Greccio Carnival

The most colorful carnival in the Holy Valley

Greccio is not just the village of Saint Francis's first nativity scene; it is also a community that knows how to celebrate. Every year, during the Carnival season, the hamlet of Limiti di Greccio transforms into an open-air theater where floats, costumed groups, and clouds of confetti parade through the streets. The procession starts in Piazza Giovanni Paolo II, the heart of the hamlet, and winds through the town until late in the day.

A revived tradition

After a few years of hiatus, the Carnival has returned to Greccio thanks to the initiative of the Greccio Futura Cultural Association, which relaunched the event in collaboration with the Pro Loco of Greccio and the patronage of the Municipality of Greccio. The credit, as the organizers emphasized, goes above all to the local youth, who dedicated their heart and soul to building the floats and preparing the costumes. Tourism Councilor Fiorenzo Marchetti described it as «a community celebration, an opportunity to experience our traditions together with joy and serenity»: a formula that perfectly captures the spirit of the event—far from the massive scale of historic carnivals, yet authentic and deeply rooted in the local area.

What to expect at the parade

• Floats handcrafted by local groups, often inspired by current events or cartoon themes.
• Costumed groups open to everyone: the event explicitly invites individual participants and groups to join the procession.
• Music and entertainment along the route, with sound systems on the floats and live musical accompaniment.
• Confetti and streamers galore, for an afternoon designed primarily for the little ones.

Greccio, the village of the nativity scene

The Carnival is a great opportunity to discover a village that holds a unique place in the Lazio region. Greccio, in the province of Rieti, overlooks the Rieti Holy Valley at an altitude of about 700 meters and is inextricably linked to the figure of Saint Francis of Assisi, who here, on Christmas Eve in 1223, staged the first nativity scene in history. The Nativity Sanctuary, carved into the rock, is a destination for pilgrimages and visits all year round. The hamlet of Limiti di Greccio, where the parade takes place, is located further down the valley along the road connecting Greccio to the Rieti plain and is the most populous part of the municipality.

Carnival in the Rieti area

The Greccio parade is part of a particularly lively provincial calendar. During the same period, other events take place, such as the Rieti Carnival, with its twenty floats in the heart of the city, the Carnevalone Liberato of Poggio Mirteto, the Santarofinaro Carnival of Santa Rufina di Cittaducale, and the Talocciano Carnival of Fara in Sabina. Visitors staying in the area can easily create their own carnival itinerary across the Sabina and Holy Valley regions, moving from village to village on the Sundays of February and March.

A family-friendly event

Participation in the parade is free and requires no booking. The afternoon schedule, starting around 2:00 PM, makes it particularly convenient for those arriving with children. As it is an open-air event in a hillside village, it is advisable to dress in layers: in February and March, temperatures in the Holy Valley can still be chilly, especially after sunset.