San Nonnoso Festival

The Co-Patron of Mount Soratte

The San Nonnoso Festival is one of the most anticipated late-summer events in Sant'Oreste, a village in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, perched on the slopes of Mount Soratte in the Lazio region. The festival celebrates the town's co-patron: Nonnoso, a monk who lived in the first half of the 6th century at the monastery of San Silvestro on the summit of Soratte, a contemporary of Saint Benedict. His memory was passed down by Pope Gregory the Great, who attributed three famous miracles to him in his Dialogues: moving a massive rock with prayer alone to clear the monastery garden, mending a shattered glass lamp, and finding the monastery vessels filled with oil after a night of prayer.

A tradition renewed since 1664

Following the Saracen raids that devastated the monasteries of Soratte, the saint's relics embarked on a long journey to Freising, Bavaria, where San Nonnoso is still highly venerated today. The cult flourished again in Sant'Oreste when, on September 2, 1664, the first altar in honor of the saintly prior was reconsecrated on Soratte, and the first solemn feast was celebrated. Since then, September 2nd remains the religious heart of the festivities: the solemn mass in honor of the co-patron and the procession through the historic center, traditionally followed by a musical fireworks display that illuminates the mountain's silhouette.

A week of festivities in the square

Surrounding the liturgical day, the program spans about a week between late August and early September. Piazza Cavalieri Caccia, the village's main square, hosts food stalls and concerts every evening: live music, dance nights, DJ sets, and popular entertainment, along with the traditional parade of the historic Banda Musicale Innocenzo Ricci, founded in 1879. In recent editions, the festival has also animated the cavea of the Teatro Silvestre with concerts and evenings dedicated to the sky and the myths of Soratte.

The livestock and goods fair and traditional games

September 3rd is the day of the ancient livestock and goods fair, held from the morning in the Fellonica area: a rustic event that recalls the agricultural and pastoral roots of these lands. In the afternoon, the historic center comes alive with the «giochi di munelli», traditional games for children and teenagers of all ages — from the greasy pole to tug-of-war — which restore the festival's most authentic community spirit.

Sant'Oreste and Mount Soratte

The festival is also an opportunity to discover the village: guided tours of the historic center, the churches and hermitages of the mountain dear to Horace and Dante, and the Monte Soratte Nature Reserve with its trails and the famous World War II bunker, which is occasionally opened for special editions. The festivities are promoted by the Municipality of Sant'Oreste together with the Pro Loco, the Parish of San Lorenzo, the Banda Musicale Innocenzo Ricci, and the Associazione Soratte in Musica, with the patronage of the Lazio Region and the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital.