its name, of medieval origin and repeatedly remodeled, dominates the ancient core and remains the visual reference point for all the evenings.

The event is part of a particularly dense municipal summer calendar—the Rocca Priora Estate program—which during the same period hosts the Bruschetta Festival of Rocca Priora, the Pizza Festival at the Piazzale Zanardelli viewpoint, the Feast of San Rocco, and, in late August, the Lamb Festival in Colle di Fuori. Those arriving for the Evenings Under the Castle will easily find other events during the same weeks.

Who organizes it

The festival is curated by the Nuova Pro Loco Rocca Priora, one of the two Pro Loco associations active in the municipality, which in recent years has made the revitalization of the historic center its declared goal. The organization is entirely volunteer-based, and the program is communicated year by year primarily through the association's social media channels and the Castelli Romani information portals.