National Day of Dialect and Local Languages in Sezze

A day dedicated to the Sezze dialect

The National Day of Dialect and Local Languages is an event established in 2013 by UNPLI, the National Union of Pro Loco of Italy, and celebrated every year on January 17th throughout the country. In Sezze, an ancient town in the Lepini Mountains in the province of Latina, this tradition has found particularly fertile ground: the Sezze dialect is still very much alive in daily speech, folk poetry, and amateur theater, and the local community proudly defends it as a true pillar of their identity.

The major edition of March 15, 2025

The highlight of this journey took place on Saturday, March 15, 2025, when the Pro Loco Città di Sezze hosted the eleventh edition of the Day of Dialect and Local Languages, the traveling event promoted by UNPLI Latina that visits a different town in the province each year. The day began at 10:00 AM at the Ubaldo Calabresi Social Center with greetings from city officials and national, regional, and provincial UNPLI representatives, followed by a conference with scholars and experts: linguist Marco Di Prospero, local traditions enthusiast Piero Formicuccia, historian and researcher Luigi Zaccheo, and Vincenzo Luciani, director of the Vincenzo Scarpellino Dialect Poetry Documentation Center.

Poetry, theater, and conviviality

Alongside the academic sessions, the event gave ample space to popular and social dimensions: recitations of poetry in the Sezze dialect, theatrical sketches performed by local associations, a buffet featuring traditional Lepini dishes, and a guided tour of the town's historic sites and the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art. In the afternoon, starting at 4:00 PM, the San Michele Arcangelo Municipal Auditorium hosted a true marathon of authors, storytellers, poets, and artists, turning the day into a collective celebration of language.

Why dialect is a heritage

The Sezze dialect, like other tongues of the Lepini Mountains, preserves centuries of rural, religious, and community history. Through proverbs, nicknames, songs, and poems, it tells the story of a way of life that risks disappearing with the passing generations. The Day of Dialect was created for this very reason: to pass on a living memory to younger generations, involving schools, cultural associations like Nemeo and Arcadia, dialect poets, and everyday citizens.

Sezze, the town and its territory

The town of Sezze, one of the oldest centers in southern Lazio, overlooks the Pontine Plain from the heights of the Lepini Mountains and is famous for its Artichoke Festival, the Passion of Christ, and a historic center rich in medieval heritage. The Day of Dialect fits into this calendar of traditions as the most literary appointment of the year, supported by the Pro Loco APS Città di Sezze and the network of Pro Loco in the province of Latina, under the patronage of the Lazio Region.

A widespread and traveling event

It should be noted that the UNPLI provincial stage changes location every year: after Sezze in 2025, the twelfth edition was held in Lenola in January 2026. The Sezze community, however, continues to cultivate its own dialect day with local initiatives at the Archaeological Museum and in city social centers, a sign of a passion that does not end with a single edition.