Patronal Feast in Honor of Saints Felice and Liberato Martyrs

The feast of the co-patrons of Tessennano

Every year, during the last week of August, the municipality of Tessennano — one of the smallest villages in the Lazio region, with just over three hundred inhabitants in the heart of the Viterbo Tuscia — gathers to honor its co-patrons, Saints Felice and Liberato Martyrs, celebrated on August 28th. The patronal feast is the most anticipated event of the year for the community: for about a week, Piazza del Plebiscito, overlooked by the 15th-century baronial palace that now houses the town hall, becomes the village's living room, filled with religious celebrations, live music, shows, and convivial evenings.

Faith and tradition

The cult of the two martyr saints has been deeply rooted in the village's history for centuries. The late 18th-century parish church is dedicated to Saint Felice; it is an octagonal building preceded by a six-column portico reminiscent of the Pantheon, housing canvases by the Roman painter Angelo Campanella. The small church outside the walls is dedicated to Saint Liberato and is opened during the saint's festivities. On the patronal day, religious services and community moments renew a devotion that has accompanied Tessennano since the days when the castle belonged to the Duchy of Castro of the Farnese family.

The weekly program

Alongside the religious rites, the secular program fills the late August evenings: live music and shows in the square, games and entertainment, raffles and lotteries — in 2025, there was even a trip to be won — and many moments of local conviviality. The 2025 edition, held from August 25th to 31st, also inaugurated the Pizza in Piazza Festival: master pizza makers baked their specialties for the public from Friday until the end of the feast, adding a gastronomic soul to the patronal tradition.

An authentic village in the Tuscia

Attending the feast is also an opportunity to discover an authentic corner of the province of Viterbo: Tessennano, of probable Etruscan origin and mentioned as a castle as early as 1263, preserves the medieval church of San Lorenzo with ancient frescoes, the Orsini baronial palace, and a network of narrow alleys. The village stands at an altitude of about 300 meters between Tuscania and Canino, in the countryside of the Lazio Maremma, dotted with olive groves and located a short distance from Etruscan necropolises and the beaches of the coast.

A festival for everyone

As in the best patronal feasts of the Lazio Region, admission to the events in the square is free, and the atmosphere is that of a genuine small town: families, the elderly, and vacationers returning for the summer share the same tables and dance evenings. It is a precious opportunity to experience the truest side of the Tuscia, far from tourist circuits, when summer draws to a close and the villages reclaim their traditions.