Italia Surf Expo

Italy's longest-running surf festival

Founded in 1999 by surfer Alessandro Marcianò, famous for riding an 18-meter wave in Nazaré, Italia Surf Expo is considered the country's most well-known and longest-running surf-style festival. After its early years at the port of Santa Marinella, the event found its home in 2008 on the beach of Castello di Santa Severa, where it draws over 20,000 visitors each summer for a long weekend dedicated to the sea, sports, and board culture.

A unique location: Castello di Santa Severa

Few events can boast such a backdrop: the festival village sits at the foot of Castello di Santa Severa, a medieval fortress overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea in the municipality of Santa Marinella, on the coast north of Rome. For three days, the beach turns into a vibrant summer village featuring beachwear stands, surfboards, accessories, specialized shops, shaded areas, and food trucks, with activities running from morning until late at night.

Sports for everyone: surfing, SUP, and surfskate

The heart of the event is sport. The Quiksilver & Roxy Surf School, Italy's largest surf school, offers free lessons for children aged 6 and up as well as adults of all levels, selling out every year. Alongside the waves, there is the SUP Academy with its stand-up paddle races, indoboard demonstrations, and the Surf Skate Fest featuring the Quiksilver Rogue Wheels contest, where top Italian riders compete in one-on-one heats judged by federal officials according to traditional surfing formats. The program is rounded out by board-shaping workshops, functional breathing sessions, and beach yoga.

Music, fashion, and cinema under the stars

Italia Surf Expo is about more than just sports: at night, the village comes alive with live radio broadcasts, late-night DJ sets, beach parties, dance performances, beachwear fashion shows, and open-air cinema with surf-themed screenings. It offers a Californian beach atmosphere just half an hour from Rome, uniting different generations through a shared passion.

An event supported by the local community

The event is held under the patronage of the Lazio Region, the Municipality of Santa Marinella, and the Italian Surfing Federation (FISSW), involving both national partners and local entities. Great attention is also paid to marine sustainability and health awareness, with meetings and workshops open to the public. The municipality also organizes a free shuttle for younger attendees to ensure safe access to the festival area.

Why you should go

Because it is the easiest way to soak up Italian surf culture: learn to stand on a board in the morning, watch a contest in the afternoon, and dance by the sea at night—all with free admission on one of the most picturesque stretches of the Lazio coast.