Terra di Passo – Tarantella Festival

The tarantella returns home

Terra di Passo – Tarantella Festival is the annual mid-August event that fills the village of San Donato Val di Comino, in the province of Frosinone, southern Lazio, with folk music. The festival stems from the work of the Cantori in Terra di Lavoro, a musical group founded by Fernando Cedrone, which has spent years meticulously researching the musical repertoire and traditional dances of the Valle di Comino. This field research has blossomed into a genuine celebration where the tarantella is not just a postcard-worthy folk tradition, but living music, played and danced in the square by residents, visitors, and those returning home for the summer.

A day of celebration: from the mine trails to the square

Over the years, the festival has established a successful formula that blends nature, tradition, and music into a single day of celebration:

• In the morning, a free guided hike along the nature trail towards the Royal Bourbon Mines (San Ferdinando Mine): a six-kilometre walk starting from Piazza Libertà to discover the iron mines active during the Bourbon era.
• In the afternoon, a free traditional dance workshop to learn the steps of the tarantella before the evening festivities; in previous years, tambourine workshops have also been held.
• In the evening, the opening of wine cellars and food stalls featuring local products from the valley, followed by the concert in Piazza Libertà, the beating heart of the festival.

The Cantori in Terra di Lavoro and guests

The musical soul of the festival is the Cantori in Terra di Lavoro, with their repertoire of local tarantellas, songs, and serenades, accompanied by tambourines and the chitarra battente. Over time, the Terra di Passo stage has hosted prominent figures of Italian folk music, including Eugenio Bennato, Carlo D'Angiò, and the chitarra battente virtuoso Francesco Loccisano, as well as groups like Canusia. The result is an evening where the boundary between stage and square dissolves: people listen, sing, and above all, dance.

San Donato Val di Comino, a terrace over the valley

The festival is also an opportunity to discover its setting: San Donato Val di Comino, a village of just under two thousand inhabitants perched at 728 metres above sea level on the slopes of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, and a recipient of the Italian Touring Club's Orange Flag. From its squares, the view embraces the entire Valle di Comino, like a natural terrace perfect for celebrating. The Municipality of San Donato Val di Comino includes the festival in a rich summer calendar that enlivens the town from July to September with concerts, theatre, trekking, and Ciociaria traditions.

In the heart of the Valle di Comino summer

Terra di Passo takes place during the hottest days of the Comino summer, near Ferragosto, between the patronal feast of San Donato (August 6–8) and the feast of Santa Costanza (August 23–24). During those weeks, the entire valley becomes a mosaic of festivals, feasts, and concerts: from the International Bagpipe Festival in Villa Latina to the Irish Fest in Casalattico. For lovers of folk music, the tarantella evening in San Donato is one of the most authentic stops in the Lazio summer.