Moricola Festival

The moricola, the iconic fruit of San Leucio

In the Veroli dialect, the wild blackberry is called the «moricola», and it is to this small, wild fruit that the San Leucio district—the highest neighborhood in this Ciociaria town, dominated by its ancient fortress—dedicates its annual summer festival. The tradition is rooted in the rural life of the past, when girls from neighboring districts would climb up to the neighborhood to sell blackberries gathered along the hedgerows and paths. From that popular memory, a festival was born that is now one of the most authentic events of the Veroli summer.

A festival born in 1988

The Moricola Festival was conceived in 1988 by Professor Luigi Mastropietro, a beloved figure in Veroli, who wanted to transform the memory of the blackberry sellers into an event that would involve the entire neighborhood. Over the years, the organization has passed to a group of young local volunteers, supported by the Pro Loco, who have kept the original formula alive: a simple, genuine, and open-to-all celebration, which reached its 33rd edition in 2025.

The bond with the Feast of the Madonna del Rifugio

The festival has always been paired with the centuries-old Feast of the Madonna del Rifugio, traditionally celebrated on the last Sunday of August in the San Leucio district. Religious and popular elements intertwine in a single day of community, uniting Marian devotion with the flavors and traditions of the Ciociaria region.

The traditional program

Blackberry picking begins in the days leading up to the festival: with a portion of the harvest, local families prepare desserts and jams, which are presented, judged, and awarded by a special committee on the day of the festival. A prize is also awarded to those who have gathered the largest quantity of moricole, weighed on an antique scale according to custom. The afternoon and evening unfold with:

• traditional games: sack races, the egg-in-water game, and the greasy pole;
• tombola and charity raffle for adults and children;
• tasting of blackberry desserts and jams prepared by the neighborhood families;
• dancing and music in the square until late at night.

«The Rocca in flames»: the grand finale

The most anticipated moment arrives late at night, when the festival closes with the fireworks display known as «the Rocca in flames»: the fireworks illuminate the ancient San Leucio fortress, visible from much of the valley, offering one of the most evocative images of the Veroli summer.

Veroli, a village in Ciociaria

The festival is also an opportunity to discover Veroli, a medieval village in the municipality of the same name in the province of Frosinone, in the heart of the Ciociaria region, in the Lazio region. Among the alleys of the historic center, the Basilica of Santa Salome with its Holy Stairs, the Fasti Verolani carved in stone, and the Rocca di San Leucio—a panoramic viewpoint from which the gaze embraces the Cosa river valley and the Ernici Mountains—are well worth a visit.