Festival of Emotions

A widespread festival in the village of the Ausoni Mountains

The Festival of Emotions is a live performance series that brings the village of Monte San Biagio to life. Located in the province of Latina, in southern Lazio, the village overlooks Lake Fondi and is tucked between the Ausoni Mountains and the Tyrrhenian coast. Rather than being confined to a single weekend, the festival is a journey of events spread across spring and early summer, designed to accompany the community from Holy Week through to the official opening of the summer season.

A cultural project supported by the Lazio Region

The festival stems from a project funded by the Lazio Region through its public call for Live Performances, with a grant of 25,000 euros, and is organized by the Municipality of Monte San Biagio together with the local Pro Loco. The organizers' stated goal is to enhance the town's cultural heritage through accessible formats, bringing live music, theater, and dance out of conventional venues and directly into the village squares. All events offer free admission.

Festival highlights

• The Passion of Christ — a evocative sacred pageant involving dozens of local participants, performed at Piazzale Saint Romain Le Puy during the Easter period.
• Ciak, si Danza! (Lights, Camera, Dance!) — a concert-show dedicated to the most famous soundtracks in cinema history, featuring the voice of Tania Tuccinardi, musical direction by Maestro Gabriele Pezone, and commentary by film historian Marco Grossi, held at Piazzale Biblioteca.
• Opening of the Monticellana Summer — a full day in Piazza Padre Biagio, in the hamlet of Vallemarina, featuring country vibes, food and wine stalls, amusement rides, and an evening concert by the Phoenix Gospel Choir, held in celebration of World Music Day.

Atmosphere and audience

The festival has a deeply popular and family-friendly character. Evenings are held outdoors in squares that become the town's natural living room during the summer: people arrive early, sit among neighbors and visitors from nearby towns, and the evening unfolds with music, conversation, and the aroma of food stalls. The formula chosen by the organizers—free entry and a deliberately eclectic program that blends sacred pageantry with cinema and gospel—aims to reach a wide audience, from families with children to music enthusiasts.

Monte San Biagio: between lake, mountains, and tradition

Those who visit the festival will find much more than just a calendar of events. Monte San Biagio is famous throughout Lazio for its salsiccia monticellana (local sausage), a staple of local gastronomy, and for the capra bianca monticellana (white goat), an indigenous breed linked to the ancient pastoral tradition of the Ausoni and Aurunci Mountains, celebrated every summer with a dedicated festival. The historic center, with its steep alleys and castle ruins, overlooks the Fondi plain and the lake; just a few kilometers away lie the Ausoni Mountains Natural Park and the beaches of the Gulf of Gaeta and Terracina. The festival thus becomes a great excuse to discover a corner of Lazio less traveled by mainstream tourism.

A season that continues

With the summer solstice event, the festival ideally passes the baton to the Monticellana Summer, the calendar of feasts, food festivals, and evenings that accompanies the town until September. Those planning a visit should check for updates published by the Municipality and the Pro Loco, which release posters for individual events as they approach.