The Magic of Christmas at the Castle of Santa Severa

Promoted by the Lazio Region and organized by LAZIOcrea, the 2025-2026 edition opened on December 8th with mass in the church of Maria Assunta and concerts by the Polyphonic Choir of Bracciano. For a month, the Santa Marinella castle offered a packed calendar with free admission: ice skating, a vintage carousel, an artistic nativity scene by the Italian Association of Nativity Scene Friends, a market of local products and crafts, "Books under the tree" author meetings, magic shows by Mago Mikele, bagpipers, circus and fire games, giant soap bubbles, luminous aerial acrobatics, and puppet theater. On December 14th and January 4th, actor Stefano Dragone played Albus Dumbledore in the immersive "Welcome to Hogwarts" experience, while from January 3rd to 6th, the Befana greeted the public until the grand finale with the Befana Circus.

2025-2026 Edition Program

• December 8 — inauguration: mass at 11:30 AM in the church of Maria Assunta; concerts by the Polyphonic Choir of Bracciano at 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM;
• Daily (10:30 AM–7:30 PM) — ice rink, vintage carousel, artistic nativity scene in Sala Nostromo, "Natale a Corte" market, traditional sweets stands;
• December 8, 13-14, 20-26, January 1-6 — Santa Claus meets children in the village;
• December 14 and January 4 — "Welcome to Hogwarts", immersive theatrical experience in the Harry Potter universe with Stefano Dragone as Albus Dumbledore;
• December 18, 21, and 28 — "Books under the tree", meetings with authors (including Federico Palmaroli, Angelo Mellone, and Marco Panella);
• December 21 and 28 — magic show by Mago Mikele;
• December 23 — bagpipers in the village;
• December 25 — Christmas Show with street artists (open 4:30 PM–7:30 PM);
• December 26 — circus show and fire games;
• December 29 — "Finding yourself in a dream", giant soap bubble show;
• December 30 — Light Christmas Show with aerial acrobatics and light choreography;
• January 2 and 5 — puppet theater with Nadia Ramuscello;
• January 3-6 — the Befana in the village; January 6 grand finale with the Befana Circus;
• December 14, 21, 24 and January 1, 4, 6 — mass at 11:30 AM.

Special hours: December 24 and 31, 10:30 AM–5:30 PM; December 25 and January 1, 4:30 PM–7:30 PM.

• Ice rink at the foot of the castle walls
• Vintage carousel with horses
• Artistic nativity scene by the Italian Association of Nativity Scene Friends
• "Natale a Corte" market with crafts and local products
• "Welcome to Hogwarts" with Stefano Dragone
• Magic, circus, fire, and light acrobatics shows
• The Befana and the Befana Circus for Epiphany

How to get there

By train: FL5 Rome–Civitavecchia line, Santa Severa station, then a short trip to the castle. By car: SS1 Via Aurelia, exit Castello di Santa Severa (km 52.600); paid parking available adjacent to the site (€0.50 per hour). By bus: COTRAL Rome–Civitavecchia lines, stop "S.S. Aurelia bivio Castello di Santa Severa".

Hours and admission

Village open daily from 10:30 AM to 7:30 PM; reduced hours on December 24th and 31st (10:30 AM–5:30 PM) and afternoon opening on December 25th and January 1st (4:30 PM–7:30 PM). Admission is free.

Contacts

Info: [email protected] — tel. +39 06 51689812.