Sagna e Fagioli Festival

A historic festival in the heart of the Comino Valley

Every August 20th, the small village of Settefrati in the province of Frosinone becomes the stage for one of the longest-running and most heartfelt festivals in the Ciociaria region: the Sagna e Fagioli Festival, which celebrates its 53rd edition in 2026. Organized by the local Pro Loco, the event draws about three thousand people annually—an impressive number considering the village has just over 850 residents. Among the attendees are many Settefrati natives and their descendants who return from abroad specifically to reconnect with the flavors and customs passed down through generations.

Sagna e Fagioli: a rustic dish of Ciociaria cuisine

The undisputed star of the festival is sagna (plural «sagne»), a homemade pasta made with only three ingredients: flour, water, and salt. The dough is rolled thin, cut into small irregular rectangles, then boiled and tossed with beans, following the most genuine peasant tradition of the Ciociaria region. It is a 'poor' dish in name only: hearty, fragrant, and deeply rooted in local identity, it tells the story of a mountain land where cuisine was born from what the fields and gardens could provide. In Settefrati, the preparation still follows the original ritual, without any modern shortcuts.

The ritual of cooking beneath the Medieval Tower

The charm of the festival lies in its collective staging. From the early morning, volunteers stack wood behind the church in the clearing dominated by the Medieval Tower, which stands at the highest point of the village as a remnant of the ancient castle. Fires are lit under the massive cauldrons, and at the perfect moment, expert cooks drop the sagne into the boiling water, taking turns stirring until cooked to perfection. The free distribution takes place at tables set up at the base of the staircase, served by Pro Loco volunteers and women in traditional Ciociaria costumes, while folk music accompanies the festivities that continue in the square until evening.

A celebration in the heart of the Canneto summer

The date is no coincidence: August 20th falls in the midst of the festivities in honor of the Madonna di Canneto. This major pilgrimage, held between August 18th and 22nd, brings thousands of faithful—organized into over a hundred groups, many of whom travel on foot along mountain paths—to the sanctuary located at 1,020 meters in the Canneto Valley. The festival thus serves as a convivial moment during an intense summer, where devotion, the return of emigrants, and village hospitality intertwine in a unique way.

Settefrati, a village at the gates of the National Park

The Municipality of Settefrati sits at an altitude of 784 meters on the slopes that enclose the eastern side of the Comino Valley, bordering the Lazio side of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park. The medieval village, with its characteristic circular layout gathered around the tower, houses the Church of the Madonna delle Grazie with its frescoes and overlooks one of the greenest valleys in Lazio. Visiting the festival is also an opportunity to discover this authentic corner of the province of Frosinone, including excursions to the Canneto Valley, nearby villages like Atina and Picinisco, and the mountain gastronomy of the Ciociaria region.