Prossedi Zazzicchia Festival

A sausage with a hint of orange

The Prossedi Zazzicchia Festival is the event that, for nearly thirty years, has kicked off the Christmas season in the Municipality of Prossedi, a small village in the province of Latina overlooking the Amaseno Valley in the heart of the Lepini Mountains. At the center of it all is the zazzicchia: a local sausage prepared by village butchers using a recipe passed down through generations, seasoned with grated orange zest and pitartara, the coriander seeds traditionally grown in the Prossedi countryside. This dual aroma—citrusy and spicy—makes the zazzicchia a unique product, distinct from any other sausage in the Lazio region.

The bonfire beneath the Palazzo Baronale

The symbolic highlight of the festival is the lighting of the large bonfire at the foot of the stunning Palazzo Baronale Gabrielli, the building that dominates the historic center. Here, the zazzicchie are grilled over the embers in front of visitors, as the mouth-watering aroma wafts through the village alleys. A sandwich with sausage and broccoli rabe, paired with a glass of local Lepini red wine, is the treat everyone waits for; alongside it, you will find polenta with sausage sauce, roasted chestnuts, and traditional rustic desserts.

Markets, crafts, and Christmas lights

Surrounding the culinary delights, Piazza Umberto I and the neighboring streets host Christmas and artisan markets: stalls featuring typical Lepini Mountain products, cheeses, olive oil, honey, preserves, wood and ceramic crafts, and tree decorations. There is plenty for children, including spaces to drop off letters to Santa Claus and local entertainment, while the festive lights and projections on the historic arches give the village a cozy, celebratory atmosphere.

Folk music and local culture

The festival is also a day of music and culture. Past editions have featured folk and traditional music groups from the Ciociaria and Lepini areas, local marching bands, and evening performances. The Centro Studi Prossedani, the association organizing the event, complements the gastronomy with guided tours of the historic center, cellars, and the most picturesque corners of the village, complete with wine tastings. The stated goal is to share ancestral customs: the trades, pork processing, recipes, and rituals that defined the peasant winter.

A Lepini village to discover

Prossedi has just over a thousand inhabitants and is one of those southern Lazio villages that is a pleasure to explore on foot: the medieval historic center, the Palazzo Baronale, the churches, and the viewpoints over the Amaseno Valley can all be seen in an hour. The festival is the perfect time to visit, as the entire town participates: associations, producers, and families who open their doors. In 2024, the event reached its 28th edition, confirming its status as one of the most popular winter festivals in the province of Latina.

When to go

The event is traditionally held on a Saturday in December, usually in the first or second half of the month, starting in the afternoon with food stalls opening around dinnertime. It is an outdoor event held in the cold, amidst bonfires and lights: it is worth dressing warmly and staying until the evening, when the music and lights are at their best.