Montegiove Neighborhood Festival

A neighborhood festival that has become a Castelli Romani staple

The Montegiove Neighborhood Festival began in 2009, initiated by a group of residents in Montegiove Vecchio, within the municipality of Lanuvio, in the province of Rome. What started as a small neighborhood gathering has gradually evolved into one of the most popular summer events in the southern Castelli Romani area, attracting visitors from Genzano, Velletri, Ariccia, and Aprilia.

The heart of the festival is the Rotonda di Montegiove Vecchio, an open-air square that, for eleven days, fills with a stage, a dance floor, food stalls, and communal tables. Everything is managed by the volunteers of the Montegiove Neighborhood Festival Committee, who plan the program night by night and personally oversee the kitchen.

Live music every night

The formula has never changed: every evening features a different show band, playing a repertoire of ballroom dance music, Italian pop, and dance hits that keep the crowd entertained until late. Over the years, the Rotonda stage has hosted many well-known acts from the Lazio local festival circuit, from "Le Meteore" to "8 Nota," from "Domino" to the "Foscoli Orchestra Spettacolo," as well as Denis & Daniela and Valentina Urbini.

Everything else revolves around the music: group dances, children's entertainment, traditional games, and the unmissable neighborhood lottery prize draws. Admission is free, and the dance floor is open to anyone who wants to join in.

The committee's kitchen

The second major draw is the food. Each night, the committee's stalls serve grilled arrosticini and the famous hot ciambelle, prepared fresh on the spot and paired with Castelli Romani wines. In recent editions, some evenings have been dedicated to themed menus, such as Sardinian cuisine, Roman cuisine with traditional pasta dishes, and a special salt cod (baccalà) night. Prices remain affordable, typical of village festivals, with outdoor table service.

The setting: Lanuvio and the Castelli Romani

Lanuvio is one of the oldest towns in Lazio: the ancient Lanuvium was famous in the Roman world for the sanctuary of Juno Sospita, of which important archaeological remains still exist. Today, the town is also known as the City of Wine and hosts the historic Grape, Wine, and Medieval Festival in September. The Montegiove Neighborhood Festival, however, represents the more familiar and everyday side of this festive tradition: not a historical re-enactment, but a community organizing itself to spend time together.

Why it's worth visiting

• Free admission every night, no reservation required.
• Eleven consecutive nights of live music with different bands.
• Genuine, affordable food prepared by neighborhood volunteers.
• Intergenerational atmosphere, suitable for families with children.
• Less than forty minutes from Rome, in an area rich with wineries and villages to explore during the day.

If you are looking for the authentic Italian village festival experience—where people dance in the square under string lights and dine with their neighbors—you will find it perfectly preserved in Montegiove.