Feast of Maria SS.ma di Canneto (Festival of the Four Regions and One Hundred Towns)

A centuries-old pilgrimage

The Feast of Maria SS.ma di Canneto is the most significant event of the year for the town of Settefrati, in the province of Frosinone, and one of the most imposing popular pilgrimages in Lazio and the entire Central-South. It is fittingly known as the Festival of the Four Regions and One Hundred Towns: every year, between August 18 and 22, about 120-130 pilgrim groups—each consisting of 50 to 500 people, led by their own banner—reach the Canneto Valley on foot from over a hundred towns across Lazio, Abruzzo, Molise, and Campania. According to the Municipality of Settefrati, the total influx reaches nearly 150,000 pilgrims annually.

The sanctuary and the Black Madonna

The Sanctuary of the Madonna di Canneto stands at an altitude of about 1,020 meters, at the source of the Melfa River, within the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park. The site has been sacred for millennia: 1958 excavations unearthed the remains of an Italic temple dedicated to the goddess Mefitis, along with votive objects and coins from the 4th-3rd century BC. Tradition dates the first Marian church to the year 819, while the first confirmed document is a bull by Pope Nicholas IV from 1288. At the heart of the devotion is the wooden statue of the Black Madonna of Canneto, a medieval Abruzzese work of art dating back to the 12th-13th century. The sanctuary has been a minor basilica since 2015, and the Madonna di Canneto has been the patron saint of the Sora-Cassino-Aquino-Pontecorvo diocese since 2024.

The stages of the festival

The festival follows an immutable ritual that marks the second half of August. On August 14, in the parish church of Settefrati, the descent of the Madonna takes place: the statue is lowered from its niche by a hand-operated winch in front of the faithful. On the morning of August 18, the statue departs in a solemn procession from Settefrati toward the sanctuary in the valley, where it remains for five days. From the evening of August 20 until the morning of the 21st, pilgrim groups arrive on foot without interruption, and the valley resonates with hymns dedicated to the Madonna. On the afternoon of August 21, all groups march in the grand Eucharistic procession toward the Melfa springs. On the evening of August 22, the Madonna returns in procession to Settefrati, greeted by fireworks illuminating the valley and a crowd estimated between 30,000 and 40,000 people in the town center.

Rites and popular traditions

The Canneto pilgrimage is a treasure trove of popular religiosity: groups perform three ritual circuits around the sanctuary, many faithful cover the final meters on their knees, and upon leaving, they walk backward so as not to turn their backs on the Virgin. The nights between August 20 and 22 are spent under the portico, at the edges of the beech forests, and along the riverbed, around bonfires that dot the valley, accompanied by bagpipes, accordions, and the traditional singing of the 'zitelle'.

The festival in town

During these same days, Settefrati experiences its most intense week: on August 19, the Emigrant Festival is celebrated, dedicated to Settefrati natives around the world, and on August 20, the historic Sagna and Beans Festival takes place, featuring outdoor cooking in large cauldrons, free distribution of the traditional dish, and folk music in the square. It is the convivial face of a celebration that unites faith, identity, and the gastronomy of the Comino Valley.

A heritage of the Lazio Region

Suspended between Lazio, Abruzzo, Molise, and Campania, the Feast of Maria SS.ma di Canneto is one of the most authentic experiences in the Ciociaria region: a collective journey that has crossed the mountains of the National Park for centuries, renewing the bond between a small mountain village and an entire piece of Italy every August.