Statuario Community Festival

A neighborhood festival at the gates of the Appian Way

The Statuario Community Festival is the most anticipated event of the year for a hidden corner of Rome, in the VII Municipality, just a short walk from the Villa dei Quintili archaeological park and the Appian Way. Here, at 3 Via Squillace, the S. Ignazio di Antiochia Parish in Statuario and the "Statuario" Library open their doors to the neighborhood for two days of meeting, prayer, play, and conviviality. This is not a massive city-wide event; it is a true community festival, and that is exactly where its value lies.

The roots: Saint Ignatius and neighborhood life

The festival is linked to the figure of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, the parish's patron saint, whose liturgical feast day falls on October 17. However, the community has long chosen to move the celebrations to between late May and mid-June, when the days are longer and the Roman climate allows for outdoor activities in the parish fields and courtyards. The dates change from year to year, but the spirit remains the same: turning the neighborhood into a town square.

What to find at the festival

The traditional program of the Community Festival has always intertwined two souls: the religious and the convivial. Over the years, the following activities have become regular features:

• Celebrations and processions, which mark the days and involve the entire parish community
• Shows, dances, and musical evenings, featuring the Statuario Band, which accompanies the processions and performs its annual spring concert
• Sports tournaments and card games, highly popular among residents of all ages
• Workshops, games, and entertainment for children, organized by parish groups
• Charity market and raffle, with proceeds supporting community activities
• Food stalls and, the festival's signature moment, the Community Lunch

The Community Lunch

This is the heart of the entire event and perfectly captures its philosophy. The invitation the parish extends to the neighborhood is simple: bring a friend… and if you can, bring a dish to share. There is no set menu or paid service: the tables fill up with whatever everyone brings from home, and those who arrive empty-handed are still warmly welcomed. The result is a collective lunch where neighbors who pass each other on the street every day finally sit down at the same table.

The "Statuario" Library, the neighborhood's cultural engine

The "Statuario" Library, managed by the parish and run entirely by volunteers, plays a central role in the festival. With over 10,000 volumes covering reference, non-fiction, fiction, children's literature, and local history, it offers free membership, internet access, and is open about twenty-five hours a week. For years, the library has produced the festival booklet—a program printed in thousands of copies that includes the parish priest's letter, a detailed calendar, a list of prizes and sponsors, parish group activities, and pages on the history of the district: a small archive of Statuario's memory.

Why it's worth a visit

Those visiting Rome and the Lazio Region looking for something beyond the tourist circuits of the city center will find a rare opportunity here: to witness the real life of a suburb in the south, set in the greenery of the Agro Romano, with the aqueduct and the ruins of Villa dei Quintili in the background. The welcome is genuine, admission is free, and the atmosphere is that of the neighborhood festivals of the past, where children run between the tables and grandmothers serve freshly baked trays of food.

A growing project

In recent years, the festival has also become a moment for the community to relaunch its solidarity initiatives, including fundraising for a new playground for the neighborhood. Participating in the Community Festival therefore also means contributing, in a simple and direct way, to the life of the district.