Madonna della Costa Festival

A festival that welcomes the Fontana Liri spring

The Madonna della Costa Festival is celebrated in Fontana Liri, in the heart of the Ciociaria region, in the province of Frosinone (Lazio), on the Tuesday following Easter. It is a fixed appointment in the local calendar: while elsewhere the traditional picnic takes place on Easter Monday, here the festivities are delayed by twenty-four hours and take on the character of a deeply local devotion, tied to the small church located along the hillside, just a short walk from the Fontana Liri Superiore railway station.

The Madonna della Costa Church

The sanctuary is a modest chapel, expanded at the beginning of the 20th century to accommodate the growing number of worshippers. Inside, statues and votive offerings tell the stories of generations of graces received and promises kept. For one day a year, the building returns to being the geographical and emotional center of the town: people walk up, enter for a brief prayer, and emerge onto the square where the festivities have already begun.

The day's program

The structure of the day is well-established and repeats with few variations. In the morning, two masses are celebrated, traditionally at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM, which are also highly attended by those who have emigrated and return to town specifically for the occasion. Once the services conclude, the space in front of the church and the station square transform into an open-air fair, with stalls displaying traditional products.

• Morning Masses at the Madonna della Costa church
• Fair with stalls selling lupini beans, peanuts, limoncelle, and strings of chestnuts and carob
• Food festival with gastronomic stands managed by the Pro Loco
• Live musical entertainment in the afternoon
• Activities for children, such as the puppet theater featured in recent editions

On the table: Amatriciana and Porchetta

The culinary aspect is the draw that keeps families together until the evening. The Pro Loco Fontana Liri stands have been serving the festival's signature dishes for years: pasta all'amatriciana, prepared in large quantities and distributed at outdoor tables, and porchetta sandwiches, sliced fresh on the spot. Nearby, the fair stalls offer the ancient flavors that many locals associate with their childhood: pickled lupini beans, roasted peanuts, limoncelle, and necklaces of dried chestnuts and carob.

Devotion, memory, and community

Those who have attended the festival for decades say that the value of the event lies not only in the religious rite but in the act of coming together. The event is promoted by the Pro Loco with the patronage of the Municipality of Fontana Liri and the support of the Lazio Region. In recent editions, it has also included moments of recognition for local figures of culture and town history, from dialect poets to those who have helped promote Fontana Liri beyond the provincial borders.

Fontana Liri and the Liri Valley

Fontana Liri is a town of just over three thousand inhabitants, divided between the historic center on the hill and the lower part that grew around the factory and the railway. It is the birthplace of Marcello Mastroianni and one of the gateways to the Liri Valley, a land of waters, mills, and peasant traditions. Those visiting the area in spring will find, in addition to the festival, a lush green hilly landscape and a network of small Ciociarian villages that are easily reachable in a day trip.

For visitors

The festival is designed for the town but warmly welcomes visitors. There are no tickets or reservations: you arrive, follow the flow, and eat at the stands. It is a simple and authentic opportunity to understand how a Marian celebration is experienced in a small town in southern Lazio, far from the most beaten tourist paths.