Nerola Fried Pizza Festival

A festival that has become the identity of a village

In the heart of the Roman Sabina, halfway between Rome and Rieti, the town of Nerola (Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Lazio) has been celebrating its most beloved specialty for over thirty years: the Nerola fried pizza. The festival, reaching its 32nd edition in 2025, is not a staged event but the natural continuation of a domestic tradition—dough stretched by hand and plunged into boiling oil—that local families have practiced for generations. Today, that same gesture is replicated in the open-air fry shops set up by the volunteers of the Pro Loco Nerola, who serve thousands of fried pizzas in just a few hours every year.

The secret is the oil from the Nerola hills

What sets this festival apart from the many summer food events is the quality of the ingredients. The pizzas are not fried in just any fat: they use extra virgin olive oil produced in the hills around Nerola, an olive-growing territory that is part of the Sabina district, an area historically dedicated to producing high-quality oils. The result is a golden fried pizza, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, served piping hot and simply salted: no elaborate toppings, because the flavor of the dough and the oil must take center stage.

What to eat

• Nerola fried pizzas — the star of the evening, prepared by hand in front of the public
• Arrosticini and meat skewers grilled over charcoal
• French fries and mixed fried snacks
• Nutella crêpes for a sweet finish
• Draft beer and cold drinks

The stalls generally open at 7:30 PM and remain active throughout the evening: it is best to arrive early, as the queue in front of the fry stations grows rapidly from the very first hours.

Music, karaoke, and group dancing

From 9:00 PM, the festival shifts gears and becomes a lively town party. The stage hosts live music, karaoke nights open to anyone who wants to sing, and classic group dances that involve all ages, from children to grandparents. This is the most genuine trait of the event: not a concert to be watched while seated, but a participatory party where the audience is part of the show.

Part of the Nerola Ferragosto

The Fried Pizza Festival effectively kicks off the Nerola Ferragosto, the calendar of festivities that runs until August 16th in honor of Santa Maria Assunta and San Rocco. In the following evenings, the program features children's shows, rock nights, dialect comedies, musical tributes, and comedy acts, always accompanied by the Pro Loco food stalls. Those who arrive for the fried pizza discover an entire week of village life, with its religious devotions and collective rituals.

The village and Castello Orsini

The setting alone is worth the trip. Nerola is a medieval village perched on a rocky spur, dominated by Castello Orsini, an 11th-century fortress that passed to the powerful Roman Orsini family and is now a hospitality venue. From the village, the view stretches over the Tiber Valley and the Lucretili Mountains. Before dinner, it is worth getting lost in the alleys of the historic center, which are illuminated and lively until nightfall during the festival.

Why it is worth visiting

In a region where summer food festivals number in the hundreds, the Nerola Fried Pizza Festival remains an example of a non-touristy event: popular prices, free admission, local volunteers at the stoves, and a product that cannot be found elsewhere in the same version. It is the perfect opportunity to get to know the Roman Sabina far from the beaten path, less than an hour's drive from the capital.