Rabbit Festival

A festival born in 1984 at the foot of the Ernici Mountains

The Rabbit Festival in Vico nel Lazio, in the province of Frosinone, is one of the longest-running gastronomic events in the Ciociaria region. The first edition dates back to 1984, and since then, the festival has been held every September as a convivial gathering that accompanies and concludes the celebrations in honor of the Madonna della Concordia. In 2025, the festival reached its fortieth edition, confirming a deep-rooted tradition that involves the entire village community.

The ritual of oven-baked rabbit

The heart of the festival is the serving of rabbit prepared according to the local oven-baked recipe. The meat is brought to the square in front of the Madonna della Concordia church, along the provincial road leading up to the village, where it is kept warm on special braziers and served to attendees with local bread and wine. Around the tables, the evening unfolds with music, food stalls, and the genuine atmosphere typical of Ciociaria village festivals, where food is, above all, an opportunity for connection.

The Feast of Madonna della Concordia

The festival is part of the religious and secular program of the Feast of the Madonna della Concordia, which generally takes place on the second weekend of September. Celebrations include a three-day preparation period, the rosary, and masses in the church dedicated to the Virgin, a evocative evening torchlight procession to the cemetery in memory of the departed, and on Sunday, a solemn mass followed by a procession with the statue of the Madonna through the streets of the village, accompanied by a marching band. The Saturday evening festival, organized by the Madonna della Concordia Confraternity, is the most popular and well-attended moment of the entire celebration: in the 2025 edition, proceeds were donated to the restoration of the 13th-century fresco of the Madonna della Concordia kept on the church's high altar.

Vico nel Lazio, a walled village of the Ernici

The event is also an excellent opportunity to discover Vico nel Lazio, one of the best-preserved medieval villages in southern Lazio. Nestled at an altitude of 721 meters on a limestone hill in the Ernici Mountains, the village retains an almost intact defensive wall, punctuated by towers, which still encloses the historic center today. The Municipality of Vico nel Lazio lies in a territory historically inhabited by the Ernici people, and its narrow streets, ancient gates, and views over the valley make it a destination appreciated by those who love the authentic small towns of the Lazio Region.

A late-summer event in Ciociaria

The Rabbit Festival ideally closes the season of summer festivals in the Ciociaria region, as summer draws to a close and the villages of the Ernici Mountains return to their quieter rhythms. Nearby, you can find Fiuggi with its thermal baths, Alatri with its acropolis and cyclopean walls, and Guarcino: the festival can thus become the starting point for a weekend exploring villages, mountains, and fine dining in the province of Frosinone.