It’s the weekend of Halloween and All Saints’ Day: on Saturday there are pumpkins and costumes, and Sunday is a public holiday. Around home it’s chestnut time, with three festivals less than half an hour away and more celebrations in the Simbruini mountains.
If you are visiting the San Vito cemetery for All Souls: from Friday 30 October to Tuesday 3 November the traffic arrangements change in Via dell’Olmata, with no parking in front of the entrance and a one-way section.
Friday: guitar music in Palestrina
Friday evening is quiet. At 6:00 PM, at the birthplace of Pierluigi in Palestrina, there is the guitar concert “Intersezioni”, with 20th-century and contemporary music from Brazil, Spain and Eastern Europe.
Saturday: chestnuts for lunch, Halloween in the evening
Our tip of the week is the Rocca di Cave Chestnut Festival, twenty minutes from San Vito: from 12:00 PM roasted chestnuts, polenta and local products, with folk music and, in the evening, entertainment in the square. The town’s museum network also runs guided tours, which can be booked online.
The other chestnut festivals:
- in Ciciliano the Autumn Festival “Passeggia e Assaggia” opens at 10:00 AM in the historic centre, with lunch from 12:00 PM, Halloween for children from 3:00 PM and dinner from 6:00 PM;
- in Arcinazzo Romano the Chestnut Festival opens its stands at 11:00 AM in Piazza Santa Lucia, with grilled chestnuts and polenta; in the evening, at 8:30 PM, the group Hernicantus plays (the dates come from the local press, so check before you set off);
- at Monte Livata, from 3:30 PM in Piazzetta Kristal, the Pro Loco’s Chestnut Festival, with a prize for the most original costume;
- in Jenne, from 5:00 PM in the gardens of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele III, the Chestnut Party run by the Pro Loco and the senior centre.
Halloween for all ages:
- for children: during the day, Halloween in the Woods in Paliano, from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM, with workshops, a piñata, a costume contest and, in the evening, the ghost walk (tickets 6 euros, 4 for children); in Poli, from 3:30 to 5:30 PM, Holyween at the parish youth centre, with games and face painting;
- in the afternoon: from 4:30 PM “Halloween in the square” in Piazza Italia in Colleferro, with games, face painting, bouncy castles for the little ones and free doughnuts, and at 5:00 PM the Circus Karakasciò in Piazza Laudenzi for Halloween in Olevano Romano;
- in the evening: from 7:30 PM the Halloween Party in the municipal park of Capranica Prenestina, with dinner, music and cocktails; from 10:00 PM the Olevano Halloween Party, indoors, with three DJs and 500 euros for the best costume.
For a different kind of evening, I Cantori di Caudium sing at 6:30 PM in the church of San Francesco in Palestrina, with the polyphony of Palestrina and de Victoria.
Sunday: All Saints’ Day
On Sunday the festivals carry on. Rocca di Cave, Ciciliano and Arcinazzo open their food stands at lunchtime; in Ciciliano the festival closes at 6:00 PM. In Arcinazzo the afternoon is the liveliest: flag-wavers at 3:30 PM and, at 5:30 PM, the traditional Ballo della Signoraccia dance.
In the morning, in Jenne, the Antico Forno hosts the workshop on Tortiglioni, the town’s traditional biscuits, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM (25 euros, booking required). In Colleferro it’s the last day of the Maria Rosaria Colaiacomo exhibition at Palazzo Morandi, with free admission until 7:00 PM.
If you only have half a day: lunch at the Rocca di Cave Chestnut Festival, on Saturday or Sunday, twenty minutes from home.
Times, prices and contacts for each event are on the events pages: always have a look before you set off, because programmes can change.