Poggio Bustone Porchetta Festival

A festival that has defined the village for over seventy years

The Poggio Bustone Porchetta Festival began in 1951 and is now considered one of Italy's most historic food and wine events. Organized by the Pro Loco of Poggio Bustone, it takes place every year in early October in the municipality of Poggio Bustone, in the Province of Rieti, in the heart of northern Lazio. For the village, it is more than just a culinary appointment: it is the festival that marks the end of the summer season, drawing visitors from across the Sabina region, nearby Umbria, and the capital to the natural terraces of the Holy Valley.

Poggio Bustone porchetta: a fennel-free recipe

The star of the show is the Poggio Bustone porchetta, which stands out clearly from the more famous Lazio varieties. Here, the cooking process focuses on heat distributed evenly throughout the oven, and the seasoning skips fennel entirely: the flavor comes from the perfect balance of ground pepper, garlic, rosemary, and salt. The result is meat that remains tender on the inside with a crispy crust, traditionally served in bread and sliced to order in front of the public.

• Artisanal recipe passed down through generations
• Freshly sliced and served at the Pro Loco stalls
• Accompanied by typical Sabina products: extra virgin olive oil, cheeses, walnuts, and local cured meats
• Wines from the Rieti and Umbrian territories

Stalls, music, and village life

For two days, the historic center of the village and the Giardini di Marzo transform into a large open-air kitchen. Alongside the food stalls, you will find vendors of local products, live music, costume parades, and evening fireworks. The atmosphere is that of a genuine village festival: shared tables, Pro Loco volunteers at the stoves, illuminated medieval alleys, and a walk that almost always ends with a view over the Rieti plain.

Poggio Bustone and the Franciscan Holy Valley

Poggio Bustone is no ordinary village. It is the first place reached by Saint Francis of Assisi after leaving Assisi, and tradition holds that it was here the saint greeted the inhabitants with the famous "Good morning, good people," later receiving forgiveness for his sins. The Sanctuary of Saint Francis and the Sacro Speco above remain pilgrimage destinations, making a visit to the village an experience that blends gastronomy, nature, and spirituality. The village is also known as the birthplace of singer-songwriter Lucio Battisti, commemorated by a monument and a heritage trail in the historic center.

Why it's worth the trip

Visitors to the festival find three things within a few hundred meters that are hard to combine elsewhere: a culinary specialty with over seventy years of documented history, an intact medieval village overlooking one of the most evocative valleys in Lazio, and one of Italy's most important Franciscan heritage sites. The season is perfect: early October brings autumn colors to the woods of the Reatini Mountains and ideal temperatures for walking to the sanctuary before or after lunch.