Medioevo in Festa

A village that returns to 1059

Medioevo in Festa is the grand historical re-enactment of the Municipality of Roccantica, a small village in the Sabine Mountains in the province of Rieti, in the heart of the Lazio Sabina. For four days, between August 12th and 15th, the paved streets, gates, towers, and alleys of the historic center are stripped of all contemporary signs and returned to the appearance they must have had nearly a thousand years ago.

The event, created in 1996 on the initiative of the Pro Loco of Roccantica and the local Historical Group, effectively involves the entire population of the village: a rare case of a re-enactment entirely built by the community, also recognized by the Italian Federation of Historical Games.

The history being re-enacted

The historical event is documented and has forever marked the identity of the village. In 1059, Pope Nicholas II, hunted by the troops of the Crescenzi, allies of his antagonist Benedict X, took refuge in the rocha de antiquo. The inhabitants defended him strenuously until the arrival of the troops of Robert Guiscard, who put the enemies to flight. The price was very high: the fortress was reduced to a pile of smoking ruins and, according to tradition, only twelve locals survived. In 1060, the pontiff rewarded the village with a decree granting it special status and privileges.

What to see in the village

The visual heart of the festival is the historical procession, with over five hundred participants divided into groups of armed men, knights, nobility, and commoners. But the re-enactment is not limited to the parade:

• Fire shows in the main square, with flaming swords and fire-eaters
• Flag-wavers, drummers, and trumpeters, groups composed largely of local youth
• Musicians and dancers in medieval attire, with a repertoire of live medieval music
• The narration in period language of the events of 1059
• Artisan workshops and taverns open in the village cellars, where one eats and drinks according to the recipes and customs of the time
• Characteristic groups such as the wild boar hunters and historical games

The most anticipated moments

Two events, in particular, attract thousands of visitors every year from all over Lazio and beyond. The first is the reconstruction of the 1059 clash, the Assault and Burning of the Fortress, staged at night and accompanied by the narration of the event's artistic director, Prospero Calzolari. The second is the Procession of the Assumption on August 15th: hundreds of torches arranged in two parallel rows form veritable walls of fire, through which about eight hundred participants in medieval costume parade. The finale is entrusted to the midnight fire show on August 15th, which closes the edition.

Roccantica and the Sabina

Roccantica is a village of a few hundred inhabitants perched on the slopes of the Sabine Mountains, surrounded by centuries-old olive groves and Mediterranean scrub, just over an hour from Rome. The Sabina is a land of DOP extra virgin olive oil, rock hermitages, and hiking trails: many visitors combine the festival with a hike to the nearby Mount Pizzuto or a sunset walk on the heights overlooking the village, before heading down to the square in the evening. For some years now, the re-enactment has also been in dialogue with the territorial project Medioevo che Rivive, which involves the neighboring municipalities of Casperia and Montasola.

Why it's worth the trip

In a region rich in re-enactments, Medioevo in Festa stands out for its scale and authenticity: not a show packaged for tourists, but an entire village that reclaims its past for four evenings. The nocturnal atmosphere, amidst torches, drums, and fire, remains one of the strongest memories of a Ferragosto in Lazio.