Greccio Events

Greccio's calendar has one event that outweighs everything else, and it falls at the worst time of year for the terrain.

Christmas is the season here. The first living nativity scene was staged in this village in December 1223, and the tradition continues to this day — which makes December both the most meaningful and the coldest time to come.

Spring and autumn are the walking seasons, when the Cammino di Francesco is comfortable and the ridge is clear.

Franciscan feasts run through the year at the sanctuary founded by Francis, who was hosted here more than once between 1223 and 1226.

Summer is more bearable at 705 metres than in the valley below, and is the best season for the Monti Sabini.

Winter generally is cold: zone E, 2,508 degree-days, on an Apennine ridge.

Checking what is actually on. Regione Lazio publishes a region-wide events calendar on its VisitLazio portal, listing festivals, sagre and historical re-enactments by comune and by date. Local feast days move with the liturgical calendar and small-town programmes are often fixed only weeks ahead, so confirm there rather than relying on last year's dates.