Vignanello Living Tombola

The tombola that comes to life in the heart of Tuscia

Every year during the Christmas season, Piazza della Repubblica in Vignanello, a village in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, transforms into an enormous game board. The Vignanello Living Tombola is a one-of-a-kind event: the 90 tombola numbers are not simply drawn, but literally come to life, portrayed by 90 local residents dressed in burlap sacks. It is an irresistible blend of gaming, folk theater, and collective memory, set at the foot of the historic Castello Ruspoli.

A tradition born in 2010

The first edition dates back to Christmas 2010, the year from which the official website tvv2010.it takes its name. Since then, the event, organized by the Pro Loco Vignanello, has grown with each edition to become one of the most anticipated holiday appointments in the Tuscia region. The 2025 event marked the fourteenth edition, held on Sunday, December 28th, at 4:00 PM—a slight shift from the traditional date of December 26th (Saint Stephen's Day), when the event is usually held.

How the Living Tombola works

The mechanics follow the classic tombola game, but it is staged as a true theatrical performance. On a giant 9x10 meter board set up in the square, the Living Numbers appear one by one as they are drawn. The game is led by a team of characters who have become local icons:

• il Tirino, who draws the numbers from a large sack and escorts them to the board;
• il Registratore, who keeps track of the draws;
• il Cartellone, Picino, and lo Spione, essential figures who bring the square to life.

The audience plays with their own cards, which can be booked and purchased in the days leading up to the event, and the prizes are donated by the local community. The Living Numbers themselves also participate: among the first fifteen numbers drawn, each performer draws a prize for themselves.

Sayings in the Vignanello dialect

The true cultural heart of the event is linguistic: every number drawn recites a saying in the strict Vignanello dialect, which is then translated and explained to the audience. Since 2010, the Living Tombola has helped rediscover and document over 400 proverbs and idioms from Vignanello's folk tradition, turning an afternoon of gaming into a precious effort to preserve the village's oral history.

The setting: Castello Ruspoli and the village

The natural scenery of the event is unforgettable: Piazza della Repubblica, with the evocative Castello Ruspoli, the Casini Ruspoli, and the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria della Presentazione serving as the backdrop for the living tableaux. The atmosphere is made even more magical by the scent of roasted chestnuts and mulled wine that fills the afternoon. In case of bad weather, the event moves indoors, while the growing success of the event has prompted the Pro Loco to broadcast it via live streaming.

An event for the whole family

Supported by the Municipality of Vignanello and now known well beyond the borders of the Viterbo province, the Vignanello Living Tombola is an event suitable for all ages: children enjoy the costumes and sketches, adults play the cards, and the elderly find the language of their childhood in the dialectal sayings. It is an authentic way to experience the Christmas holidays in Lazio, in one of the most characteristic villages of the Tuscia region, also famous for its wine and the castle's Renaissance gardens.