Threshing Festival
A re-enactment of rural traditions in Piazza Maggiore, Castiglione in Teverina
About Threshing Festival
A festival that brings the traditional threshing floor back to life
The Threshing Festival is one of the most cherished summer events in Castiglione in Teverina, a village in the upper Tuscia region of Viterbo, overlooking the Tiber valley on the border between Lazio, Umbria, and Tuscany. Every year in mid-July, Piazza Maggiore transforms into a traditional threshing floor, faithfully recreating the rural world that for generations defined the life and economy of this land of vineyards and wheat fields.
Re-enacting the harvest and threshing
The heart of the festival is the authentic re-enactment of the harvest and threshing: you can see wheat being cut with sickles, sheaves gathered by hand, the carting of the grain, the arrival of the threshing machine, and the creation of the traditional mucchia dei manuppi (sheaf stacks). During the main day, the event features hand-reaping and the use of vintage agricultural machinery, followed in the afternoon by spectacular plowing and threshing demonstrations, with antique machines brought back to life for the public. It is a way to honor the village's agricultural roots and show younger generations how work was done on the threshing floor before modern machinery.
Songs, dances, and vintage games
Surrounding the re-enactment is a lively village festival: traditional folk games, traditional music, spontaneous singing, and dancing accompany the community throughout the event. There is also the traditional farmer's breakfast, known in the local dialect as lo sdiuno, while entertainment is provided by local folk choirs, whose voices bring the day to a close.
The flavors of rural cuisine
The festival is also a journey through the authentic flavors of the countryside. During the evenings, the square serves up home-style dishes:
- traditional appetizers with panzanella;
- pasta with giblet ragù or arrabbiata sauce;
- roast duck and grilled meats;
- traditional desserts and Colli del Tevere wine, produced right here on these hills renowned for viticulture.
Festival organizers
The event is promoted by the SS. Crocifisso Festival Committee, which brings together the local classes from 1977 to 1997, in collaboration with the Pro Loco of Castiglione in Teverina and with the patronage of the Municipality. The organization is entirely managed by local volunteers, a fact that gives the festival its authentic and communal character.
MUVIS open for the occasion
During the festival, the MUVIS (Museum of Wine and Agri-food Sciences) in Castiglione in Teverina, one of the largest of its kind in Europe, remains open to the public: a perfect opportunity to delve deeper into the food and wine culture of the upper Tuscia region and complete your visit to the village.
Threshing Festival — edition 2026
Threshing Festival 2026 - 20th edition
For its twentieth edition, the Threshing Festival returned to Piazza Maggiore in Castiglione in Teverina on Saturday, July 11, and Sunday, July 12, 2026. The event, organized by the SS. Crocifisso Festival Committee with the Pro Loco and the patronage of the Municipality, offered a faithful two-day re-enactment of ancient rural traditions, from cutting wheat with sickles to threshing on the floor.
On Saturday afternoon, the square came alive with the reconstruction of the rural threshing floor, the carting of grain sheaves, and the arrival of the threshing machine. On Sunday, starting in the morning, the program featured re-enactments of hand-reaping and the use of agricultural machinery, vintage games, and the traditional lo sdiuno breakfast; in the afternoon, plowing and threshing demonstrations took place, followed in the evening by songs from the spontaneous folk choir. The two evenings combined the spectacle of the re-enactment with the flavors of home-style cooking. During the festival, the MUVIS (Museum of Wine and Agri-food Sciences) also remained open to the public.
Programme Threshing Festival 2026
Saturday, July 11
- Afternoon - Reconstruction of the rural threshing floor: carting of grain sheaves and arrival of the threshing machine
- Evening - Dinner in the square with traditional dishes, folk songs, and dances
Sunday, July 12
- 10:00 AM - Re-enactments of hand-reaping and the use of agricultural machinery, creation of the mucchia dei manuppi; vintage games, folk music, and the traditional lo sdiuno breakfast
- 1:00 PM - Grand lunch in the square
- 3:30 PM - Plowing and threshing demonstrations
- 6:00 PM - Entertainment with the spontaneous folk choir "Corvara Incanto"
- Evening - Dinner in the square with traditional dishes
Evening menu: appetizer with panzanella, pasta with giblet ragù or arrabbiata sauce, roast duck, grilled meats, desserts, and Colli del Tevere wine. The MUVIS was open for visits throughout the festival.
Highlights Threshing Festival 2026
- Re-enactment of hand-reaping and threshing with vintage machinery
- Plowing demonstrations and creation of the mucchia dei manuppi
- Traditional vintage games and folk music
- Traditional farmer's breakfast lo sdiuno and spontaneous folk choir "Corvara Incanto"
- Panzanella, roast duck, and Colli del Tevere wine
- MUVIS - Wine Museum open to the public
Prices Threshing Festival 2026
Practical information — Threshing Festival
Location
Piazza Maggiore, in the historic center of Castiglione in Teverina (VT), Lazio.
How to get there
By car: take the A1 motorway to the Orvieto exit, then follow the SS71 and provincial roads towards Castiglione in Teverina; it is about a 45-minute drive from Viterbo. The nearest train station is Orvieto, on the Rome-Florence line, about 15 kilometers away, from where you can continue by car.
Admission and bookings
Free admission to the festival area; for lunch and dinner at the food stands, booking is recommended by calling 327 4269773, 347 7111934, or 389 1551065.
Don't miss in the area
The MUVIS - Museum of Wine and Agri-food Sciences, open during the festival, and the panoramic views over the Tiber valley.
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Where does it take place — Threshing Festival
Piazza Maggiore