Saint Anthony the Abbot Festival

On Saturday, January 17, 2026, the liturgical feast day of Saint Anthony the Abbot, the private chapel on Via Domenico Giuliani—maintained by the Mariotti family, who have owned the building for over a century—opened its doors to the city. The day featured four morning masses celebrated by local priests, the traditional Saint Anthony breakfast offered to the neighborhood, a performance by the Tamburellare tiburtine at noon, and, following the rosary and evening mass, a concert by the Città di Tivoli Cultural Association.

On Sunday, January 18, the procession, led by the Città di Tivoli marching band and escorted by a double squad of mounted Carabinieri, departed from Piazza Codro Benedetti, traversing the historic center to the Bleso Amphitheatre. At 11:00 AM, priests from the parish of Santa Croce in Santa Maria Maggiore blessed dogs, cats, horses, birds, fish, and turtles. Upon returning to the church around 1:00 PM, the small wooden statue of the Saint was passed from the outgoing Santarello, Luigi Alfani, to the new guardian, Francesco Boanelli, who will keep it until June 13, 2026. The festival, promoted by the Amici di Sant'Antonio Abate association presided over by Alfonso D'Auria, traditionally opened the Tivoli Carnival season.

Saturday, January 17 — Church of Saint Anthony the Abbot, Via Domenico Giuliani

• 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00 AM — Holy masses celebrated by local priests (Fr. Fabrizio Fantini, Fr. Jean Junior Arséne Lette, Fr. Jean Pierre Franceschi Misse, Fr. Matteo Meva)
• 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM — Traditional Saint Anthony breakfast offered to the neighborhood
• 12:00 PM — Performance by the Tamburellare tiburtine
• 4:30 PM — Recitation of the Rosary
• 5:00 PM — Holy mass (Fr. Leonardo Fabio Perez)
• 6:00 PM — Concert by the Città di Tivoli Cultural Association

Sunday, January 18 — Procession and animal blessing

• 10:00 AM — Gathering at Piazza Codro Benedetti
• 10:30 AM — Departure of the procession through the historic center (Via Domenico Giuliani, Via dei Sosii, Piazza Rivarola, Via Ponte Gregoriano, Via Palatina, Piazza Plebiscito, Via del Trevio, Piazza Santa Croce, Via Pacifici, Piazza Garibaldi, Via del Barchetto) with the Città di Tivoli band, mounted Carabinieri, and the ox-drawn cart carrying the Saint's wooden statue
• 11:00 AM — Blessing of the animals at the Bleso Amphitheatre, officiated by priests from the parish of Santa Croce in Santa Maria Maggiore
• 1:00 PM — Return to the church and passing of the Saint's statue to the new Santarello

• Procession through the historic center with mounted Carabinieri and the Città di Tivoli marching band.
• Ox-drawn cart carrying the ancient wooden statue of Saint Anthony.
• Blessing of the animals in the Roman Bleso Amphitheatre, at the foot of the Rocca Pia.
• Passing of the Santarello: the Saint's statue entrusted to the new guardian, Francesco Boanelli, until June 13, 2026.
• Performance by the Tamburellare tiburtine and concert by the Città di Tivoli Cultural Association.
• Unofficial opening of the Tivoli Carnival season.

Where and when

The festival takes place in mid-January in the historic center of Tivoli (RM). Religious celebrations are held in the Church of Saint Anthony the Abbot on Via Domenico Giuliani, and the animal blessing takes place at the Bleso Amphitheatre, near the Rocca Pia.

How to get there

By train: Regional line Rome-Tivoli-Avezzano from Roma Tiburtina station; the Tivoli station is about a 15-minute walk from the historic center. By car: A24 Rome-L'Aquila motorway, Tivoli exit, or via the Via Tiburtina; on festival days, traffic in the center is subject to changes due to the procession. By bus: Cotral connections from Rome Ponte Mammolo.

Admission

All events are free and open to the public. Those wishing to have their animals blessed can join the procession or head directly to the Bleso Amphitheatre before the blessing.