Patronal Feast of Saint Giles the Abbot

The patronal feast of Caprarola

September 1st is the most anticipated date of the summer in Caprarola, an elegant village in the province of Viterbo, famous for its monumental Palazzo Farnese. On this day, the community honors its patron saint, Saint Giles the Abbot, with a feast that blends religious devotion and popular tradition within one of the most evocative architectural settings in Lazio.

Saint Giles, a hermit who lived between the 7th and 8th centuries and is venerated as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, is invoked as a protector against fears and illnesses. His cult, which spread throughout Europe, has been rooted in Caprarola for centuries and finds its most solemn moment in the grand evening procession.

The procession and religious rites

The spiritual heart of the feast is the solemn procession of the saint's statue through the streets of the historic center. The pageant, accompanied by the Caprarola town band and committee volunteers, winds through the Renaissance architecture of the village in an atmosphere of contemplation and popular participation that involves the entire community.

Inside the Hazelnut Festival

The patronal feast coincides with the final weekend of the Hazelnut Festival, the most important event in Caprarola, the capital of the famous Monti Cimini hazelnut. During the days of the feast, the village comes alive with the historical pageant of the Farnese Court, which re-enacts the splendor of the dynasty that made Caprarola one of its favorite residences, featuring costumed figures and crossbowmen demonstrations.

• Illuminations lighting up the alleys and squares of the historic center
• Night parade of floats, both folkloric and rural, with musical accompaniment
• Historical pageant in costume of the Farnese Court
• Gastronomic specialties based on hazelnuts and traditional Cimini dishes
• Fireworks display to conclude the event

A patron, a territory

Celebrating Saint Giles in Caprarola means experiencing both the sacred and convivial dimensions of a village in the Viterbo Tuscia region: the faith of the people, the bond with Farnese history, and the pride in an identity-defining product like the hazelnut merge into a feast that is simultaneously a religious rite, historical memory, and a great community moment.