Gallesefest - Beer in the Square

A Tuscia village that rings in the summer with beer

There is a specific moment when summer truly begins in Gallese: when the stalls are set up in Piazza della Liberazione, the lights go on, and the first taps start pouring. This is Gallesefest - Beer in the Square, the beer festival that has marked the end of June for years in this village of just over two thousand inhabitants, perched on a tuff spur about thirty kilometers from Viterbo, in the heart of the Lazio Tuscia region.

This is not a commercial event designed for passing tourists; it is a village festival in the truest sense of the word, born and raised around the San Famiano Festival Committee, the association that has managed the patron saint's celebrations in Gallese for decades, along with much of the town's event calendar.

What you will find in the square

The formula is simple and tried-and-tested. Every evening, starting around 7:30 PM, food stalls open, dedicated to local culinary specialties: traditional peasant dishes from the Tuscia region, fried foods, pasta, and options designed to pair perfectly with beer. Alongside them, the beer tap counter offers a wide selection, alternating classic light and red beers with more refined choices.

• Food stalls with typical products from the Viterbo area
• Wide selection of draft beers available every night
• Live concerts and DJ sets in the square
• Outdoor seating in the historic center, with table reservations recommended

Music is the second soul of the festival. Every year, the stage in Piazza della Liberazione hosts local bands and cover bands ranging from international pop-rock to Italian classics, usually closing with a more energetic night featuring rock and DJ sets. There are no big national headliners, and that is not the spirit: people come here to hang out with the locals, listen to good live music, and end the evening with a pint in hand.

The San Famiano Festival Committee

Behind the event is a group of volunteers organized by birth years—the cohorts from 1975 to 2000—who handle everything: setup, cooking, table service, and stage management. It is a typically Italian structure, that of the village committee, which still works very well in Gallese, ensuring affordable prices and a family atmosphere. The event is held under the patronage of the Municipality of Gallese.

The Committee owes its name to Saint Famiano, the town's patron: a monk who lived in the 12th century, a pilgrim and later a Cistercian, whose figure is at the heart of local devotion and the major celebrations held in August. The beer festival is, in a sense, the summer prelude and a way for the Committee to raise funds.

Gallese, the village

It is worth arriving a little early for a stroll. Gallese preserves a compact medieval layout, dominated by the Ducal Castle (now Palazzo Hardouin of Gallese) and crossed by tuff alleys that open up to views of the Tiber Valley. The Cathedral of San Famiano houses the relics of the patron saint. The village is located in the province of Viterbo, in northern Lazio, in that part of the Tuscia region that borders Umbria and combines volcanic landscapes, stone villages, and a highly distinctive local cuisine.

Why go

Gallesefest has no ambitions to be a major festival: it is an authentic celebration, with free admission, affordable prices, and a crowd that mixes families, groups of friends, and visitors from neighboring towns. For those passing through the Tuscia region at the end of June, it is the most direct way to understand how summer is lived in the villages of inland Lazio—which, all things considered, is the best reason to stop by.