Hortus Festival - Crucifix Feast

A tradition reborn after seventy years

The Hortus Festival - Crucifix Feast marks the return of one of the most beloved festivals in the Municipality of Massignano, in the Province of Ascoli Piceno, which disappeared over seventy years ago. The feast was traditionally linked to the small Borgo del Crocifisso and was celebrated in the so-called third octave of Easter. In 2026, this collective memory was rekindled thanks to the inauguration of Hortus, the historic orange grove restored within the Baia Estate, and returned a day of celebration to the community, awaited for generations.

The historic orange grove of the Crucifix

The heart of the event is the monumental citrus garden, a rare terraced complex built in the mid-18th century by the Marezi family, originally from Ripatransone, in a favorable position along the hills overlooking the Adriatic. On an area of about seventeen hectares, centuries-old citrus groves survive - including the blond orange cultivated furthest north in Italy - along with an 18th-century chapel that gives the village its name. The restoration of the site was made possible by a funding of approximately one million euros obtained by the Baia Agricultural Company of the Iacoponi family through the PNRR call for historic Parks and Gardens of Italy.

The day's program

The festival unfolds throughout the day, from morning to sunset, amidst nature, culture, and gastronomy:

• Opening and guided tours of the Historic Citrus Garden, led by the owner Giusy Iacoponi;
• Presentation of the illustrated book "Hortus, the lord of oranges" (Capponi Editore);
• Storytelling with music: ecological fables told through music;
• Educational workshops for children on creative writing, drawing, and inclusive gardening;
• Walk to discover wild herbs and sensory tour of the garden;
• Exhibitions of small artistic masterpieces by students and the ceramic association of Massignano;
• Food stalls with fritter festival, porchetta, orange juice, local wines, and ice cream;
• Concluding Holy Mass in the Borgo del Crocifisso.

A heritage open to the community

The agreement signed with the Superintendence commits the property to open the garden on certain dates of the year, ensuring that this precious corner of the Marche remains a place of meeting and culture for citizens and tourists. The Hortus Festival thus becomes much more than a local festival: it is the celebration of a rediscovered identity, in which the village of Massignano recognizes its peasant history and its oranges as a heritage to be preserved and passed down.