Gallese Summer Carnival

A Carnival in the Summer

Some towns wait until February to put on a mask. Gallese, a small town in the province of Viterbo overlooking the Tiber Valley, has decided to double down: in addition to the traditional winter carnival, every third Saturday of July, this Tuscia village hosts the Gallese Summer Carnival, a night parade that has quickly become one of the most anticipated summer events in the Viterbo area.

The idea was born, as the organizers themselves explain, from a desire to «shake up the status quo» of village life by moving the celebration to a season when the squares are bustling and evenings are spent outdoors until late. The result is a carnival that plays with an element impossible in February: the warm darkness of July, which turns the floats into glowing sculptures.

Organized by ACOSV

Behind the event is the ACOSV Association, a playful acronym for «A Carnevale Ogni Scherzo Vale» (At Carnival, Anything Goes), which manages both the winter and summer editions. The association works with the town's historic groups—names that have become part of the local lexicon like Il Paese dei Balocchi, I Casinari, Gli Stazionari, La Terza Età, and Gli Esauriti—who proudly compete every year to build the best floats.

Papier-mâché floats and glowing masks

The heart of the festival is the allegorical floats, typically four or five, created from intricate papier-mâché sculptures built by volunteers over the preceding months. The costumes are sewn by local seamstresses and made unique by strings of colorful lights: a solution created for the night parade that has become the visual signature of the Gallese Summer Carnival. The masks of Gallese aren't just seen; they light up.

The themes of the floats follow satire and current events with the freedom typical of folk traditions: over the years, there have been floats dedicated to peacocks, the 1950s, firefighters, and international anniversaries, as well as guest floats from neighboring towns like Magliano Sabina.

The route through the village

The procession winds through the town, touching the symbolic landmarks of daily life in Gallese. The route starts at Piazzale Alcide De Gasperi, continues through Piazza Martiri di Cefalonia, travels along via Eudo Giulioli and viale Marconi, and concludes in Piazza Liberazione, where the final part of the evening is concentrated.

• Night parade of illuminated allegorical floats
• Masked groups from the village and guests
• Music and entertainment along the entire route
• Food stalls and a bar corner run by the local community
• Final foam party at midnight

The midnight foam party

When the floats finish their circuit, the party doesn't stop: at the stroke of midnight, Piazza Liberazione transforms into a dance floor for the foam party, with a cascade of foam under which people dance until late at night. It is the most anticipated moment for the youth and what truly distinguishes the summer carnival from its winter version.

Gallese and the Tuscia region

Gallese stands on a tuff spur a few kilometers from the border with Umbria, in that strip of the Tuscia region where northern Lazio fades into Umbrian lands. The village retains a compact medieval layout, dominated by the ducal castle, and hosts a busy summer season that pairs the Summer Carnival with other popular festivals like the Beer Festival.

For those visiting the province of Viterbo in July, the evening of the Gallese Summer Carnival is an opportunity to see an entire town working on its own celebration: a recent but already deeply rooted tradition, built entirely by volunteers and open to everyone for free.