Religious and community programme
From 5 to 8 September, Parrocchia San Giuseppe organises the Madonna della Valle feast: a charity card tournament, a walking pilgrimage, the reopening of the renovated church, Holy Mass and countryside games in the small valley south of town.
The 2026 edition runs from Saturday 5 to Tuesday 8 September, with the heart of the celebration on Sunday 6, dedicated this year also to the care of creation. This page remains useful to understand the structure, location and main moments of the tradition, and will be updated when official information becomes available for future editions.
If you are planning a visit to Montefiascone during this period, use this page together with the events in Montefiascone hub.
The poster describes Sunday 6 as a day "dedicated to the care of creation".
8 September is the liturgical feast of the Nativity of Mary, to whom the Madonna della Valle church is dedicated: until the early 1900s this was the only day of the year on which the church was officiated.
The Madonna della Valle church stands in a small valley south of Montefiascone's historic centre, along the route of the traditional walking pilgrimage that starts from Piazza Sant'Agostino. Its origins are medieval: a document from 1143 records a donation by the Bishop of Tuscania, Rodolfo, to the church's rector, Don Benedetto, of land belonging to the monastery of San Pietro in the valley. The property attached to the building later passed to the Cathedral Chapter when it was established in 1369.
For centuries the church was officiated only once a year, on the feast of the Nativity of Mary on 8 September. In the early 1900s it was restored by members of the Confraternita di Santa Maria della Valle, still active today. As an organised popular feast in its current form, with the walking pilgrimage alongside the liturgical moments, the tradition has continued for decades: in 2018 it marked the fiftieth anniversary of the restoration that reopened the chapel to the community.
For the exact location of the church, see the map.
The Madonna della Valle feast is not designed for tourists, and that is exactly why it is one of the moments when the town shows most clearly the bond between popular faith and rural life: the walking pilgrimage to a chapel surrounded by countryside, the community refreshments, the wine fountain and the countryside games describe a Montefiascone quite different from its larger civic festivals.
For a visitor passing through during this time of year, adding a stop at the Madonna della Valle to a visit of the historic centre helps read the town through its more authentic, less touristic side.
To fit the feast into a longer stay, continue with the events hub, events calendar, things to see in Montefiascone and Lake Bolsena.
The confirmed programme on the poster covers Saturday 5, Sunday 6 and Tuesday 8 September 2026, with the main day on Sunday 6.
In a small valley south of the historic centre, reached on foot via the pilgrimage that starts from Piazza Sant'Agostino on Sunday morning.
The church has medieval origins (12th century); the popular feast in its current form has continued for decades, with the fiftieth anniversary of the restoration marked in 2018.