Welcome Festival

A village that embraces its children from around the world

The Welcome Festival is much more than a summer event: it is the moment when Roseto Valfortore, a tiny village in the Monti Dauni mountains in the province of Foggia, gathers around its emigrants and their descendants scattered across Italy and the world. For two days, the narrow streets and stone squares fill with returning faces, rediscovered dialects, and family stories in a collective celebration of memory and shared roots.

Where and when

The festival takes place at the end of July in the heart of Roseto Valfortore, one of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy, nestled in the Fortore Valley on the border between Puglia and Molise. The hub of the events is Piazza Bartolomeo, flanked by the Town Hall and the village's panoramic spots like the Terrazza Paduli. Admission is free, and events run from late afternoon until late at night.

Music, memory, and tradition

The program alternates between civic and religious moments and festive ones. It begins with activities for children and an impromptu painting session curated by the Academy of Fine Arts of Foggia, followed by an open-air Holy Mass and the official "Welcome and Cordiality" ceremony at the Town Hall, where the municipality greets the Rosetani living abroad. The evenings feature concerts in the square and DJ sets that bring the village to life until late, with genres ranging from Romagna-style ballroom music to rock covers.

The Roseto Rosae project and roots tourism

The event is part of the "Roseto Rosae - The village where roses never fade" project and the national roots tourism strategy, which aims to help those who left rediscover the small inland towns. The festival interacts with the town's other major summer event, the "Fermenti della Valle del Fortore," a festival dedicated to craft beer and live music.

Roseto Valfortore, a jewel of the Monti Dauni

Visiting the Welcome Festival is also an opportunity to discover Roseto Valfortore: the stone houses, carved portals, fountains, and medieval alleys of a village that has made slowness and hospitality its hallmark. In a little-known corner of Puglia, far from the sea and the most beaten tourist paths, this festival tells the story of a South made of community, returns, and bonds that time and distance cannot break.