Ferragosto in Tuscia 2026: festivals, lakes and quiet villages

Ferragosto — Italy's mid-August holiday — in the Tuscia is not a crowded beach: it is a village lit up at night, the scent of a food fair, fireworks mirrored on a lake. In the central week of August the towns around Viterbo are at their best, each with its own feast. Here is our guide to what to do at Ferragosto a few minutes from the villa — real feasts, the kind we go to ourselves.

Wine: the Vignanello Festival

The great food-and-wine date is the Vignanello Wine Festival, from 10 to 15 August 2026: six days with the village's historic cellars open, tastings, flag-throwers and concerts, up to the grand finale on the evening of the 15th. It is about half an hour from us and it is the best way to start the week.

Fireworks over the lake: San Rocco at Capodimonte

On the evening of 16 August, in Capodimonte, on Lake Bolsena, the town celebrates San Rocco: the procession winds through the lakeside village and, late in the evening, a great display of fireworks lights up the lake. It is one of the finest sights of the Viterbo summer — the town in festa, the boats, the sky bursting over the water.

The village food fairs, around 15 August

Ferragosto in the Tuscia is above all the season of the sagre, the village food fairs. Every year, in the central week of August, the towns open their stands and serve traditional dishes late into the night. The closest to us:

• Snail Fair (Sagra della Lumaca) in Graffignano (~20 min) — the nearest, a historic feast that has run for decades.
• Strozzapreti Fair in Capranica — hand-rolled pasta dressed the traditional way.
• Gnocchi co' i ferro Feast in Soriano nel Cimino (~20 min) — gnocchi shaped on a knitting needle, a ritual.
• Acquacotta Fair in Farnese — the humble soup of the Alta Tuscia, served in the village during the feast.
• Lentil Fair (Sagra della Lenticchia) in Onano — the tiny pulse that is a Slow Food presidium of the Alta Tuscia.

The exact 2026 dates and times change from year to year: before you set off, check them on the official channels of each town council and Pro Loco. We do not invent dates — here you find the fixed points, the rest is confirmed close to the event.

And if you just want to cool off

Ferragosto in the Tuscia also means fresh water: Lake Bolsena, with the beaches of Marta and Capodimonte, and nearby Lake Vico. No seaside queues, clean water and a food fair a step away in the evening. To recharge, instead, the Terme dei Papi thermal baths in Viterbo, warm even in summer.

Where to stay for Ferragosto in the Tuscia

Villa Vacanze Valentina is in Bassano in Teverina, at the heart of all these events: you go to the feast in the evening and return to the quiet of the countryside, with the pool instead of the traffic. Ferragosto should be booked well ahead — the Casetta degli Innamorati is the only one. Discover the holiday home with pool or write to us for August dates.