San Rocco Festival in Cabbia (CabbiaCrea)

The most anticipated event in Cabbia

The San Rocco Festival is the most important annual celebration for Cabbia, a small village in the municipality of Montereale, in the province of L'Aquila, nestled in the Upper Aterno Valley in the heart of the Apennine Abruzzo region. Saint Roch, a pilgrim who lived between the 13th and 14th centuries and is venerated as a protector against epidemics, is the village's patron saint. His statue is carried in procession through the streets of the village on his feast day, August 16th.

The CabbiaCrea project

For several years, the festival has taken on a renewed spirit thanks to the CabbiaCrea Committee, a group of local young people and volunteers dedicated to revitalizing the community and countering the depopulation of inland areas. Each edition revolves around a specific theme: the 2025 edition, titled "From Root to Tree," offered a journey of rediscovery of one's origins through art, music, and collective memory.

Between the sacred and the secular

The program combines religious dimensions with civil and cultural activities. Alongside solemn masses, processions, and evocative evening torchlight parades accompanied by traditional bagpipes (zampogne and ciaramelle), there are concerts of traditional Abruzzese music, children's shows, folk games, sports tournaments, author meet-and-greets, art exhibitions in the village alleys, and scientific outreach moments. The traditional auction in honor of San Rocco remains one of the community's most cherished rituals.

Music, wine, and fireworks

The evenings enliven the village squares with concerts ranging from jazz to folk sounds, culminating in the "Cabbia Dance Party" DJ sets. There is no shortage of food and wine tastings, such as the roving "Spirito in Botte - il Borgo Divino" event, dedicated to local wines and wineries, alongside typical Abruzzese dishes. The most spectacular moment is the fireworks display that lights up the sky above the village on the night of August 16th.

A village reunited

The San Rocco Festival is much more than a patronal feast: it is the occasion when Cabbia reunites, welcoming both permanent residents and the many who have emigrated but return for the summer. It is a symbol of cohesion, solidarity, and belonging that keeps the identity of this authentic corner of the Abruzzo mountains alive.