Saint Rita Festival in Casalotti

A patronal feast in the heart of Casalotti

The Saint Rita of Cascia Festival is the most anticipated event of the year for the Casalotti district, located on the northwestern outskirts of Rome, within the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in the Lazio region. This is not a manufactured festival or a tourist-oriented event; it is a celebration created by the community itself, every May, centered around their church and their saint. For about ten days, the neighborhood's calendar is reorganized around religious services, street illuminations, and evening gatherings in the square.

Devotion to Saint Rita

Saint Rita of Cascia, an Umbrian Augustinian nun who lived in the 15th century, is one of the most beloved figures in Italian popular devotion: the saint of impossible causes, invoked by those facing difficult situations, illnesses, or family conflicts. Her liturgical feast falls on May 22nd and is accompanied everywhere by the symbol of the rose, which tradition says bloomed in winter in the garden of Roccaporena. In Casalotti, this devotion is tied to the very birth of the district: the parish named after the saint was founded in the late 1950s, when the area was still countryside on the outskirts of Rome, and the central-plan church with its dome was built in the early 1960s. The community belongs to the Suburban Diocese of Porto-Santa Rufina, rather than the Diocese of Rome—a detail that explains the presence of the diocesan bishop at the solemn celebrations.

How the festival unfolds

The schedule repeats year after year with few variations, and it is precisely this continuity that makes it so recognizable. The days leading up to May 22nd are marked by the novena: Holy Mass in the late afternoon, often celebrated outdoors in Piazza Ormea, followed by a meditative rosary, the blessing of rosaries, and the switching on of the festive lights. Every evening, the square remains lively until late, with parish food stalls and charity stands.

• Evening Novena in Piazza Ormea, with meditative rosary and blessing of Saint Rita's rosaries
• Blessing and distribution of roses, the most iconic gesture of the festival
• Solemn Mass presided over by the bishop on the patron saint's day
• Procession through the district streets, accompanied by a marching band
• Fireworks upon the return of the statue to the church
• Community dinner in the parish spaces and musical evenings for all ages

The procession, the most heartfelt moment

On the evening of the patronal feast, the statue of Saint Rita leaves the church to travel through the district. This is the moment when Casalotti feels most united: balconies are filled with onlookers, families step out onto their doorsteps, and the marching band accompanies the pageant through the residential streets. Upon returning, fireworks above the churchyard conclude the day before the festivities move to the parish halls for a dinner open to all.

An event for the entire neighborhood

Alongside the religious dimension, the festival has always had a vibrant popular side: sports tournaments, performances by local associations, games for children, and dance evenings with local orchestras and bands. The food is the simple, traditional fare of Roman neighborhood festivals: porchetta, fried snacks, pastries, beer, and wine at stalls managed by volunteers, with proceeds supporting parish works and charitable initiatives.

Why it's worth visiting

Those looking for the Rome of grand monuments will find nothing monumental here. However, those who want to understand how a Roman neighborhood truly lives outside the historic center will find this festival a precious vantage point: a self-organized community, a tradition passed down without rhetoric, and an evening atmosphere in the square that, with the mild May weather, still captures the authentic spirit of a village feast.