San Benedetto Soldato Festival (San Benedetto Fair)

The San Benedetto Fair in Antrodoco

The San Benedetto Soldato Festival, also known as the San Benedetto Fair, is one of the most cherished traditions in Antrodoco, a village nestled in the Upper Velino Valley in the province of Rieti, Lazio. Every year, on the second Sunday of March, the historic town center comes alive with a bustling market and traditional stalls, filled with colors, scents, and local products.

San Benedetto Soldato, Patron Saint of Antrodoco

The fair is rooted in the veneration of San Benedetto Soldato, a martyr whose embalmed body is preserved beneath the altar of the Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta, the main church of Antrodoco. The saint, depicted in robes richly embroidered with gold and silver thread, holding an olive branch and a chalice, is honored as the village's protector alongside Saint Anne and Saint Severus. His feast day falls on the second Sunday of March and has defined the religious and civic life of the Antrodoco community for centuries.

A Village in the Velino Gorges

Antrodoco sits at an altitude of about 500 meters along the ancient Via Salaria, just a short distance from the famous Gorges of the Velino, considered among the wildest and most striking ravines in the Apennines. The village, rich in religious architecture and history—from the Roman station of Vicus Interocrea to the Risorgimento battle of March 1821—offers visitors a truly charming setting. The fair is the perfect opportunity to explore the historic center, its churches, and the surrounding mountain landscape.

Market, Crafts, and Local Flavors

During the festival, the center of Antrodoco transforms into a large open-air market. The streets are lined with stalls offering local specialties, handicrafts, sweets, and regional delicacies. Antrodoco is famous for its prized Marrone antrodocano, the chestnut that defines the town's culinary identity, and for its rural traditions, which find a moment of gathering and conviviality during the fair.

• Municipality: Antrodoco (RI), Lazio
• When: Second Sunday of March
• Where: Streets and squares of the historic center
• What: Patronal fair, market, local products, and crafts

The San Benedetto Fair is a genuine expression of the Rieti tradition: a chance to experience the authentic atmosphere of a central Apennine village, blending popular devotion, local flavors, and warm hospitality.