Grotte di Castro Potato Festival

A festival born from the land

The Potato Festival in Grotte di Castro, located in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, is much more than just a summer food event: it is how this village in the Upper Tuscia region tells its own story. For generations, the volcanic plateau surrounding the village, overlooking Lake Bolsena, has produced potatoes with a firm texture and distinct flavor, grown in lava-rich soil that makes them a symbol of Upper Lazio. For over thirty years, the local community has dedicated several nights of celebration to this crop in the days leading up to Ferragosto.

Piazza Guglielmo Marconi, the heart of the festival

The nerve center of the event is Piazza Guglielmo Marconi, where food stalls, outdoor tables, and a stage for evening entertainment are set up. In past editions, the festival also took place in Piazza Matteotti and the surrounding streets, enlivened by markets, stalls selling local products, and traditional crafts. The formula remains the tried-and-tested village festival style: food prepared entirely by volunteers, generous portions, affordable prices, and no barriers between organizers and participants.

What to eat

The menu revolves around the potato, prepared according to local traditions, alongside the mainstays of Viterbo cuisine:

• Gnocchi with meat sauce and creative gnocchi dishes, made with potatoes from the plateau
• Lilleri all'aglione, a fresh pasta typical of the Tuscia region
• Grilled meats and charcoal-roasted dishes
• Fried, sautéed, or salad-style potatoes
• Extra virgin olive oil and local wines, including Colli Etruschi Viterbesi and Aleatico di Gradoli
• Homemade desserts, donuts, and watermelon to finish the evening

Music and entertainment

Every night, the festival features live music: dance orchestras, local bands, DJ sets, and concerts have accompanied the event over the last few decades, sometimes featuring nationally renowned guests. The 2025 edition featured the band Canvas and DJ Alessandro Costa, with a program designed to appeal to both families and younger crowds.

The 2025 comeback and the 2028 decennial festival

After a six-year hiatus, the festival returned in August 2025 for its 34th edition, organized by the Maria Santissima del Suffragio Festival Committee. This was no coincidence: the proceeds from the event are dedicated to the major decennial festival of 2028, a devotional appointment that mobilizes the entire town every ten years around the Madonna del Suffragio. The festival thus takes on a dual meaning—gastronomic and communal—as Mayor Antonio Rizzello noted, describing it as "a moment of social and cultural gathering" where culture and identity are expressed through food and shared memory.

Grotte di Castro beyond the festival

Visitors arriving for the festival will find a village that deserves a longer stay. Grotte di Castro preserves a tuff-stone historic center crossed by cellars carved into the rock, the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunta, and the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Suffragio. Just a few kilometers away, you can explore Lake Bolsena, Etruscan necropolises, and the villages of the Via Francigena: the Tuscia region offers a full week of itineraries blending archaeology, nature, and food and wine.