In Rome, summer has always lingered a bit longer than elsewhere. For millennia, the seasons have unfolded differently in this city. Sunny days, mild temperatures, and escapes from the ordinary have long been a luxury cherished by Romans during the month of October, and they have a name for it: “ottobrate romane.”
These festivals have evolved into Sunday trips with family and friends to the countryside surrounding Rome, yet their origins are very ancient and grounded. They seem to descend from the famous Baccanalia and Dionysia, celebrations dating back to the 2nd century BC when ancient Romans paid homage to Bacchus, the wine deity, following the grape harvest in September, known as “vendemmia.” Originally part of the mystery cult of Dionysus, they were later regulated by the Roman Senate due to perceived immoral and dissolute practices. However, they persisted over time as propitiatory rites for the harvest, accompanied by the sound of flutes and tambourines.
Until the early Nineties, this tradition persisted within Roman families. On Thursdays and Sundays, they used to organize small trips out of the city to celebrate the harvest and the end of the hard work in the vineyards. Typical destinations included Monte Testaccio, the countryside around Ponte Milvio, the vineyards between Monteverde and Porta San Pancrazio, or outside Porta San Giovanni and Porta Pia. The Ottobrate romane were a real occasion of collective leisure filled with unbridled joy. Aristocrats, the bourgeois, and the less privileged all melded into a single social class – the social class of people seeking to escape from their ordinary lives, enjoying wine, good food, warm sun, and company.
The run of the day was anything but quiet and relaxing. Traditional games like bocce, rolling hoops, swings, and greasy poles were commonplace. The air reverberated with songs and folk tunes called “stornelli romaneschi.” Tambourines, guitars, and castanets played to perform the saltarello dance while both women and men adorned themselves in eccentric attire for the occasion. Gnocchi, tripe, and lamb always graced the menu.
While time has passed, Romans have not changed that much. They still love to go to the countryside around Rome with their loved ones, savoring a traditional lunch, a coffee, and leisurely afternoon strolls under the golden hues of the low sun, painting the landscape in a perfect autumnal palette. The destinations have shifted as the city expanded over the centuries, necessitating longer travels to reach the countryside. Today, Castelli Romani, the villages on the Alban Hills of Rome, are the perfect destinations for an “ottobrata romana.” Located in the southeast of Rome, they once served as summer retreats for the ancient wealthy class, who built their villas to escape from the heat of the city.
Frascati, Ariccia, Castel Gandolfo, Rocca Priora are just a few among the towns made even more appealing for a fall day trip thanks to the abundance of “sagre,” typical food festivals they host. Porchetta and chestnuts are staples, but it is in Marino that the present seems to shake hands with the past. At the beginning of October, the ‘Sagra dell’Uva di Marino’ is celebrated, now at its 99th edition, while the third Sunday of October sees the ‘Sagra della ciambella al mosto,’ a delicious cake crafted from must, flour, olive oil, sugar, and raisins. In the eternal city, Bacchus never dies.
