Rocca in Cantina
The festival of the red-and-white district of Tolfa, featuring ancient cellars, Maremma Laziale wine, and local tradition
About Rocca in Cantina
The festival of the red-and-white district of Tolfa
Rocca in Cantina is the festival that the Rione Rocca—the «red-and-white» district perched around the cliff overlooking Tolfa—dedicates every year at the end of June to its own identity. Born in 2016 as a convivial way to open the district's cellars, the event has grown edition after edition to become—in the words of the local press—one of the most beautiful and original festivals in the area: not just food, but a wealth of culture. In 2026, it celebrated its tenth edition with record-breaking attendance and a nomination for the Cittaslow Awards as a best practice for sustainable tourism in small villages.
The fraschette: dining in ancient cellars
The heart of the event is the extraordinary opening of the «fraschette», the district's ancient private cellars carved along Via Costa Alta, beneath the walls of the historic center. By reservation, visitors dine at tables set inside and in front of the cellars with a menu that is a manifesto of Tolfetano cuisine: platters of local products, traditional acquacotta, snail soup, fried food cones, San Giuseppe fritters, and wine-infused donuts, all accompanied by wines from the Maremma Laziale. Seating is limited, and the event often sells out days in advance.
Culture, guided tours, and workshops
Rocca in Cantina is about more than just food and wine. The cultural program includes free guided tours led by an archaeologist every year—such as the «Giovanni Padroni» tour, which exclusively opens churches, chapels, and the Palazzaccio, the ancient town hall that houses the Archivio Paese project—as well as free Etruscan-inspired pottery workshops, art exhibitions, and dance performances. For children, there are creative workshops in Piazza Bartoli, while teenagers can challenge themselves in the «Escape City», an urban puzzle game that reveals the alleys and hidden corners of the district.
Live music and crafts
The evenings conclude with free concerts: local bands, tributes to great names in Italian music, and acoustic sets bring the district's stage to life until late at night. Along the route, craft exhibitions showcase the village's manual skills: the capagno tolfetano (hand-woven baskets), the art of bobbin lace, macramé, tatting, and crochet, as well as cake design and creative fabric recycling, with live demonstrations by the artisans.
Tolfa, its districts, and the territory
Tolfa is a hillside village in the Lazio region, within the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, famous for its leatherwork (the «catana» bag), free-roaming horses, and the landscape of the Monti della Tolfa, between Rome and Civitavecchia. Life in the village is defined by its districts, and Rocca in Cantina is the moment when the Rione Rocca—with the patronage of the Municipality of Tolfa, the Pro Loco, and the Cittaslow network—showcases its history: a model of a district festival where volunteering, memory, and conviviality keep the historic center alive.
Rocca in Cantina — edition 2026
Rocca in Cantina 2026: the tenth anniversary
On June 26 and 27, 2026, the Rione Rocca celebrated the tenth edition of Rocca in Cantina with an edition described as «record-breaking» by the local press, ending with a standing ovation from the audience. Two days among the cellars of Via Costa Alta with traditional Tolfetano dishes and Maremma Laziale wines, enriched by a cultural program broader than ever: the free Etruscan pottery workshop at Palazzo Celli with works by masters Massimo Bordo and Serena De Angelis, the ancient dance of Zakiyyeh Nur, the «Giovanni Padroni» tour led by archaeologist Giordano Iacomelli—which sold out—with exclusive openings of the Cappelletta di Santa Maria Goretti, the church of San Giovanni Evangelista, and the Palazzaccio with the Archivio Paese. In Piazza Bartoli, space was given to children with creative workshops and to teenagers with the «Escape City». In the evening, free concerts: Agnese and Luup & Habit on Friday, and the Jova Party Band, a Jovanotti tribute, on Saturday. The tenth-anniversary edition, sponsored by the Municipality of Tolfa, the Pro Loco, and the Diocese of Civitavecchia-Tarquinia, was nominated for the 2026 Cittaslow Awards as a best practice for sustainable tourism in small villages.
Programme Rocca in Cantina 2026
Friday, June 26
- 5:30 PM — Palazzo Celli, «Etruscan Art»: free Etruscan pottery workshop (max 20 spots, ages 11+), exhibition of works by master Massimo Bordo and Serena De Angelis, ancient dance by Zakiyyeh Nur.
- 8:00 PM — The Fraschette: dinners in the ancient district cellars with platters of local products, traditional acquacotta, snail soup, fried food cones, San Giuseppe fritters, and wine-infused donuts, with Maremma Laziale wines (reservation required).
- 9:30 PM — Free Concert: Agnese and Luup & Habit, local artists with a 360° music mix.
Saturday, June 27
- 10:00 AM — Piazza A. Bartoli: workshops for children aged 4-10 (Color Workshop and Artistic Stained Glass) and «Escape City» for teenagers aged 12-16, an urban puzzle game in the district (free, by reservation).
- 5:30 PM — «Giovanni Padroni» Tour (free, limited spots, sold out): guided tour with archaeologist Giordano Iacomelli to the Cappelletta di Santa Maria Goretti, the church of San Giovanni Evangelista, and the Palazzaccio with the Archivio Paese project.
- 8:00 PM — The Fraschette: second evening of dinners in the district cellars.
- 9:30 PM — Free Concert: Jova Party Band, a Jovanotti tribute.
Throughout the event
- Craft exhibitions with live demonstrations: capagno tolfetano (hand-woven baskets with Egidio Verdirosi), embroidery art (bobbin lace, macramé, tatting, crochet, cutwork), cake design, and creative fabric recycling.
Highlights Rocca in Cantina 2026
- Tenth edition: the Rione Rocca anniversary with record attendance
- Dinners in the ancient fraschette with acquacotta, snail soup, and Maremma Laziale wines
- «Giovanni Padroni» tour with archaeologist Giordano Iacomelli and exclusive opening of the Palazzaccio
- Free Etruscan pottery workshop at Palazzo Celli
- Free concerts: Agnese, Luup & Habit, and Jova Party Band (Jovanotti tribute)
- Nomination for the 2026 Cittaslow Awards as a best practice for sustainable tourism
Prices Rocca in Cantina 2026
Practical information — Rocca in Cantina
Where and when
The festival takes place on the last weekend of June on Via Costa Alta and in the Rione Rocca, in the historic center of Tolfa (RM). Opening on Friday from late afternoon; dinners in the fraschette from 8:00 PM; free concerts at 9:30 PM.
How to get there
By car: from Rome or Civitavecchia via the SP493 Braccianese-Claudia. By train: Civitavecchia station, then Cotral bus lines to Tolfa. Parking is available on the outskirts of the historic center; the district streets are pedestrian-only.
Prices and reservations
Free admission; concerts, workshops, and guided tours are free. Dinners in the fraschette and activities with limited capacity require reservation via WhatsApp at the numbers provided by Rione Rocca on their social media channels.
Festival-goer photos
No photos yet. Share yours!
Share your photos
5 photos max, 5 MB per photo (JPG, PNG, WebP)
Noticed an error or missing information?
Help us keep this listing up to date. Every proposal is verified by our team before publication.
Festival-goer reviews
No rating yet — be the first!
No comments yet. Be the first!
Were you there?
Share your experience with the community.
Where does it take place — Rocca in Cantina
Rione Rocca — Via Costa Alta, centro storico
Via Costa Alta, 00059 Tolfa