Sant'Anna Festival in Castellone

A festival born from the village

The Sant'Anna Festival in Castellone is one of the most authentic summer events in Formia, in the province of Latina, in southern Lazio. It does not take place on the seafront or in the modern city squares, but in the heart of the medieval village of Castellone, the upper core of the city, made of steep alleys, arches, stairways, and small squares that suddenly open onto the gulf. It is here, in Piazzetta Sant'Anna, that the community gathers every year at the end of July to honor the mother of the Virgin Mary.

The Church of Sant'Anna

The heart of the festival is the small church of Sant'Anna, also known by its ancient name Santa Maria del Forno due to its proximity to a public oven. Its origins likely date back to before the year 1000: the first documented mention dates to 1143 in a bull by Pope Innocent II, while other documents mention it in 1560 and 1600. Restorations carried out in 1998 in the sacristy brought to light opus reticulatum masonry and two fragments of frescoes, indicating that the original building may have occupied that very space. The church stands just a few meters from the Roman Cisternone of the 1st century BC, one of the most impressive archaeological sites in Formia: a detail that illustrates how the festival takes place within a two-thousand-year-old historical layering.

How it works

The festivities are spread over several days, traditionally from July 21st to 26th, and are organized by the parish of S. Erasmo V.M. of Castellone with the support of the Municipality of Formia. The opening is marked by Holy Mass and the distribution of blessed bread, an ancient gesture linking devotion to daily bread, while the Sant'Anna Banner returns to wave through the streets of the village, announcing the festival to the entire neighborhood. This is followed by the evenings of the three-day preparation, with the Rosary and Eucharistic celebration in the church of Sant'Anna.

• Opening Holy Mass and distribution of blessed bread
• Evening triduum in preparation for the solemnity
• Brass band parade through the village streets
• Procession with the image of the Saint
• Evening shows in the square, featuring Neapolitan music and theater

The day of the solemnity

July 26th, the liturgical day of Sant'Anna, is the highlight of the festival. It begins with Mass at dawn, highly attended by the older residents of the village, continues with morning celebrations, and reaches the late afternoon procession, which winds through the alleys of Castellone accompanied by the band and the faithful. The day closes with solemn Mass in Piazza Sant'Anna and the most festive part of the evening, with concerts and outdoor shows.

Music, theater, and the square

Alongside the religious dimension, the program always reserves ample space for popular entertainment. In the 2025 edition, the square hosted the show Napolitanando, a tribute to Neapolitan song, and a heartfelt tribute to Massimo Ranieri, followed by a theatrical comedy that closed the night with lightness and smiles. It is a proven formula: music of the Neapolitan tradition, which has deep roots in Formia due to its cultural proximity to Campania, and dialectal or light comedy theater, capable of bringing entire families together in the square until late at night.

Why it is worth it

Those who come to Formia in the summer mainly know the beaches of Vindicio and Gianola, the port, and the ferries to Ponza and Ventotene. The Sant'Anna Festival offers the opportunity to discover another Formia: the vertical and quiet one of Castellone, dominated by the Castellone Tower, where the patronal festival is not a tourist attraction designed for show, but a neighborhood ritual participated in for generations. The lights in the alleys, the scent of the candy stalls, the sound of the band bouncing off the stone walls: it is an image of southern Lazio that stays with you.

The context of the Formia summer

The festival is part of a particularly rich summer calendar. During the same period, the Municipality of Formia proposes the Estate Formiana (Formia Summer) program, with the Classical Theater Festival in the Caposele Archaeological Area, the Jazzflirt Festival, and numerous events in the neighborhoods and villages. A stay of a few days allows you to alternate between the festival, the sea of the Gulf of Gaeta, and the city's Roman heritage.