Caprarola Hazelnut Festival 2026: the 70th edition, 21 August to 1 September

Some festivals are organised by a village; others simply are the village. The Hazelnut Festival of Caprarola (Sagra della Nocciola) belongs to the second kind: in 2026 it turns seventy, and celebrates with its most anticipated edition yet — 21 August to 1 September, two weekends of floats, festive lights and the scent of roasted hazelnuts in the village of Palazzo Farnese. It is one of the best-loved festivals in Tuscia, about forty minutes from Villa Vacanze Valentina through the hazelnut groves of the Cimini Hills.

The festival of the «classe»: seventy years of tradition

In Caprarola the festival is not run by just any committee: each year it is organised by the «classe» — the villagers born in the same year, who turn forty. For the seventieth edition the honour falls to the Class of 1986, who have been working towards it for months. This passing of the baton, generation after generation, is what has kept the festival alive since the post-war years: everyone in Caprarola has «their» sagra.

«Willy Nocchia and the Nocciolato Factory»: the parades

The heart of the festival are the parades, on Sunday 23 and Saturday 29 August. The anniversary theme is «Willy Nocchia e la Fabbrica di Nocciolato», a hazelnut-flavoured retelling of one of the world's best-loved tales: not a series of independent floats but a single story flowing through the village — sets, characters, music and choreography, with the hazelnut as the undisputed star. If you can only pick one evening, pick one of these two: watching the procession pass beneath the festive lights, with the whole village applauding, is worth the trip.

Two festive weekends: the programme

Around the parades, ten full days: the opening ceremony with a videomapping show, the Via della Nocciola — a tasting route dedicated to local specialities —, the regional Miss World selection, the Radio Globo party, the «Back to the '90s» show, concerts by the Scirockati and by the Nomadi, tombola under the stars, events for children, sport and crafts. Admission is free.

The hazelnut of the Cimini Hills

The festival celebrates what half these hillsides live on: the Nocciola Romana DOP, grown on the volcanic slopes of the Cimini between Caprarola, Vignanello and the neighbouring villages. At the festival you will find it in every form — roasted, in pastries, in nocciolato, in traditional dishes. And while you are here, treat yourself to the rest: Palazzo Farnese with its Royal Staircase and gardens deserves the afternoon, before the village lights up for the evening.

Where to stay for the Hazelnut Festival

Villa Vacanze Valentina is in Bassano in Teverina, some forty minutes from Caprarola and an hour from Rome: two apartments in the villa and a wooden cottage for couples, a pool in the silence of the countryside and slow mornings. Spend the evening at the festival, wake up among the greenery: discover the house or write to us for the festival weekends.

Foto: Albarubescens, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.