Festival of Italic Peoples in Rieti: three days to rediscover pre-Roman

Festival of Italic Peoples in Rieti: three days to rediscover pre-Roman Italy

From 8 to 10 May 2026 Rieti hosts the first edition of the Festival of Italic Peoples, the country's first national event entirely dedicated to the cultures and communities that lived on the peninsula before the rise of Rome. Venues include the Museo Civico and the Teatro Flavio Vespasiano.

The festival is promoted by Associazione Arché, supported by the Municipality of Rieti within the "R.I.E.T.I. Cultura" project and organized by Florabant Srl. The initiative was conceived by Federico Fioravanti, who emphasizes Rieti's historical significance in the origins of Italic populations.

• Free public lectures by historians, archaeologists and scholars (30-40 minutes each) aimed at broad audiences.
• Two evening theatre events, ticketed, designed as moments of deeper reflection.
• A book fair featuring major Italian publishers focused on the ancient world.
• Recordings of all lectures will be made available online to create a permanent dissemination archive.

Organizers aim to make the festival an annual appointment that speaks to a national audience and demonstrates that high-quality cultural programming can thrive in provincial contexts, bringing attention to a formative but often overlooked chapter of Italian history.