Feast of the Patron Saints Philip and James

A festival that embodies the identity of Frascati

May 3rd is the most significant date in the civic and religious calendar of Frascati, a town in the Castelli Romani area near Rome, in the heart of the Lazio region. On this day, the municipality celebrates its Patron Saints Philip and James, two apostles venerated together because their relics were deposited in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles in Rome. This is no manufactured tourist event; it is the day the local community reaffirms its identity, with schools closed, offices operating on reduced hours, and the historic center bustling with Frascati residents of all ages.

Origins: Cardinal Bessarion and the 15th Century

The festival dates back to the 15th century. It was Cardinal Bessarion, a Greek humanist and Bishop of Frascati between 1449 and 1466, who placed the city under the protection of the two apostles after his transition from the Greek to the Latin Church. Since then, the devotion has remained unbroken, surviving centuries of local history: the city's reconstruction, the era of grand cardinal villas, the 1943 bombings that devastated the center and the Cathedral, and the post-war rebirth. Every May 3rd, the ritual is repeated, remaining identical in substance and vibrant in participation.

The Ritual: Mass, Candles, and Procession

The focal point is the solemn mass at the Cathedral of San Pietro Apostolo, in Piazza San Pietro, presided over by the Bishop of Frascati. During the celebration, the most symbolic gesture of the day takes place: the Mayor offers votive candles to the Patron Saints on behalf of the entire city, a public renewal of the pact between the civic community and its protectors. Following this, the procession carries the sacred images of the two apostles along a route that touches Piazza San Pietro, Via Palestro, Piazza Roma, and the main streets of the historic center, before returning to the Cathedral for a final solemn blessing from the church steps.

The Band, the Square, and the City in Celebration

The day traditionally begins with the «A. Panizza» Classical Band, which marches through the streets with its repertoire of fanfares, waking the city and announcing the festival. Around the liturgical program, a day of widespread social activity unfolds: Frascati's fraschette (traditional taverns) and wine cellars operate at full capacity, with tables filled with porchetta, coppiette, and, naturally, Frascati DOC—the white wine that has made this corner of the Castelli Romani world-famous. While there is no official food festival, the city experiences one of its most gastronomically intense days of the year.

Free Access to the Tuscolano Museum

For several years, the municipality has paired the patronal festival with a cultural gesture: free admission to the Tuscolano Museum, housed in the Scuderie Aldobrandini, which were restored by architect Massimiliano Fuksas. The exhibition tells the story of the territory from ancient Tusculum to the Renaissance, featuring artifacts from the Roman Forum and Theater excavations, the famous series of ten wooden models of the Tuscolan villas, and ancient medals and engravings. The museum also offers a web app that guides visitors with three different narrators: Cicero, a Maenad, and the Cardinal Duke of York.

Why visit

• To witness an authentic patronal festival, not adapted for tourism, just twenty kilometers from Rome
• To attend the offering of the candles, one of the oldest civic rituals in Lazio
• To visit the Tuscolano Museum and the Scuderie Aldobrandini for free
• To combine the festival with a walk through the Tuscolan villas, the archaeological site of Tusculum, and the cellars of Frascati DOC

The Feast of Saints Philip and James is also shared by two other towns in the Castelli Romani, Lanuvio and Nemi, which venerate the same patrons—a small clue to how deep this devotion runs in the religious fabric of the area south of Rome.