Sacra Famiglia Festival (Poggio Mirteto Scalo)

The most heartfelt festival in Poggio Mirteto Scalo

In the lower part of the Poggio Mirteto municipality, in the province of Rieti, the village of Poggio Mirteto Scalo celebrates its most awaited event of the year at the end of August: the Sacra Famiglia Festival. For five days, the square in front of the parish church transforms into an open-air village hub, featuring food stands, a live music stage, and a steady flow of families, young people, and visitors arriving from neighboring towns in the Sabina region.

Faith and community

The festival is centered around the Sacra Famiglia parish, whose church was consecrated in 1967 and has always been the landmark for this village that grew around the railway station. The religious dimension remains the heart of the event: the final day is dedicated to the solemn mass and the procession through the village streets, a moment when the entire community reunites, followed by the concluding community dinner.

Live music every night

Alongside the devotional aspect is the festive side, organized by the Nuovo Comitato Sacra Famiglia in collaboration with the parish. Each evening after dinner, the stage hosts dance orchestras, ballroom and pop music groups, tribute bands, and DJ sets that continue late into the night. The audience is diverse, with couples dancing in front of the stage and areas dedicated to younger guests, in a format that has made the festival one of the most popular in the Sabina summer calendar over the years.

The cuisine of Sabina

The gastronomic chapter is an integral part of the evening. Every night, the pizzeria and restaurant, run by volunteers, open their doors, serving traditional local dishes under the marquees: homemade pasta, grilled meats, fried snacks, freshly baked pizza, and local desserts. Prices are affordable, typical of village festivals, and entry to the festival area is free.

In the heart of the Rieti Sabina

Poggio Mirteto is one of the main centers of Sabina, the hilly area of the Lazio region located between the Tiber River and the Sabini Mountains, famous for its extra virgin olive oil, medieval villages, and abbeys. The historic center of Poggio Mirteto, with the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and its porticoes, is just a few minutes from the Scalo and is worth a visit before or after the festival. Its location, just over an hour from Rome and served by the FL1 railway line, makes the event easily accessible even for those arriving from the capital.

An event built by volunteers

Like many patronal festivals in Lazio, the Sacra Famiglia event thrives on the voluntary work of dozens of people: those who cook, set up the structures, handle table service, or manage the liturgical aspects. It is this blend of volunteering, devotion, and the desire to be together that gives the event its authentic character, far from more commercial formulas, and explains why the village fills up for five consecutive nights every year.