Marchigiana Beef Festival

A festival born from the Minturno countryside

The Marchigiana Beef Festival takes place in Fontana Perrelli, a rural district in the Municipality of Minturno, in the province of Latina, at the southern tip of Lazio, where the Garigliano plain meets the first slopes of the Aurunci Mountains. It is an event born from the local farming community and has grown alongside it: the Associazione Culturale Contadina, which also organizes the Ancient Pasta Press Festival in July, has promoted it for over a decade as a meeting point for producers, families, and visitors.

The Marchigiana breed, the heart of the event

At the center of the evenings is Marchigiana breed beef, a large white cattle breed widespread in central Italy and appreciated for the fineness of its fibers and its culinary yield. The organizers emphasize the farming method: animals raised using traditional systems and fed with field beans, hay, barley, and protein peas, without forced growth. It is a choice that reflects a philosophy of local agriculture, where the supply chain is short and producers are known by name.

What to eat

The gastronomic offerings revolve around traditional lower Lazio peasant dishes, served at outdoor tables:

• Grilled and stewed Marchigiana beef
• First courses with slow-cooked meat sauces
• Seasonal side dishes from local vegetable gardens
• Wines and typical products from the Pontine and Aurunci territories
• Traditional homemade desserts

Service typically begins in the early evening, around 7:30 PM - 8:00 PM, and continues late into the night with live music and popular entertainment: it follows the classic village festival formula, where you eat sitting side-by-side and the evening drifts into dancing and conversation.

Fontana Perrelli, a village of festivals

Fontana Perrelli is one of the districts that make up the vast municipal territory of Minturno, spread between the coast of Scauri, the historic hilltop center, and the inland agricultural villages. In the Minturno summer calendar, the district now has a dual gastronomic identity: July with the Ancient Pasta Press Festival, dedicated to hand-pressed pasta and the exhibition of ancient agricultural tools, and August with the Marchigiana Beef Festival. Two events that complement each other and, together with the historic Regne Festival of Minturno, define the popular summer of this corner of Lazio.

Why it's worth the trip

Visitors from outside the region will find a festival that wasn't built for tourism, but for the community that lives there: that is its true value. Portions are generous, prices are reasonable, and the hospitality is direct. Nearby, the area offers the Minturnae archaeological site with its Roman theater, the medieval village of Minturno Alta, and the beaches of the Gulf of Gaeta just a few kilometers away: an evening at the festival fits naturally into a day of sea and archaeology.

When it takes place

The event is traditionally held in the first days of August, over two consecutive evenings. In 2025, it took place on August 6th and 7th, while the 2024 edition occupied August 3rd and 4th. Dates are announced each year with the municipal summer calendar, usually in late spring.