Festival of Saint Martha and Saint Blaise (Patron Saints of Marta)

A patronal feast celebrated on the water

The Festival of Saint Martha and Saint Blaise is the most iconic event for the Municipality of Marta, a small fishing village overlooking Lake Bolsena in the province of Viterbo, in northern Lazio. Saint Martha of Bethany, who gives the town its name, is celebrated every year on July 29th alongside the co-patron Saint Blaise, whose liturgical feast is traditionally held on February 3rd with the ritual blessing of the throat.

What sets this festival apart from any other patronal feast in the Tuscia region is its setting: the lake. Here, devotion does not just wind through the alleys of the medieval village; it takes to the water, entrusted to the boats of fishermen who have lived for centuries off the lake's catch, such as smelt, whitefish, and eel.

The procession of illuminated boats

The heart of the event takes place on the evening of July 28th. Following solemn vespers in the Collegiate Church of Saints Martha and Blaise, around 9:00 PM, the bust of the patron saint is placed on an ancient processional carriage and loaded onto a specially decorated fishing boat, steered by a local fisherman with the parish priest on board.

The vessel sets sail from the harbor beach and slowly cruises along the entire lakefront to the Borgo dei Pescatori beach, followed by a procession of illuminated boats that leaves a trail of light across the water. From the shore, the townspeople accompany the procession alongside the confraternity, children dressed as angels, and the marching band, while the windows of the houses remain lit by candles and torches. It is an image that stays with you: the darkness of the lake, the reflection of the lights, and the sound of the band drifting from the shore.

July 29th, the day of the patron saints

The festival day blends religious devotion with popular tradition. In the morning, a solemn mass is celebrated in the collegiate church; in the afternoon, the band parades along the Guglielmo Marconi lakefront and through the historic center, often accompanied by majorettes. In the evening, there is a band concert, while the lakefront is lined with market stalls and vendors selling traditional sweets typical of Lazio's patronal feasts.

The solemn procession then winds through the town streets and concludes with a blessing given from the town hall in Piazza Umberto I. The finale is marked by a fireworks display that, around 10:30 PM, reflects on the waters of Lake Bolsena, officially closing the festivities.

Marta, a fishing village in Tuscia

Marta preserves the layout of its old fortified core, dominated by the Clock Tower, and slopes down toward the harbor through a maze of narrow alleys. Its economy is historically linked to fishing and, in recent decades, to lake tourism: Lake Bolsena, the largest volcanic lake in Europe, is swimmable and surrounded by olive groves and vineyards that produce Cannaiola, a local sweet wine to which the town dedicates another summer festival.

A calendar of traditions

The Saint Martha Festival is part of a cycle of festivities that marks the entire year in Marta:

• May 14th — Barabbata (Festival of Our Lady of the Mount), the town's most famous rural re-enactment;
• Late May/Early June — Smelt Festival, dedicated to the lake's signature fish;
• July-August — Fisherman's Festival and the Marta Estate evenings;
• July 28-29 — Festival of Saint Martha and Saint Blaise, the highlight of the season;
• February 3rd — Saint Blaise, with the blessing of the throat.

Why it's worth the trip

Those who arrive in Marta on the evening of July 28th witness an authentic ritual, not one staged for tourists: it is the local fishermen who carry the saint onto the water, and the entire community that responds from the shore. For international visitors, it is also the most direct way to understand the relationship between the villages of Tuscia and their volcanic lakes—a bond forged of work, devotion, and conviviality.