Santa Francesca Crespella Festival

One of the oldest festivals in Ciociaria

The Crespella Festival takes place every March in the village of Santa Francesca, part of Veroli, a mountain town in the province of Frosinone, in the heart of the Ciociaria region of Lazio. Reaching its 59th edition in 2026, it is one of the area's longest-running and most cherished popular festivals: an event that weaves together gastronomy, faith, and folklore around a simple fritter that has become a symbol of identity and community.

The crespella, queen of the festival

The crespella is a fritter made from wheat flour, water, natural yeast, and salt, shaped into a ring and fried in boiling olive oil until golden. It is enjoyed hot, plain, with sugar, or in a savory version; according to local tradition, it is also excellent cold, when the texture becomes firmer and the flavor more intense. During the festival, local volunteers fry them in large quantities at the food stalls, serving them alongside other typical Ciociaria dishes.

The origins: 1964 and the two priests from Bergamo

The festival was born in 1964 through the initiative of two priests from Bergamo, Father Giuseppe Ferrari and Father Carmelo Pelaratti, who acted on an idea from their parishioners. Two residents of the village had witnessed a festival on the Adriatic coast where fried fish was offered for free, and they wanted to replicate that gesture of hospitality in their own town, using what families could donate: oil and flour. Since then, the festival has been celebrated in conjunction with the feast of Saint Frances of Rome (March 9th), the patron saint of the village, on the first available Sunday in March.

Allegorical floats and the Palio of the Ernici shepherd-warrior

Over time, the festival has been enriched by a parade of allegorical floats, once pulled by animals, created by residents over months of hard work. The floats stage moments of 19th-century rural life: trades, customs, and community scenes performed in traditional Ciociaria costumes. A judging committee awards the best float with the Palio, a bronze plaque depicting an Ernici shepherd-warrior, a nod to the ancient roots of the people who inhabited these mountains.

Folk music, dialect, and Crespellarte

The soundtrack of the festival is provided by accordions and folk songs: folk groups like Gli Amici dell'Organetto enliven the squares and alleys, while the eve of the festival features traditional dance evenings. There is also a focus on local dialect and the Crespellarte exhibition, hosted at the former wash-house, featuring photographs and crafts that tell the story of the village's memory, also preserved by the Eugenio Maria Beranger Museum of Rural Civilization.

A community in celebration

Supported by the patronage of the City of Veroli and the Province of Frosinone and organized by the Amici Sagra della Crespella Association, the event is the ideal opportunity to discover Veroli, one of the most beautiful art cities in Ciociaria, with the nearby Casamari Abbey and the villages of the Ernici Mountains. A day of joy, where the scent of freshly fried crespelle welcomes visitors from all over Lazio.