Tellina Festival

The queen of the Roman coast

The Tellina Festival in Passoscuro, a seaside hamlet of the Municipality of Fiumicino in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital (Lazio), has been the official kick-off to the summer season on the coast north of the capital for nearly half a century. The absolute star is the tellina, a small bivalve mollusk that lives in the sand just a few meters from the shore, which local fishermen have been harvesting for generations in front of the beaches of Passoscuro and Fregene.

A tradition born from the community

The festival is organized by the Pro Loco of Passoscuro with the patronage of the Municipality of Fiumicino and has grown into an event capable of attracting tens of thousands of visitors over a single weekend. This is not a manufactured event: it is born from the work of local volunteers, families cooking, and merchants and fishermen providing the product. This popular and authentic dimension is what has made it a model for many other festivals on the Lazio coast.

What to eat

The signature dish is naturally spaghetti with telline, prepared in a simple, white version with garlic, oil, parsley, and a touch of cherry tomato. Every year, the Pro Loco calculates hundreds of kilograms of mollusks consumed during the three days, a number that continues to grow with each edition. Alongside the spaghetti, the stalls offer:

• fried seafood and mixed fried fish served in a paper cone;
• sausage sandwiches and French fries for those who prefer land-based cuisine;
• arrosticini, desserts, and beer and wine stands;
• typical products and a craft market along the streets of the center.

Music, shows, and sports

The festival is not just about gastronomy. The three main squares of the town—Piazza Domenica Santarelli, Piazza Salvo d'Acquisto, and the seaside area of Moai Beach—host stages and different themed areas. The program features live concerts dedicated to Italian singer-songwriters, rock tribute bands, DJ sets, rhythmic gymnastics performances, comedy shows with artists from the Zelig and Colorado circuits, street performers, and vintage car and motorcycle rallies. Piazza Salvo d'Acquisto is traditionally reserved for children, with inflatables, games, and attractions.

The Tellina Bike Ride is also very popular, an amateur cycling event on Sunday morning that starts from the town center and crosses the pine forest and the inland countryside, along with the beach volleyball tournament on the sand.

Why it's worth the trip

Passoscuro is a seaside village just over thirty kilometers from the center of Rome and a stone's throw from Fiumicino Airport: it is easy to reach, the food is good, and it is affordable. During the festival, admission is free, you only pay for what you consume at the stalls, and the atmosphere is that of a genuine village feast that has not lost touch with its maritime roots. For those visiting Lazio in spring, it is a perfect opportunity to discover a stretch of coast often ignored by tourist circuits, among dunes, pine forests, and a seafront that looks straight toward the horizon at sunset.