Sapori di Mare

The festival that kicks off summer in Sperlonga

For over twenty years, Sapori di Mare has marked the start of the summer season in Sperlonga, one of the most beautiful villages on the Lazio coast, in the province of Latina. Born in the early 2000s as a food and wine festival dedicated to blue fish, the event has grown edition after edition to become, as the organizers themselves define it, a true cultural hub where seafood cuisine, music, theater, books, and regional promotion coexist. For four evenings at the end of June, the historic center and the port area are transformed into a large village of taste, with free entry.

The heart of the event: blue fish and the Ulysses Riviera

The common thread of the event is local seafood production: anchovies, mackerel, and other species from the Pontine catch are featured in tastings and show cooking sessions that highlight traditional maritime cuisine. Alongside the fish, there is space for vegetables from the Pontine countryside, local wines, and the agri-food excellence of the Ulysses Riviera, the stretch of southern Lazio coast that extends from Sperlonga towards Gaeta and the gulf. Along Via del Porto and in Piazza Fontana, producer and local craft stalls follow one another, while at Largo Torre Truglia, at the foot of the town's iconic watchtower, operators gather with the best of local produce.

Music, theater, and books in Piazza Fontana

Every evening, the Piazza Fontana stage hosts an entertainment program that alternates between concerts, folk groups, book presentations, and maritime-themed meetings. Over the years, the festival has progressively raised the level of its guests: in the 2026 edition, the most anticipated moment was the show by actor and voice actor Luca Ward, while other evenings featured local folk groups, singers, and musical duos. The editorial presentations, dedicated to galley cooking, marine biology, and local history, give the event a cultural edge that distinguishes it from simple village fairs.

Boat excursions and a village to discover

Sapori di Mare is also an opportunity to experience Sperlonga from the sea: during the event, boat excursions are organized, allowing visitors to admire the white village perched on the cliff, the beaches, and the entire coast of the Ulysses Riviera. A few steps from the food and wine village, the Villa of Tiberius with its famous grotto and the National Archaeological Museum, testaments to the town's Roman past, are well worth a visit.

An event by the Municipality and the community

The festival is promoted by Sperlonga Turismo ETS, chaired by Leone Armando La Rocca, with the patronage of the Municipality of Sperlonga and the support of the Lazio Region institutions. It is a festival deeply rooted in the community: fishermen, restaurateurs, producers, and volunteers work together to tell the story of the town's maritime identity. For those visiting southern Lazio at the end of June, Sapori di Mare is the most authentic way to discover Sperlonga: dining among the whitewashed alleys, listening to music under the tower, and toasting at sunset with Pontine wines.