Sgurgola Grape Festival

One of Italy's oldest harvest festivals

The Sgurgola Grape Festival traces its roots back to 1929, when the town decided to publicly celebrate the harvest and the fruits of its vineyards. In those years, the Sgurgola countryside produced an abundance of excellent table grapes, the famous Regina grapes, alongside wine grapes like the renowned Malvasia: for nearly a century, the festival has paid tribute to these rural treasures. With the 71st edition expected in 2026, the event is among the longest-running harvest festivals in Italy and remains the quintessential identity-defining appointment for the local community.

Sgurgola, a Ciociarian village at the foot of the Lepini Mountains

The Municipality of Sgurgola is a small village in Ciociaria, in the province of Frosinone, southern Lazio, nestled on the slopes of the Lepini Mountains above the Sacco River valley. During the festival, the alleys of the historic center, with Piazza dell'Arringo as its beating heart, transform into a large open-air stage where rural memory, gastronomy, and entertainment coexist.

The parade of allegorical floats

The highlight of the festival is the parade of allegorical floats on Sunday afternoon: floats decorated with grape clusters and scenes inspired by rural life cross the town, accompanied by folk groups in traditional costumes and marching bands. A colorful and highly popular procession that attracts visitors from across the province and the rest of Lazio every year.

Fraschette, grape exhibition, and Ciociarian flavors

The food and wine soul of the festival lives in the fraschette, the typical temporary taverns set up in the village, and along the culinary trail featuring traditional Ciociarian dishes, local wine, and grape tastings. In Piazza dell'Arringo, the grape exhibition showcases the best clusters from local producers, while demonstrations of handmade pasta — the 'sfoglia di una volta' (pasta of the past) — pass down the techniques of the housewives of yesteryear.

Folk music and folklore

The evenings in the square are enlivened by folk music performances and local folk groups, while the 'Città di Sgurgola' marching band opens the Sunday festivities with a traditional tour of the town. The festival concludes with the highly anticipated tombola draw and the awards ceremony.

The Dinner of a Thousand

In the weeks surrounding the festival, the Pro Loco also organizes 'La Cena dei Mille' (The Dinner of a Thousand), a ticketed sub-event with a unique charm: a very long candlelight banquet along the main street of the historic center, featuring a genuine menu inspired by rural tradition, re-enactments, folk dances, and flag-waver acrobatics. In 2025, it took place on Saturday, September 13, leading up to the festival weekend.

A community heritage

Organized by the Municipality of Sgurgola together with the Pro Loco, with the support of the Lazio Region and the Province of Frosinone and the collaboration of associations, producers, and volunteers, the Grape Festival is much more than a food festival: it is the collective story of a territory that renews the bond between the community and vineyard work every year. Since 2025, the event has also joined the Plastic Free project with Legambiente, adopting compostable tableware.