Feast of Santa Maria della Neve and the Toro Ossequioso (with the Interregional Canto a Braccio Festival)

A rite rooted in the Sabina prehistory

In Bacugno, a small village in the Municipality of Posta (province of Rieti, in the upper Velino Valley, Lazio), the first days of August bring to life a popular liturgy that scholars trace back over three millennia. The local cult of Madonna della Neve is believed to have been grafted onto ancient Sabina agrarian rites linked to the goddess Vacuna and the fertility of the fields: a slow process of Christianization that kept the gestures intact while changing only the name of the divinity to whom they are addressed. The result is a festival like no other, now recognized as one of the most precious ethno-anthropological heritages of the Central Apennines.

The Toro Ossequioso

The protagonist is a bull, patiently trained in the preceding weeks and adorned with drapes, ribbons, and ornaments. On August 5th, the day of the liturgical feast of Santa Maria della Neve, the animal is yoked in the Picciame area, joins the religious procession, and finally, upon reaching the churchyard, performs the triple genuflection before the statue of the Virgin. It is a moment charged with tension and silence, followed by hundreds of people who climb the valley every year to witness it.

The Manocchio and the furrow

Alongside the bull, two other agrarian rites of great symbolic power take place. The Manocchio is a massive wheat sheaf woven by hand, ear by ear, on the afternoon of August 3rd: it is then carried in a procession through the houses and presented to the church. At dawn on August 4th, meanwhile, local plowmen trace a ritual furrow that descends from Mount Boragine to the village, a propitiatory gesture for the fertility of the land. Those who arrive in Bacugno during these days witness a complete cycle: plowing, harvesting, offering, and blessing.

The Interregional Canto a Braccio Festival

Since 1987, on the evening of August 3rd, the churchyard has hosted the Interregional Canto a Braccio Festival, created by the poets themselves who wanted to honor the festival with their art. The poeti a braccio (improvised poets) challenge each other in improvised ottava rima on current events and daily life, accompanied by the ciaramella (folk oboe) and the accordion. The festival features singers from Lazio, Tuscany, and Abruzzo: in 2025, for the thirty-eighth edition, Alessio Runci, Paolo Santini, Pietro De Acutis, and Dante Valentini (for Lazio), Emilio Meliani and Niccolino Grassi (for Tuscany), and Marcello Patrizi and Berardino Perilli (for Abruzzo) took the stage.

The schedule for August 5th

• 9:00 AM — Yoking of the bull in the Picciame area
• 9:30 AM — Parade of the Manocchio through the hamlets
• 11:30 AM — Meeting of the religious procession with the bull and the Manocchio
• 12:30 PM — Arrival at the church, triple genuflection of the Toro Ossequioso, entry of the Manocchio into the churchyard, and the tossing of the traditional giant ring-shaped cake; tossing of smaller ring-shaped cookies by girls in traditional costumes
• 1:00 PM — Solemn commemoration of the fallen and wreath-laying
• 1:30 PM — Fireworks display
• 4:00 PM — Games and entertainment for children at the Steccato
• 8:00 PM — Opening of food stands featuring the Farrecillu festival

Flavors and atmosphere

The culinary aspect is not just a side event but a continuation of the rite: the Farrecillu, a spelt soup from the Rieti peasant tradition, is served at the Steccato along with typical dishes of the upper Velino Valley. The evenings conclude with folk music and, at midnight, with a fireworks show. It is a village festival where emigrant Bacugnesi return every year, and the welcome for visitors is genuine and warm.

Why it is worth the trip

Bacugno is reached by traveling up the Velino Valley, in a mountain landscape between Terminillo and the Laga Mountains, just a few kilometers from the border with Abruzzo and Umbria. Those looking for the Italy of authentic traditions—those not built for tourism but that have survived because the community never stopped practicing them—will find here one of the clearest examples in all of Central Italy.