Maccarese Carrot Festival

A festival born from the land of Maccarese

The Maccarese Carrot Festival is the annual spring event that brings together local farmers, families, and curious visitors in the countryside of Fiumicino, within the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in the Lazio region. The stage is set at the Fregene Adventure Park, located on Via della Veneziana, a green oasis just minutes from the sea and Fiumicino Airport, where the pine forest meets the reclaimed farmland of Maccarese.

The event was established in 2023 through the initiative of local entities—the Tradizioni Future association, in collaboration with the Fregene and Maccarese Pro Loco and about a dozen local farms—with the support of the municipal administration. In just a few years, it has become the go-to event for showcasing a product that is not merely a local curiosity here, but a pillar of the local economy.

The Maccarese carrot, a local icon

The Fiumicino area boasts over a thousand hectares of carrot crops and employs around four hundred people in the supply chain: numbers that explain why this vegetable is considered the true agricultural excellence of Rome's northern coast. The sandy soil of the reclaimed land, the mild climate, and the proximity to the sea give the Maccarese carrot its distinct sweetness and crunch.

For years, the Producers' Association has been working with the support of Arsial (the regional agency for agricultural development in Lazio) on the dossier to obtain PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status. The journey toward certification is one of the festival's main themes: each edition hosts a conference with officials, experts, and agricultural representatives to review progress.

What to eat

Carrots are featured in every course, often in ways that surprise even the most skeptical visitors:

• Carrot craft beer, brewed specifically for the event by a local farm brewery;
• Carrot ice cream and baked goods, including the Maccaresella, a creation that combines carrot cream and almonds;
• Traditional peasant dishes with a modern twist and recipes featuring seasonal vegetables;
• The local farmers' market, featuring stalls with vegetables, honey, bread, legumes, cheeses, and cosmetic products, enriched in past editions by the Coldiretti Rome Village.

More than just gastronomy

The Carrot Festival is designed primarily for families and leverages the Adventure Park's facilities, including its treetop obstacle courses and farm animals. The program features:

• Educational workshops for children focused on carrots, bees, and gardening;
• The Carrot Hunt, a treasure hunt through the fields;
• Falconry demonstrations with birds of prey and close encounters with barn owls;
• Pony rides and activities;
• Magic shows, entertainment, and live concerts at sunset;
• Exhibitions of both modern and vintage agricultural machinery.

An opportunity to discover Fregene and Maccarese

Visitors coming from Rome can easily combine their visit to the festival with a day at the beach: Fregene, with its monumental pine forest and famous beach clubs, is just a few minutes away, while Maccarese preserves its 20th-century agricultural village, the San Giorgio Castle, and the Macchiagrande nature reserve, managed by the WWF. It is the perfect way to see how vibrant and productive the countryside remains right at the gates of the capital.