Lo Sbaracco

A historic center that becomes an open-air showcase

There is one summer day when Fondi, in the heart of the Latina province, completely changes its appearance. Shutters stay up well past their usual closing time, merchandise spills out of shops onto the sidewalks, and squares fill with makeshift stalls and crowds strolling until late at night. This is Lo Sbaracco, an event that local merchants have built edition after edition into one of the most anticipated summer highlights in lower Lazio.

The concept is simple and effective: at the end of the summer sales, local businesses clear out their stockrooms and offer remaining items at heavily discounted prices, displaying them directly on the street. However, reducing the event to just a shopping spree would be unfair, as it has evolved into a true city-wide festival.

From the first edition to today

Lo Sbaracco began in Fondi in 2017 and was repeated in 2018 and 2019, before a hiatus during the pandemic years. The 2024 return, featuring the Notte dello Sbaracco format, brought thousands of people back to the center and convinced organizers to scale up: the fifth edition, held on Saturday, July 5, 2025, was hailed as the most successful Sbaracco in Italy in terms of participating businesses, attendance, and the variety of scheduled activities.

What to find during the day

The event spans the main streets and squares of the historic center and offers, alongside the sales stalls, a program designed for all ages:

• Open-air displays from local shops, from morning until late at night, with exceptional discounts
• Live music throughout the streets and squares, with various stages alternating throughout the day
• Food and drink stands to accompany your evening stroll
• Fruit point featuring products from MOF, the Fondi Fruit and Vegetable Market, one of the most important in Europe
• Shows and entertainment for children, making the event perfect for families
• Midnight fireworks over the Castello Caetani, the grand finale of the evening

The role of local commerce

Lo Sbaracco is a grassroots event promoted by the Consorzio Fondipiù together with the Municipality of Fondi, Pro Loco Fondi, and Confcommercio Lazio Sud, with support from the Lazio Region, the Chamber of Commerce of Frosinone and Latina, Banca Popolare di Fondi, and MOF. This broad coalition highlights the nature of the initiative: not a top-down fair, but a tool for the historic center's commercial fabric to showcase itself and counter the shift of shopping toward large suburban retail hubs.

Fondi, much more than a shopping stop

Visitors arriving for Lo Sbaracco will find a city that deserves time. The Castello Caetani with its keep, the Palazzo del Principe, the Giudea—one of the best-preserved medieval Jewish quarters in Lazio—and the Roman-era street layout create a compact historic center that is delightful to explore on foot. Nearby, the Fondi plain with its coastal lake, the Monte Scauri Regional Natural Park, and the beaches of the Gulf of Gaeta complete a landscape that blends the hinterland and the sea within just a few kilometers.

An event to keep an eye on

Lo Sbaracco traditionally takes place in July, right after the start of the summer sales in Lazio, and is part of the summer calendar promoted by the Municipality of Fondi. The exact date is announced each year by the organizers through the channels of the Municipality and the Consorzio Fondipiù: it is best to check before traveling.