Sezze Watermelon Festival

A festival in memory of Carlo Rella

The Sezze Watermelon Festival—which everyone in town simply calls the Festa del Cocomero—is one of the youngest yet most cherished summer traditions in this Lepini village. The evening was born from the initiative of two local businesses, Enoteca La Botte and La Frutteria, and is dedicated to the memory of Carlo Rella, a figure beloved by the Sezze community. It is a genuine and convivial way to keep his memory alive by sharing the iconic fruit of the Pontine summer. In recent years, the event has taken place on August 1st, drawing hundreds of people into the streets.

The Pontine watermelon, pride of the Agro

The choice of watermelon is no coincidence. Sezze overlooks the Pontine Plain from the Lepini Mountains, one of Italy's watermelon capitals: the Pontine watermelon, sweet and thirst-quenching, is grown between Sezze, Latina, Sabaudia, Terracina, Pontinia, and other towns in the Agro area, and is considered a true local agricultural excellence. The festival celebrates the season at the peak of ripeness, when the fruit is at its best.

How the evening unfolds

The formula is simple and therefore irresistible: on an early August evening, the streets and squares of Sezze's historic center come alive with stalls loaded with watermelons, fresh slices offered to attendees, music, and chatter late into the night. It is a neighborhood festival in the truest sense, where locals and visitors find themselves side by side: images from past editions show alleys and small squares crowded with people, in a spontaneous and familiar atmosphere that recalls the village festivals of the past.

Part of the Estate Setina calendar

The festival is now a permanent fixture of Estate Setina, the rich calendar of events promoted by the Municipality of Sezze in collaboration with local associations. For 2026, over forty events are announced from June to September, featuring music, cinema, traditions, and food and wine. Alongside the Watermelon Festival, events such as the Puntini Fest, the Sezze Film Festival, Estate a Suso, the patronal feast dedicated to Saints Lidano and Carlo, and the great 'Notte Bianca' that closes the season at the end of August are set to return.

Sezze, a village in the Lepini Mountains of Lazio

Perched at an altitude of about 300 meters, Sezze is one of the most interesting historic centers in the province of Latina, in the Lazio region. A town with ancient origins linked to the myth of Hercules, it is famous for the Sacred Representation of the Passion on Good Friday and the historic Artichoke Festival in spring. The Watermelon Festival is its summer counterpart: less institutional and more spontaneous, yet equally capable of telling the story of the agricultural identity and hospitality of this land suspended between the mountains and the reclaimed plains.