SATOR Olive Oil Festival

A festival dedicated to the extra virgin olive oil of Sermoneta

The SATOR Olive Oil Festival is the event through which Sermoneta, a medieval village in the province of Latina, celebrates its olive-growing heritage. Promoted by the Municipality of Sermoneta together with the Pro Loco, with the support of ARSIAL (the regional agency for agricultural development of Lazio) and the collaboration of CAPOL (Latina Olive Production Tasters Center), the festival debuted in June 2026 with three days dedicated to extra virgin olive oil, oleotourism, and olive culture.

The SATOR brand and the magic square of Valvisciolo

The festival's name refers to the SATOR municipal collective brand, unanimously approved by the city council to identify and promote the extra virgin olive oil produced in Sermoneta. The reference is to the famous Sator Square, the enigmatic palindromic inscription kept in the cloister of the Valvisciolo Abbey, a Cistercian jewel at the foot of the Lepini Mountains that serves as the backdrop for the festival. A millennial symbol that links the historical heritage of the territory to its agricultural excellence.

The program: tastings, walks, and meetings

The festival alternates between social gatherings and technical insights. Friday opens with the inaugural ceremony at the abbey, a guided tour of the Sator Square, and the first tasting of oils from participating producers, accompanied by local specialties. Saturday is dedicated to the relationship between olive growing, landscape, and well-being, with walks through the olive groves led by agronomists, guided tastings, and a roundtable on oleotourism and olive culture with regional institutions, trade associations, and agricultural representatives. Sunday concludes with a walk among the monumental olive trees of Sermoneta and the traditional snack of bread and oil at a local farm.

Sermoneta's olive growing in numbers

The SATOR project involves a significant production network:

• 20 local producers and the Sermoneta oil mill adhering to the brand;
• 56 hectares of olive groves for a total of 8,420 trees;
• 6,438 olive trees of the Itrana cultivar, the signature variety of the Pontine Hills;
• five farms with organic certification.

The Itrana cultivar is the same one that creates the DOP Colline Pontine oil, a benchmark of quality for olive growing in southern Lazio.

A territory between history and oleotourism

With the festival, the municipal administration led by Mayor Giuseppina Giovannoli aims to build a recognizable identity for Sermoneta's oil and to develop oleotourism, combining visits to the village's iconic landmarks—the Caetani Castle, the medieval historic center, the abbey—with direct experiences in the olive groves. A formula that enhances the rural and authentic Lazio Region, between the Lepini Mountains and the Pontine plain, making EVOO a true ambassador of the territory.