Patronal Feast of Saint Angelo the Martyr

A festival that tells the story of Latera

The Patronal Feast of Saint Angelo the Martyr is the most anticipated event of the year in Latera, a small town in the province of Viterbo, in the Alta Tuscia region, just a few kilometers from Lake Bolsena. Every September, the village gathers around its co-patron with a celebration that weaves together liturgy, historical memory, and local festivities: a ritual renewed from generation to generation that calls home even those who have left the village for work.

The origins: relics arrived from Rome

The devotion of Latera towards Saint Angelo began in the first half of the 19th century. The remains of the young martyr—traditionally said to be just over fifteen years old—were discovered in the Catacombs of Saint Priscilla on the Via Salaria in Rome and donated by a noble Roman family to the local Franciscan friar Flaminio Maria Annibali, who in turn offered them to his community.

On September 8, 1834, the sound of firecrackers announced to the clergy and the people the departure from the village towards the Church of the Madonna della Cava, where the saint's body was placed before being translated the following day to the Collegiate Church. Since then, the feast has been celebrated solemnly on the day following the saint's arrival in the village, and Saint Angelo is recognized as the co-patron of Latera.

Three days of celebrations

The heart of the festival remains religious: the Solemn Holy Mass in honor of the saint and the evocative procession through the streets of the historic center, with the community and confraternities accompanying the statue through decorated houses and illuminated alleys. The secular part of the program, organized by the Municipality and local associations, develops around these functions.

• Liturgical celebrations in the Collegiate Church, with moments of prayer and popular devotion
• Procession along the streets of the ancient village
• Live music, shows, and entertainment for adults and children
• Traditional games and cultural initiatives in the squares
• Food stalls featuring the specialties of Tuscia cuisine
• The traditional Biscuit Festival, dedicated to a typical local sweet

The livestock and goods fair

The festival period is effectively opened by the livestock and goods fair held on the first Sunday of September in the modern part of the town. It is one of the most vivid testimonies of Latera's rural soul: stalls with agricultural and artisanal products, farming equipment, animal displays, and a bustle of people arriving from neighboring towns in Alta Tuscia. A market that is also an opportunity to meet, just as it was two centuries ago.

Latera and Alta Tuscia

Latera rises on the volcanic reliefs of the caldera that bears its name, in a landscape of woods, pastures, and cultivated fields within the Lake Bolsena area. The village preserves its medieval layout, the Collegiate Church, and traces of the feudal past of the Farnese family. Visiting the town during the patronal feast means seeing it in its most authentic version, with the entire community involved in the preparations.

Why visit

This is not a manufactured tourist event: it is a genuine village festival where devotion to Saint Angelo mixes with conviviality, the aromas of food stalls, and music in the square. Those looking for the Italy of small villages, the one that still tells its story through its saints and fairs, will find in Latera a sincere and welcoming event, easily accessible from Bolsena, Valentano, and Gradoli.