The Passion of Christ

An Easter tradition in the Castelli Romani

The Passion of Christ in Rocca di Papa is one of the most deeply felt sacred performances on the Tusculan side of the Castelli Romani, in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in Lazio. Established in the mid-2000s by the Pro Loco Città di Rocca di Papa APS, the event reached its twentieth edition in 2025, becoming a collective ritual that accompanies the town toward Easter over the years.

An itinerant show in the heart of the village

The format is that of itinerant sacred theater: the audience does not remain seated but follows the actors from scene to scene, moving between Piazza della Repubblica and the surrounding gardens—a place of strong symbolic value, as the ancient cemetery linked to the demolished Mercede church once stood there. The natural landscape of the village, nestled on the slopes of Monte Cavo, thus becomes a living stage, with the late afternoon light and the chill of the hill air accompanying the narrative.

The scenes of the performance

The dramaturgical path retraces the final days of Jesus according to the Gospels:

• the washing of the feet and the Last Supper;
• the arrest and the trial before Herod and Pontius Pilate;
• the scourging and the climb to Calvary;
• the Crucifixion and the Resurrection.

The direction is entrusted to Davide Faina; the period costumes, meticulously detailed by Roberta Gabrielli and Danira Sciamplicotti, are one of the elements most appreciated by the public and restore the atmosphere of the biblical Jerusalem.

An entire community on stage

The value of the event lies above all in the participation: Roman soldiers, apostles, priests of the Sanhedrin, and the people are played by volunteer citizens of all ages who rehearse together for weeks. The performance takes place under the patronage of the Municipality of Rocca di Papa, in collaboration with the Castelli Romani Regional Park and the UNPLI. It is not just a show, but a moment in which the town recognizes itself: faith, culture, and sociality intertwine in a single evening.

The cancelled 2026 edition

In March 2026, the Pro Loco regretfully informed citizens that the performance would not take place: the denial of access to the Cathedral premises, which arrived too late to reorganize the setup elsewhere, made the staging impossible. The board thanked the volunteers who had already made themselves available and committed to working toward creating the conditions to bring the event back to the stage in the future.

Why it is worth visiting

Those visiting the Castelli Romani during the Easter period will find in this Passion an authentic example of popular community theater, far from large tourist productions. Admission is free, and the visit is perfect to combine with a walk through the medieval village of Rocca, among the alleys of the Corso district and the views over Lake Albano.