Beyond the Tourist Script

Italy as it is

Local Festivals in Italy: Visiting Peperino in Fiore in Vitorchiano

Local festivals in Italy. A large, mushroom-shaped house decoration resembling a red and white fly agaric sits in the center of a stone-paved main square during the Peperino in Fiore festival. The surrounding historic stone buildings are decorated with colorful oversized keys on the walls, and a tall stone clock tower stands in the background under a cloudy sky.

Thinking about what to do on our last day in Viterbo province, just by chance we ended up enjoying Peperino in Fiore – one of these local festivals in Italy.

By chance – because such local events in Italy are hardly ever widely advertised, and it’s even difficult to find info online. Mauro came across it scrolling down Instagram or so. I very often have the impression that Italians believe in television, not necessarily in the power of the Internet. Anyway, Peperino in Fiore takes place every year in Vitorchiano.

local festivals in Italy.A crowd of people walking through a narrow historic stone street toward an ancient stone archway tower during the Peperino in Fiore festival. Red and black cartoon-themed paper decorations hang from overhead wires and across the tower facade. In the foreground, an elderly woman sits in a wheelchair and a man walks a small black dog on a leash.

The 22nd edition which we saw, started on 30th May and finished on 2nd June. The dates may change every year; if you want to go there, check the municipality’s website.

Local Fedstivals in Italy – Planning a Day Trip from Rome to Vitorchiano

Vitorchiano in Lazio itself is a cool place for a day trip from Rome by car – getting there takes 1 h 20 min. After a short drive, you can easily kill two birds with one stone – see the festival and some Tuscia attractions such as Bomarzo and Parco dei Mostri (Monster Park), Viterbo, Bagnaia and Lake Bolsena.

Arriving at Peperino in Fiore: Parking and First Impressions

Peperino in Fiore is undoubtedly a very popular local event – ​​when we arrived in Vitorchiano, it took us a good few minutes to find parking. We left the car about a kilometre from the centre, but we both like walking, so that wasn’t a problem.

While walking, we noticed that from a distance the borgo looked weird – it wasn’t perched on a hill, as borgos usually are. From the town side it looks like it was built on a flat surface, but it’s just illusion.

A wide shot of an ancient stone borgo built directly on top of a steep, rocky cliffside. Lush green trees and vegetation cover the valley below the stone houses. A prominent medieval tower and an arched gateway stand on the left side of the village under a heavy, overcast sky filled with dark clouds.

It stands on a rocky cliff – it is visible after crossing the bridge.

Fairytales and Flowers: The Reality of a Small-Town Italian Festival

Approaching the old town, we saw trees growing around a small square in the large plaza in front of the medieval gate – the entrance to the Borgo. For the festival, they were decorated with ribbons; all sorts of fairytale princesses stood between them.

Oversized Mickey Mouse ears hung above the gate – oh, I guess the theme of the festival was supposed to be cartoons. And yes, cartoon characters took over the town. Just after the entrance, there was a big yellow Aladdin lamp, and colourful ornaments fluttered overhead, above hundreds of visitors.

  • A large, yellow and blue floral display shaped like Aladdin's magic lamp stands in a small stone square called Piazza S.S. Trinità during the Peperino in Fiore festival. A blue cardboard cutout of the Genie rises from the spout of the lamp. A man in a blue plaid shirt stands in the foreground with his back to the camera, looking at the display, while red and black Mickey Mouse decorations hang overhead.
  • Multiple colorful, painted planet models hang suspended in the air between old stone residential buildings in a narrow courtyard. On the ground below, a large toy robot figure stands on a small patch of grass next to a spaceship model surrounded by red flowers during the Peperino in Fiore festival.
  • A large, knitted yellow Tweety Bird character sits inside an oversized birdcage hanging against an old stone wall. On a small patch of grass below, a life-sized mannequin of Granny sits in a white rocking chair next to a basket of yarn, while a Sylvester the Cat figure climbs near a small empty chair during the Peperino in Fiore festival.
  • A life-sized, crocheted Shrek figure stands on a small patch of grass in front of a rustic wooden shack made of logs. Next to him, a smaller crocheted Donkey figure holds a red rose in its mouth. The display is set up against a pink building wall with surrounding potted plants during the Peperino in Fiore festival.

Each side street was dedicated to a different cartoon: 101 Dalmatians,The Simpsons, Maya the Bee, Pokémon, Disney’s cartoons, etc. There was also a corner (a large one) featuring Harry Potter. Of course, this one was very popular.

We walked around, taking photos and naming the characters and the titles of the cartoons. It was a bit like stepping back in time—I didn’t feel like a child, but it reminded me of watching cartoons with my son when he was small.



The locals really put effort into creating a fairytale-like atmosphere and decorations.

I think the theme of the festival changes every year—it’s hard to attract tourists by repeating the same thing every time. Only the flowers, which are an integral part of the event, remain unchanged. Well, not really – they fade and are replaced with fresh ones.

A vibrant floral arrangement of potted plants sits on a stone pavement against a rustic stone wall with a small black metal utility door marked "ACQUA". The arrangement features rows of yellow gazania flowers surrounded by colorful coleus plants with deep purple and bright green leaves. In the background, small potted plants and decorative plaques hang on an adjacent stucco wall.

And since flowers were to be the main attraction of the event, the main square was dominated by potted roses (you could buy them). A fly agaric mushroom also stood in the centre of the square – just like the one from The Smurfs. The roses and the red mushroom, together with the old building in the background, created a beautiful picture, perhaps not fairytale-like, but certainly photographic.

Local festivals in Italy. A large, mushroom-shaped house decoration resembling a red and white fly agaric sits in the center of a stone-paved main square during the Peperino in Fiore festival. The surrounding historic stone buildings are decorated with colorful oversized keys on the walls, and a tall stone clock tower stands in the background under a cloudy sky.

Some inhabitants of borgo decided to add a personal touch to the floral installations around it and created mini gardens in front of their houses, and actually as befits an Italian flower festivals, the whole medieval town was transformed into an old urban garden. An like that for four days real and artificial flowers illuminated the borgo, adding a bunch of colours monochromatic of medieval architecture.

  • A stone-paved main square features numerous potted rose bushes in bloom, creating a makeshift flower market or display area. In the background, an ancient stone clock tower stands alongside a medieval building adorned with a large, white decorative spiderweb and a figure of Spider-Man on the wall. A few people walk through the square under a cloudy sky.
  • A narrow, stone-paved street between old stone residential buildings is decorated for a festival. On the left, stone steps leading up to a doorway are covered in patches of green grass and dotted with small, colorful potted flowers. A bicycle stands parked on the landing above the steps, and bright floral displays and small bee decorations line the alleyway leading toward an open view in the background.
  • A narrow stone alleyway lined with historic houses features a stone staircase heavily decorated with green plants and bright red geranium flowers. Large paper flower decorations hang from the black metal handrail, and more potted plants line the walkway and additional steps further down the path.

The decorations are not the only attraction of the festival. There are side events, concerts, stall with handmade stuff, and of course food. No event in Italy can be successful without eating . We were there in the early afternoon, so food vendors were preparing meals, waiting for people to come.

The whole party (as is typical in Italy) really started to get going in the late afternoon. As we were leaving, crowds were appearing, and they started handing out a kind of ticket at the entrance. I have no idea why; maybe the organizers just wanted to keep a count of visitors.

Vitorchiano: A Living Borgo vs. Over-Touristed Tuscany

The borgo itself is very pretty, and not because it was decorated with flowers and cartoon figures. I would have liked it without that; I think it’s one of the nicest I’ve seen in Italy. I don’t know if it’s on the list of the most beautiful villages in Italy, but who cares?

I had the impression it was bustling not only with tourists but also with locals, which isn’t always so obvious in Italy. Many of the famous borghi in Tuscany, for example, would fall into a long hibernation if tourists were taken away.

A crowd of people gathers in front of an ancient stone fortress wall and tower gateway decorated for the Peperino in Fiore festival. The archway of the stone tower is framed by a massive black floral display shaped like Mickey Mouse ears, flanked by Minnie and Mickey cartoon cutouts. A large film-strip decoration with cartoon characters climbs up the tower wall under a cloudy sky.

Are Local Festivals in Italy Worth the Detour?

Yes, I believe so. There were mostly Italian tourists there, and among the hundred people, I heard one speaking English. The borgo is lovely; the residents’ effort in decorating it and their pride in the results were plain to see. Is this the best festival in Italy? Probably not, gathering like authentic Lazio cultural events are one of the faces of a real Italy.

It happens that people expect something more modern, however Italy is pretty traditional, what sometimes is good, and sometimes not so good. But if you want to see an Italy beyond postcards and famous spots, Peperino in Fiore can help you in it.