Santu Marcu i la Pupètta

An ancient festival belonging to the children

Santu Marcu i la Pupètta, also known as the Pupètta Festival, is one of the most tender and identity-defining traditions of Vallecorsa, a medieval village in the Ciociaria region of Frosinone, southern Lazio. The event falls on April 25th, the feast day of Saint Mark the Evangelist, and stars the village children: they are the ones who carry the 'pupètta'—a sweet bread doll prepared according to a recipe passed down by the local women—in procession. Faith, folklore, history, and a touch of magic intertwine along the medieval alleys in a day that blends religious ritual with popular celebration.

The pupètta, a votive bread for the little ones

The heart of the festival is the ritual pastry: the 'pupètta' (for girls) and the 'cierri' (for boys), hand-molded votive breads that children receive and carry with pride during the procession. Preparing these treats is a communal moment: a dedicated workshop allows children and families to knead and decorate their own 'pupètta', guided by instructors from the Ceccano Hotel Institute and the women of Vallecorsa, the guardians of this traditional technique. This is how memory is passed from generation to generation, not as a relic of the past, but as a living experience to be shared.

The procession along the ancient Rogations of Saint Mark

On Saint Mark's Day, the festival comes alive with Holy Mass and a procession that follows the ancient route of the Rogations of Saint Mark, a propitiatory rite once used to invoke blessings upon the fields and the harvest. Children, 'pupètta' in hand, walk through the historic center, passing between the medieval walls and the four ancient gates of the village, accompanied by the entire community.

Food trail and entertainment for everyone

Alongside the ritual, the festival organized by the Municipality of Vallecorsa offers a rich program of popular events: a food trail opens along Via Grande, featuring typical Ciociaria cuisine, local products, and handicrafts. Meanwhile, squares and alleys come alive with large wooden games, a climbing wall, animated readings, comic juggling, puppet theater, and artistic awards. The evening concludes on a high note with a fire show and a final DJ set, transforming the village into an open-air stage.

Vallecorsa, an oil village among the 'macére'

Attending the festival is also an opportunity to discover Vallecorsa, a 'City of Oil' famous for its terraced olive groves supported by dry-stone walls known as 'macére', the first rural olive landscape inscribed in the National Register of Historical Rural Landscapes. The village, located on the border between the provinces of Frosinone and Latina, preserves the Church of San Michele Arcangelo, the birthplace of Saint Maria De Mattias, and a cinematic legacy: it was here that Vittorio De Sica filmed one of the most famous scenes of 'Two Women' (La Ciociara). In the Lazio region, few festivals capture the soul of a town so well through the eyes of its children.