ANCIENT PEOPLES OF THE ITALIAN PAST
A new Festival focussing on the Sacred Spring of the pre-Roman peoples of Italy is programmed for the 8th-10th May 2026 in Rieti (Lazio).
Once known as “the Navel of the World”, the nearby sanctuary of the Sabine people at Cotilia was the centre of the rites of spring observed by the nomadic tribes who chose to settle in central Italy during the Bronze Age.
The rituals involved encouraged exploration and emigration and, according to Ancient Roman sources, were the origin of the Piceni, the Sannites, the Irpini and the various other peoples who occupied the Appennines of central and southern Italy in ancient times.
For those keen on little known aspects of ancient history and ancestry tracing, lectures and events will be held in the Civic Museum of Rieti and the Flavio Vespasiano Theatre.
The Festival is part of the programme “L'Aquila, Culture Capital of 2026”, which celebrates the rebirth and reconstruction of the earthquake city devastated in 2009.
Info: info@festivalpopolitalici.it