La Polentata

A day of polenta in the heart of the upper Aniene Valley

La Polentata is the spring festival of Riofreddo, a small town in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in the Lazio region, perched at over 700 meters above sea level along the ancient Via Valeria. Every year, on the last Sunday of March, Piazzale Ricciotti Garibaldi, in the upper part of the village, fills with long tables, steaming cauldrons, and music: it is the moment when the community bids farewell to winter with the dish that best tells the story of mountain cuisine in the Roman hinterland.

Polenta, a dish of winter and community

In this stretch of the Apennines, straddling Lazio and Abruzzo, polenta has never been a simple side dish: it was the meal that warmed farming families during the cold months, cooked for a long time in a cauldron and poured onto a wooden board so that everyone could eat together from the same surface. The Pro Loco has made this memory the heart of the festival, offering polenta with meat sauce prepared in large quantities by volunteers and served hot to visitors as they arrive.

The festival menu

The food stands open at noon and remain active throughout the early afternoon. Alongside the polenta, the table offers the typical flavors of the territory:

• Bruschetta with local olive oil;
• Polenta with meat sauce, the signature dish;
• Sausage in sauce;
• Grilled sheep arrosticini, a legacy of the nearby Abruzzo tradition and transhumant shepherding;
• Sautéed wild chicory, bread, and wine or water.

Those who prefer can choose individual portions instead of the full menu, and there is a dedicated menu for children: a formula designed for families and groups, making the day accessible to everyone.

Music, sociality, and an open village

La Polentata is not just about gastronomy. During table service, the atmosphere is accompanied by live music, while spaces and games for children liven up the square. It is an authentically local festival, without imposing stages or massive crowds: the value lies in the meeting between residents, emigrants returning for the occasion, and visitors arriving from the capital or the neighboring towns of the Aniene Valley, the Arcinazzo Plateau, and the Piana del Cavaliere.

Riofreddo, a village to visit

The festival is also a great opportunity to discover the historic center. Riofreddo preserves the Castello Colonna del Drago, the churches of San Nicola di Bari and Sant'Andrea Apostolo, and the "Villa Garibaldi" Museum of Cultures, housed in the residence linked to the Garibaldi family, which also gives its name to the festival square. Around the village, paths lead toward the Simbruini Mountains and the valley carved by the Aniene river, with woods and fountains that make for a pleasant walk before or after lunch.

An appointment in the Pro Loco calendar

La Polentata effectively opens the season of events curated by the Pro Loco Riofreddo Association, which throughout the year also organizes the Gnocchi Festival in spring and the historic Sagnozzi Festival in mid-August, now in its twenty-eighth edition. A volunteer effort that keeps the calendar of a town of a few hundred inhabitants alive and makes it, for a few days a year, a small gastronomic capital of inland Lazio.