Events & festivals
in Tuscia.
Medieval pageants, village food festivals, open-air cinema and centuries-old rites: the calendar that gives this land its soul, all within easy reach of Bassano in Teverina.
One village,
one festival.
In Tuscia every town has its own occasion: chestnuts in October, the Middle Ages coming back to life in late summer, the lights of a thirty-metre-high tower carried through Viterbo. It's these celebrations — not the big tourist circuits — that tell you what life around here is really like.
From Villa Vacanze Valentina most of them are barely half an hour away: you head to the festival, then come back to sleep among the greenery. Below you'll find the guides to each event, with dates and practical details we've verified.
6 min · Guide
Orvieto in autumn 2026: Frantoi Aperti and Choco Italia
Autumn in Orvieto, 50 minutes from the villa: Frantoi Aperti in Umbria from 17 October to 15 November and Choco Italia on 5-8 November 2026. Near Rome.
Read the guide →
6 min · Guide
Chestnut festivals 2026 in Canepina and Vallerano: the dates
Canepina's Chestnut Days and Vallerano's Chestnut Festival 2026: dates weekend by weekend, tufa cellars, the donkey race and the barrel race, an hour from Rome.
Read the guide →
5 min · Guide
Cioccofest 2026 in Caprarola: chocolate, chestnuts, Palazzo Farnese
Cioccofest and Chestnut Festival 2026 in Caprarola: 10-11 and 17-18 October in the park of Palazzo Farnese. A weekend outside Rome in Tuscia, with kids.
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5 min · Guide
Porcini Mushroom Festival in Oriolo Romano: two weekends at the table in mid-September
Every year, over two weekends in mid-September, Oriolo Romano holds its Porcini Mushroom Festival (in 2026 the 21st edition, 11-13 and 18-20 September): fettuccine, fried porcini and a square beneath Palazzo Altieri. Times, dishes and where to stay in Tuscia.
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5 min · Guide
Palio della Tonna in Civita di Bagnoregio: the donkey race, in June and September
Twice a year, on the first Sunday of June and the second Sunday of September (most recently 13 September 2026), Civita di Bagnoregio runs the Palio della Tonna: donkeys, contrade and the SS. Crocifisso feast, 45 minutes from the villa. Guide inside.
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6 min · Guide
Caprarola Hazelnut Festival 2026: the 70th edition, 21 August to 1 September
Caprarola celebrated 70 years of its Hazelnut Festival: themed parades on 23 and 29 August, the Hazelnut Route, concerts and twelve days of festivities, 35 minutes from the villa. It returns every year between late August and early September.
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6 min · Guide
Gnocchi co' i Ferro and Steak Festival in Soriano nel Cimino 2026: the late-July dates
Two real village festivals 20 minutes from the villa: gnocchi co' i ferro in the square from 23 to 26 July, and the Steak Festival at Santarello from 25 July to 2 August. Dates, programme and where to stay.
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8 min · Guide
September in Tuscia: what to do (and where to go) near Rome
What to do in September in Tuscia, an hour from Rome: a still-warm Lake Bolsena, open-air hot springs, quiet villages, the grape harvest and early-month festivals.
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6 min · Guide
Ferragosto near Rome: festivals, lakes and quiet villages in Tuscia
What to do over Ferragosto near Rome: Tuscia's village food festivals, lakes Bolsena and Vico and cool hilltop towns. A guide that holds every year, an hour from the capital.
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6 min · Guide
Vignanello Wine Festival: cellars open in mid-August
Every year in mid-August the Wine Festival opens Vignanello's historic cellars: in 2026 the 55th edition ran from 10 to 15 August, with tastings, flag-throwers and concerts, 25 minutes from the villa.
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6 min · Guide
Autumn events and festivals in Tuscia 2026: what to do (and where to stay)
From late August to October Tuscia is one festival after another: the Ottava Medievale of Orte, the Macchina di Santa Rosa, the chestnut festivals. The calendar of events not to miss near Viterbo — and where to stay.
Read the guide →
5 min · Guide
Tuscia Film Fest: Italian cinema in Viterbo (and the Bomarzo night)
Every July Viterbo turns into an open-air cinema: the Tuscia Film Fest brings Italian actors and directors to Piazza San Lorenzo and closes in the Sacro Bosco of Bomarzo. How it works, 2026 dates and where to stay.
Read the guide →6 min · Guide
Soriano nel Cimino Chestnut Festival 2026: dates, programme and where to stay
Tuscia's most famous festival returns over the first three weekends of October 2026: historical parades, medieval games, roasted chestnuts and where to stay 20 minutes away.
Read the guide →6 min · Guide
Orte Medieval Festival: the village that steps back into the Middle Ages every late summer
Historical parades, taverns in ancient caves, seven contrade and the Archers' Palio: your guide to the Ottava Medievale of Orte, back every year at the turn of August and September, 15 minutes from the villa.
Read the guide →
8 min · Guide
Macchina di Santa Rosa 2026: how the night went, and how to be there in 2027
Dies Natalis reached the sanctuary at midnight before more than thirty thousand people: how the 3 September 2026 transport in Viterbo went and how to plan for 2027.
Read the guide →The festival by day.
The silence at night.
Villa Vacanze Valentina is a holiday home with a pool near Viterbo, in Bassano in Teverina, in the heart of Tuscia: two apartments in the villa for families, the Lovers' Cottage for couples, a pool and a garden. The ideal base for experiencing the area's events without giving up the quiet.
Before you
set off.
What are the main festivals and events in Tuscia?
Among the most celebrated: the Macchina di Santa Rosa in Viterbo (in September, a UNESCO heritage tradition), the Ottava Medievale in Orte (between late August and mid-September), the Chestnut Festival in Soriano nel Cimino (in October) and the Tuscia Film Fest in Viterbo (in summer). The calendar is at its fullest from late spring through autumn: on the blog you'll find verified dates season by season.
How far are the events from the holiday home?
Almost all of them are within a 15-40 minute drive of Villa Vacanze Valentina, in Bassano in Teverina: Viterbo is 25 minutes away, Orte 15, Soriano nel Cimino 20. You can join the celebration and come back in the evening to the quiet of the countryside.
Is it worth booking ahead for a festival or event?
If you already have a date in mind, yes: on the weekends of the main events the area comes alive, and there is only one Casetta degli Innamorati. Planning a little ahead simply gives you more choice.
Where can I find up-to-date event dates?
Each event has its own guide on the blog, with dates, times and practical information verified against official sources (town councils, Pro Loco offices). We refresh the calendar every season: no date is made up.
There's a festival waiting for you.
And a home to come back to.
Book directly through the site, with no booking-portal commission. Or write to us: Stefano will answer you personally.