Aiming to promote Italian cultural tourism, the Italian Government Tourist Board (ENIT) has collaborated with the annual event of Macchina di Santa Rosa for its 2023 procession.

ENIT or Agenzia Nazionale del Turismo, the Italian Government Tourist Board, has announced a special partnership with the Sodalizio dei Facchini di Santa Rosa or ‘the Macchina di Santa Rosa’. Located in the Piazza San Pellegrino in the historic centre of Viterbo city, Italy, the Sodalizio Facchini di Santa Rosa is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity that is celebrated every year on the night of September 3. 

In a press statement, ENIT says that this partnership aims to combine cultural tourism with religious tourism in a unique event that gives back a cross-section of Italy to make known to the world. ENIT says that it continues to support the Italian territories through the promotion of such events that represent the identity framework of Italy.

The statement adds that the Macchina di Santa Rosa is an illuminated tower made of light metals. It is about 30 metres high and is carried on the shoulders of 200 facchini or porters for about a km through the streets of the city. One of the main events of the city, this tradition has existed since the 17th century and continues to attract an ever-increasing number of tourists, adds the statement. 

“ENIT never shies away from the capillary promotion of the territories, trying to give impetus and vigour to the appointments of the tradition, expression of the Italian spirit and of the local way of life. Folklore makes it possible to spread the values ​​and scope of the multifaceted tourist ecosystem of our peninsula. Religious tourism is one of the segments at the centre of tourism promotion and is giving ever-increasing flows” says Sandro Pappalardo, Director of ENIT.

ENIT says that every year on the evening of September 3, around 200 porters, dressed in the traditional white uniform with a red band around the waist, visit seven churches in the centre as a part of the ceremony. The porters hoist the tower, which weighs about 5,000 kg and carry it through the streets and squares of Viterbo’s mediaeval town centre.

According to the statement, the procession starts an hour after the sun sets, and is followed by a musical band, which starts from the Sanctuary of Santa Rosa to retrace the route of the Macchina all the way through. This popular event is known to be a major crowd magnet in Viterbo. 

“This year the celebrations will be even more engaging with the participation of ENIT at the forefront of supporting the national and international promotion of an event that is already known globally, but which, thanks to a partnership with the National Tourism Agency, can amplify boundaries and knowability,” adds Massimo Mecarini, President of the Facchini Association of Santa Rosa.