Vivere San Pietro (Candles under the Stars)

A neighborhood festival in the heart of Ciociaria

Vivere San Pietro is the annual event that accompanies the festivities in honor of Saint Peter the Apostle, whose feast day falls on June 29th, in the San Pietro District of Morolo, a town in the province of Frosinone in southern Lazio. This is not a festival manufactured for passing tourists: it is a celebration the village prepares itself, alley by alley, drawing residents, families who have moved away but return for the occasion, and visitors from neighboring towns in the Ciociaria region.

Who organizes it

Behind the event is the Comitato Vivere il quartiere di San Pietro, a non-profit association composed largely of local young people. The committee works year-round to keep traditions passed down by previous generations alive, and its activities extend beyond the patronal feast: since 2009, it has organized the Palio di San Pietro, a competition between Morolo's districts featuring traditional games, and it is also the driving force behind the Sagra dei Frascategli, which celebrates local pasta in early March with the village's cellars opened to the public.

Devotion and tradition

The opening remains unchanged, faithful to the religious dimension that gives meaning to the entire event: Holy Mass followed by a procession through the district's streets, accompanied by the Morolo Marching Band. It is the moment when the entire town gathers, with windows decorated and the saint's statue carried on shoulders along a route that has remained the same for decades. Immediately after, the festival shifts gears, turning into music and conviviality until late at night.

Candles under the Stars

The highlight of the 2026 edition is Candles under the Stars: for the first time, the San Pietro District turns off public lighting and entrusts Via Porta del Popolo and the most characteristic corners of the village to the soft glow of hundreds of candles. An evening designed as a sensory experience rather than a show, with vinyl music and violin performances drifting through the stone houses. It is the kind of setup that works precisely because of Morolo's urban fabric: narrow staircases, arches, and sudden open spaces that the flame paints differently than electric light.

Food and games

Throughout the event, food stalls serving traditional local specialties, managed by committee volunteers, remain open. Sunday is the most convivial day, featuring the neighborhood lunch, tressette and foosball tournaments, and activities for children, before the grand musical finale in the evening.

• Procession with the Morolo Marching Band
• Night of the candles on Via Porta del Popolo
• Community lunch in the district
• Traditional card and foosball tournaments
• Food stalls with Ciociaria dishes
• Concerts and DJ sets until late at night

Why visit

Morolo is a hilltop village overlooking the Sacco Valley, a few kilometers from Ferentino and Anagni, in a part of Lazio that is still little visited compared to the coast or the Castelli Romani. A festival like this is the most direct way to understand its character: you eat well and spend little, there are no tickets to buy, and the distance between organizers and participants is virtually non-existent. Those arriving from outside are simply guests of a neighborhood, not just an event.