Strolling Through Taste and Tradition

A festival that tells the story of the territory through taste

Strolling Through Taste and Tradition is the cultural and gastronomic event that brings Monte San Biagio to life—a village in the Ausoni Mountains in the province of Latina, in the heart of the Lazio winter. Established in 2023 by the Municipality of Monte San Biagio in partnership with APS Exotique, the festival has quickly become one of the most original fixtures in the Lazio Region's Christmas calendar. Its formula moves beyond the traditional food festival to offer a multidisciplinary journey of hikes, live music, visual arts, and guided tastings.

The project: food as identity and regeneration

The core idea of the event has been clear since its inception: to promote local food production as a tool for identity, community, and territorial regeneration. It is not just about eating well, but about telling the story of the producers, the landscapes, and the traditional knowledge behind the food. Each event pairs a cultural element—a concert, an exhibition, or a conference—with a tasting that serves as a natural commentary, creating a dialogue between different languages.

Poetic walks

The festival's signature format is the poetic walk: guided excursions along local trails featuring readings, narrative stops, and final tastings. The historic itineraries include:

• the Torri di Portella and the Torre Triangolare, medieval strongholds overlooking the Fondi plain;
• the Belvedere Dante Alighieri, a scenic viewpoint overlooking the gulf and the lake;
• the shores of Lake Fondi, a wetland area of great naturalistic value.

Participation is free, but booking is mandatory, as it is required for the hikers' insurance coverage.

Local products

The culinary thread revolves around the area's excellence, much of which is supported by ARSIAL, the regional agency for agricultural development in Lazio:

• the Monte San Biagio sausage, the village's signature product, featured in themed cooking shows;
• marzolino cheese, linked to the shepherding traditions of the Ausoni Mountains;
• the calamita fish of Lake Fondi, a traditional local brackish water catch;
• Moscato di Terracina, the iconic wine of the Pontine coast;
• Christmas sweets from the local peasant pastry tradition.

Music, art, and meetings

Alongside the tastings, the festival has hosted nationally renowned world music and singer-songwriter concerts, contemporary art exhibitions in the former Maria Pia di Savoia school building, dialect comedies at the "Don Giuseppe di Fazio" Senior Center, and conferences on modern shepherding at the Via Roma Municipal Library. There are also children's workshops, with play areas and cooking activities involving families.

Part of the Monti Lepini program

Since 2025, the event has been part of the From the Lepini Mountains to the Sea — A Christmas of Art, Tradition, and Territory program, the regional DMO calendar that coordinated Christmas initiatives across several municipalities in the province in December 2025. This inclusion has given the festival wider visibility, placing it within an itinerary that connects the mountain hinterland to the Tyrrhenian coast.

Why visit Monte San Biagio

Visitors to this village of a few thousand inhabitants will find a compact historic center with uphill alleys, glimpses of the sea, and a winter atmosphere far from mass tourism. The festival is the ideal opportunity to discover a side of southern Lazio that remains off the beaten path: one of shepherds, vegetable gardens, watchtowers, and a cuisine that has never ceased to be a daily staple. All events are free, making the experience accessible even for those just passing through for a day.