Mussels and Pecorino Festival

A seaside festival at the gates of Rome

The Mussels and Pecorino Festival has become one of the most recognizable summer events in the municipality of Fiumicino, in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in the Lazio region. For eleven consecutive nights, Largo Paolo Borsellino fills with tables, food stalls, a stage, and rides: a square that becomes the city's open-air living room, where local families, Romans escaping the heat, and passing tourists sit side by side.

The event is organized by the Associazione Nuovo Faro APS, under the patronage of the Municipality of Fiumicino. It is a volunteer-run festival that has grown year after year to become a staple of the Roman coast's summer calendar.

The signature dish: mussels and pecorino

The pairing that gives the festival its name is not a recent invention. In the seafood cuisine of the Tiber and the Lazio coast, Pecorino Romano—the region's iconic cheese—has always been used to bind and flavor fish sauces, particularly those made with mussels. The result is a savory, bold pasta dish that defies the common misconception that cheese and fish do not go together.

The festival menu focuses on this combination, offering it in several versions:

• Linguine with mussels and pecorino, the event's signature dish
• Mussel sauté, served with toasted bread
• Fried seafood from the coast and chips
• Desserts, churros, spritz, and craft beer from a brewery in Frascati

The kitchen opens every evening at 7 PM. Prices are intentionally kept affordable, with dishes generally ranging between 8 and 13 euros. A children's menu and gluten-free options are available, with fried items certified in collaboration with AIC Lazio: a thoughtful touch for a local festival, allowing celiacs to dine without compromise.

Music, comedy, and dancing every night

Alongside the culinary offerings, there is a stage featuring nightly entertainment. The program alternates between live Italian music, comedy shows, Roman folk songs (stornelli), local dance school performances, themed nights, and a country night with group dancing. Past performers include comedian Alessandro Serra from Zelig, Gianni Di Cataldo, Marco Belli, the group I Sequestratori, and a Renato Zero tribute band.

For younger visitors, the funfair area remains active throughout the festival, with rides for children and teenagers: it is one of the reasons the event works so well as a family evening, with parents at the table while children play freely in the pedestrian area.

Fiumicino beyond the airport

Those who only know Fiumicino as an airport hub will discover a true seaside town here, with its fishing fleet, Trajan's canal, port, and a culinary tradition built on the local catch. The Mussels and Pecorino Festival is a great gateway to this identity: you eat what the coast produces, listen to the Roman dialect of the folk songs, and stay outdoors until late, enjoying the breeze from the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Free admission

Access to the festival area is free: you only pay for what you consume at the stalls. No reservation is required, but on weekends and during the Ferragosto holiday, it gets busy, so it is advisable to arrive early to secure a table.