Sagra de li Lombrichi Festival

A festival born from a humble dish

The Sagra de li Lombrichi is the most anticipated summer event in Manziana, a small town in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital overlooking the Sabatini Mountains, just a few kilometers from Lake Bracciano. The name, which may puzzle first-time readers, has nothing to do with the forest floor: "li lombrichi" are a type of handmade, long, and irregular fresh pasta made only with water and flour. Its hearty texture holds sauces perfectly. It is a classic "necessity recipe" from rural Lazio, made without eggs, which local women traditionally prepared by rolling the dough on a wooden board.

The heart of the festival: Piazza Tittoni

For three days at the end of July, Piazza Tommaso Tittoni and the historic center of Manziana transform into a giant open-air dining room. The stalls set up by Pro Loco Manziana serve the pasta in several variations, which over the years have become a true barometer of public taste:

• With meat sauce, the classic and most requested version;
• Amatriciana style, a tribute to the Lazio tradition;
• With porcini mushrooms, sourced from the local Macchia Grande woods;
• Garlic, oil, and chili, the simplest and perhaps most authentic version of the dish.

Alongside the pasta, you will find local main courses, homemade desserts, and wines from the Colli Sabatini, with service designed for families and large groups at traditional village festival prices.

Music, dance, and street art

The festival is about more than just food. Every evening, the stage in Piazza Tittoni hosts free live concerts, tribute bands, dance orchestras, and folk groups that keep the square buzzing until late at night. Recent years have featured 70s and 80s repertoires, disco revivals, and tributes to the legends of Italian pop music, drawing crowds from across the Bracciano, Canale Monterano, Oriolo Romano, and Tolfa area.

Meanwhile, along Via del Forte, "La Via dell'Arte" comes to life: an open-air painting and photography exhibition featuring works by local and regional artists, open during the evening. It is a wonderful way to encourage visitors to explore the town beyond the food stalls.

Manziana and its surroundings

Manziana has just over seven thousand inhabitants and is best known for the Macchia Grande, a collectively owned forest of ancient turkey oaks, and the Bosco di Macchia Grande di Manziana with its sulfurous springs. The festival is a perfect opportunity to discover a corner of Lazio that tourists heading to Rome or the coast often overlook: hiking trails, picnic areas, the nearby Lake Bracciano, and the villages of the Roman Tuscia.

A packed summer calendar

The Sagra de li Lombrichi is not the only event of the month: it is preceded by the Sagra dell'Arrosticino one week earlier, also held in Piazza Tittoni. The municipal July program is rounded out by cultural meetings, antique and craft markets, film screenings at the Cinema Palma, and concerts. Visitors arriving for a weekend will find a bustling season of events.

Why it's worth the trip

This is an authentic festival run by volunteers, where the signature dish is not a marketing invention but a recipe still made by hand. You eat well, spend little, and dance in the square under the oak trees: it is the simplest, yet hardest-to-replicate, formula for an Italian village feast.