Rugby Festival

The 'Third Half' festival in Groppoli

The Rugby Festival is the summer event that the Lunigiana Rugby Farafulla club dedicates to its local community and supporters. It takes place in Groppoli, a village in the municipality of Mulazzo, in the heart of the Lunigiana region, in the far north of Tuscany and the province of Massa-Carrara. The venue is the Parco Madonna di Fatima, the same green space in the Fatima area that hosts the team's playing field: for two August nights, it transforms into a large open-air meeting point.

The spirit of rugby, off the pitch

More than just a local village fair, the festival brings to the public the values that rugby has always cultivated: respect, hospitality, and that famous third half which, at the end of a match, brings opponents and fans together around the same table. It is in this spirit that the Lunigiana Rugby Farafulla, a sports organization rooted in the Mulazzo area for decades, opens its doors to everyone: children, families, enthusiasts, and curious visitors are all welcome.

Lunigiana cuisine and live music

Two ingredients make this festival a small local summer classic. On one hand, the food stalls, serving traditional Lunigiana dishes under the marquees; on the other, the live music, which accompanies the evenings until late at night and provides the soundtrack to a simple and genuine atmosphere. Among the artists announced for the 2026 edition is Paul Moss, expected on the Groppoli stage.

Why it's worth visiting

The Rugby Festival is an opportunity to discover the most authentic side of Lunigiana, far from mass tourism circuits: a corner of Tuscany made of villages, castles, and enduring traditions. Attending means supporting a small local sports club while enjoying an August evening outdoors, with good food and music, in a municipality—Mulazzo—that boasts a long history linked to the Malaspina family and the medieval routes of the Via Francigena.