Every year, on the first weekend of August, the medieval village of Otricoli comes alive. The squares fill with people, the wine cellars open their doors, and the narrow streets are filled with the scent of wine and Umbrian cuisine: this is Vinotricolando, the wine festival organized by the Pro Loco of Otricoli and Poggio, an event that has grown year after year into one of the most anticipated food and wine festivals of the Umbrian summer.
For three consecutive evenings, the historic centre – with its medieval tuff walls, narrow alleys, and squares overlooking the countryside – becomes an experiential journey combining wine tasting, food, live music, crafts, and art. It is not a simple local fair, but a community celebration that highlights the identity of the territory and its wine culture.
Wine at the centre
More than twenty wineries from Umbria, Lazio and other Italian regions take part, offering dozens of labels: fresh whites, structured reds, elegant rosés, sparkling wines, and natural wines. Regular producers include local names such as Cantina Otricolaia, Le Poggette, Cantine Capitani, and Fattoria Lucciano, alongside new selected wineries each year. Wine is purchased and tasted while walking through the village, glass in hand, along the festival route.
Food and dining areas
Around twenty food stations accompany visitors along a gastronomic itinerary that showcases both Italian wine culture and culinary traditions. Umbrian specialties are featured alongside dishes from other regions. Cellars, bakeries, and historic courtyards are transformed into convivial spaces where people can sit, eat, and share the experience.
Live music every evening
Every evening from 8:30 pm, the squares come alive with live music performances, roaming shows, and DJ sets under the stars. The program spans multiple genres – jazz, rock, folk, electronic, and singer-songwriter music – with bands and artists rotating across different locations in the village, making each night different from the last.
Crafts, exhibitions and art
The route is enriched with photographic and art exhibitions that interact with the music and the landscape. Local craft markets offer handmade objects – ceramics, woodwork, jewellery, resin creations – selected for their quality and coherence with the spirit of the event. Each edition also features works by both local and national artists, integrated into the streets of the historic centre.
A community project
Vinotricolando is part of the PNRR project “Il turismo delle radici” (“Root Tourism”), which aims to promote local identities through an authentic experience involving both residents and visitors in a shared narrative of the territory. The event is not just a tourist attraction, but an act of community: year after year it builds, with commitment and enthusiasm, an event capable of bringing generations together, welcoming visitors, supporting producers, and promoting the territory.
