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San Martino in Rome is celebrated on November 11, the day the Church remembers Martin of Tours and the day when, according to the proverb, “every must becomes wine.” In practice that means an evening of roasted chestnuts and young wine, a visit to the Basilica of Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti, and for anyone with a free half day a trip to a winery in the Castelli Romani or the Tuscia, where the producers open their doors in exactly those days.
The festival doesn’t have the pomp of a Roman Christmas or the crowds of the big holidays. But it has one advantage: you can do it in a few hours, it takes little organizing and it holds up even if the weather turns bad. Below you’ll find the story of the saint, the reason wine has something to do with it, the places to go and what it’s worth getting ahead of time.
Data checked on October 3, 2026 on Treccani, Wikipedia, the website of the Movimento Turismo del Vino, the ministerial decree of August 13, 2012 on novello wine and the Estate Romana events calendar. The dates of local festivals, when they aren’t published by an official organizer, are marked as to be confirmed.
San Martino in Rome in brief
- What: San Martino is the feast of Martin of Tours, a Roman soldier and later bishop, whom farming tradition ties to new wine, chestnuts and the end of the agricultural year.
- When: the feast falls on November 11, the day of the saint’s burial in Tours in 397. In 2026 it’s a Wednesday.
- Where: in Rome the reference point is the Basilica of Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti, at Via del Monte Oppio 24, in the Monti district.
- How to get there: the basilica is close to the Cavour (Metro B) and Vittorio Emanuele (Metro A) stops. For the wineries of the Castelli Romani there’s the regional train from Roma Termini to Frascati.
- Right now: from November 1 to 15, 2026 the Movimento Turismo del Vino runs Cantine Aperte a San Martino, with reservations required at each participating winery.
- Good to know: Italian novello wine can be sold from 00:01 on October 30, so by San Martino it has already been in the wine shops for almost two weeks.
Who was Martin of Tours and why do we celebrate him on November 11?
Martin was born in Sabaria, in Pannonia, today’s Szombathely in Hungary. The sources don’t agree on the year: Wikipedia gives around 316, the Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani around 330. The son of an officer, he joined the cavalry of the imperial guard very young and was sent to Gaul, to Amiens. We know his life mostly thanks to Sulpicius Severus, a Gallo-Roman aristocrat, his disciple and friend, who wrote the “Vita Martini” while the saint was still alive.
The episode everyone remembers is the one with the cloak. At the gates of Amiens, in the middle of winter, Martin met a nearly naked poor man and, having nothing else with him, he cut his military cloak in two with his sword and gave him half. The following night, Sulpicius tells us, Christ appeared to him wearing that half cloak. Martin had himself baptized, left the army, became a disciple of Hilary of Poitiers and founded a monastic community at Ligugé.
On July 4, 371 he was elected bishop of Tours, a post he held for 26 years, also founding the monastery of Marmoutier. He died at Candes on November 8, 397. His body was brought to Tours and buried on November 11: that is the date the calendar has kept. A curiosity that explains a lot about the festival: November 11 fell at a key moment of the farming year, and the saint of the divided cloak became the saint of sharing, of the harvest safely stored and of the common table.
Why does every must become wine at San Martino?
The proverb is an observation from the cellar. The grapes picked between September and October ferment in the vats for a few weeks. Around mid-November the main fermentation is over and the must can truly be called wine. You tapped the barrel, tasted the product of the year and served it with what the season offered: chestnuts, the first new oils, bread fresh from the oven.
There was an economic side too. In the countryside of central Italy many farm contracts expired on November 11: the sharecroppers who changed landlords loaded their belongings on the cart, and that’s where the saying “fare San Martino” comes from, meaning to move house. End of the accounts, new wine, new season. Then there’s the so-called summer of San Martino, those mild days that sometimes arrive in November and that legend links to the cloak: the sun supposedly came out to warm the saint, left half uncovered.
In our opinion it’s best to take the summer of San Martino for what it is, a saying, not a weather forecast. In Rome, November 11 can be a clear day to spend outdoors in the vineyard or a day of heavy rain. Anyone organizing a winery trip would do well to keep an indoor plan B, like a museum or an evening at the theater.
The common mistake: San Martino in Rome is not a festival of ancient Rome
You sometimes read that San Martino in Rome is supposedly the direct heir of a pagan wine festival. The opposing view, in our opinion the correct one, is that the connection doesn’t hold up. The Romans did celebrate new wine, but on other days: the Meditrinalia fell on October 11, and Varro, in the sixth book of “De lingua Latina,” gives the formula that was spoken while tasting new and old wine together. The Vinalia were in April and in August.
San Martino comes instead from a saint who lived in the 4th century and from a medieval, European farming calendar: the same date is celebrated in France, in Germany, in the Netherlands, with geese, lanterns, bonfires. New wine and chestnuts are the Italian adaptation, tied to what ripens in the fall. Telling the festival as “very ancient and Roman” is a simplification that the texts don’t confirm.
A second misunderstanding concerns novello wine. Many people consider it the typical wine of San Martino, but novello is a product with precise and recent rules. The ministerial decree of August 13, 2012 sets the release for sale at 00:01 on October 30 and requires that at least 40% of the wine come from carbonic maceration of whole grapes. The traditional wine was simply young wine tapped from the barrel, often of variable quality, and it had nothing to do with this technique.
How is San Martino celebrated in Rome today?
In the city, San Martino in Rome has no single big public event. It’s lived in a scattered way: wine shops organize tastings of wines of the year, many trattorias put chestnuts and fall dishes on the menu, and the chestnut roasters have already been on the street corners of the center for a few weeks. The evening of November 11 is a good excuse for dinner with friends without the weekend crush, since in 2026 it falls on a Wednesday.
The symbolic place is the Basilica of Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti, on the Esquiline. It began as the “titulus Equitii” on land belonging to the Equitii family. Pope Symmachus rebuilt it around 500 and dedicated it to Sylvester and Martin. It was reworked in the Carolingian period, by Hadrian I in 772 and by Sergius II in 845, and transformed in the 1600s by Filippo Gagliardi. Inside there are ancient columns, a 6th-century mosaic and the landscapes of Gaspard Dughet. It’s entrusted to the Carmelites.
For Mass and any celebrations of the patron’s feast, the advice is to check the parish notices in the days before: the program for November 11, 2026 isn’t published at the moment. You can visit the church during opening hours anyway, and it pairs well with a walk in the Colle Oppio park and the streets of Monti, where osterias are not in short supply.
If you want a broader idea of what’s happening in the city in the week of the festival, you’ll find concerts, exhibitions and shows in the calendar of all Estate Romana events. For rainy days, the list of museums in Rome helps fill an afternoon before dinner.
Where to go in Lazio for San Martino: wineries and festivals
The easiest trip from Rome is toward the Castelli Romani. Frascati
is reachable by train from Termini without a car, which, on a day of tastings, is a serious argument. Frascati wine is one of the historic denominations of Lazio, and in the center of town the fraschette are still there, osterias where you traditionally drink the house wine with porchetta, cured meats and bread. Regional train times can be checked on the Trenitalia website.
From November 1 to 15, 2026 Cantine Aperte a San Martino takes place, the national initiative of the Movimento Turismo del Vino dedicated to young wine. The announced program includes tastings from the vat to the barrel, visits, meetings with producers and tastings of fall products. Reservations are required and hours and prices are set by each winery. The list of participating wineries in Lazio isn’t published yet: it’s worth checking the official website of the Movimento Turismo del Vino at the end of October.
Then there are the village festivals. The festival calendars for November 2026 list, among others, the chestnut and novello wine festival in Gavignano Sabino, in the Rieti area, the new wine festival in Blera, in the Tuscia, the olive oil and novello wine festival in Vignanello and “San Martino, sapori d’autunno” in Villa Santo Stefano, in Ciociaria. For all of them the dates are expected ones, to be confirmed by the organizer: the pro loco associations often publish the final program only right before the event.
For other day trips out of town, from the villages of the Monti Sabini to the volcanic lakes, the near Rome section gathers Estate Romana’s suggestions. My advice is to pick one area and stay there: three wineries in three different towns on the same day means more road than wine.
When to book and order for San Martino in Rome?
The article comes out about 10 days before the festival, and that margin is enough for almost everything, as long as you move right away. The winery visits during Cantine Aperte have limited places and the first weekend of November, with the All Saints’ long weekend behind it, is the most in demand. For dinner on November 11 at a well-known trattoria in Monti or Trastevere, booking a week ahead is prudent, even though it’s a Wednesday.
For online purchases, bottles, chestnut roasting pans, glasses, there’s one rule: the estimated delivery date at the time of the order is what counts. If you’re staying in a hotel in Rome, check first with the front desk that it accepts packages in your name and put the name of the property and your dates of stay in the address. Wine travels better in dedicated cartons. For wineries outside Rome the train remains the most sensible choice when you’re drinking.
Variations: families, couples, friends
With children the most successful part of the festival is the chestnuts: making them at home with a perforated pan, cutting them first, is an activity everyone likes, and the story of the divided cloak is easy to tell. As a couple it’s best to aim for a small winery with a booked tasting, followed by dinner in town. With a group of friends an evening at home works better, with three or four different bottles to compare, chestnuts and cheeses, rather than a crowded restaurant.
If it rains, and time budget
If it rains on November 11, the solution is simple: the Basilica of San Martino ai Monti in the afternoon, a museum nearby, dinner at an osteria. For a trip to the Castelli count a good half day between train, walk and tasting, a whole day if you want two wineries and lunch. The evening at home instead takes an hour of preparation, chestnuts included.
What to buy for San Martino: wine, chestnuts, table
The lists below are for those who prefer to celebrate at home or want to bring home a few bottles from Lazio. Each group has more than one alternative, because in the days before the festival some items sell out. We don’t give prices: they change often, and it’s best to look at them when you buy.
To drink: new wine and wines of Lazio
- Vino.it: a wide catalog with a section dedicated to novello wines and wines of Lazio, useful for comparing several labels.
- Svinando: timed selections and small wineries, suited to anyone looking for less expensive bottles to open at the table.
- Novello wine on Amazon: an alternative if the specialized shops don’t deliver in time. Check the seller and the vintage.
- Cesanese del Piglio: the best-known red of Lazio, excellent with chestnuts and fall meat dishes.
For the chestnuts
- Perforated chestnut pan: the basic tool for roasted chestnuts, on a gas burner or in the fireplace.
- Chestnut cutter: it scores the skin safely, avoiding slipping knives and bursting chestnuts.
- Cast iron chestnut roasting pan: heavier, it spreads the heat better if you use it often.
- Heat-resistant oven gloves: for shaking the pan and peeling the chestnuts while they’re still warm.
For the table
- Glass set for novello wine: simple, sturdy glasses, in the spirit of the festival.
- Wine glass set: if the program includes comparing several bottles.
- Decanter: pointless for novello, useful for the fuller-bodied reds you’ll open afterward.
- Electric corkscrew: handy when there are lots of bottles to open.
- Sommelier corkscrew: the manual alternative, small and it never runs out of charge.
- Fall tablecloth: to set the San Martino dinner with the colors of the season.
- Fabric basket: it keeps the chestnuts warm on the table longer than a plate.
To take wine home
- Insulated bottle bag: for the trip back from the winery without temperature swings.
- Travel bottle carrier: it protects the glass in your suitcase, useful if you’re flying home.
- Bag for two bottles: a light solution for the train from Frascati.
To read
- Sulpicius Severus, Life of Martin: the direct source on the saint, short and readable in translation.
- Guides to the Castelli Romani: to choose the town and the winery before leaving.
- Books on the wines of Lazio: to understand denominations and grape varieties before the tasting.
Experiences, travel and dining out
- Wine tours to the Castelli Romani on GetYourGuide: tastings with transport from Rome, useful if you don’t want to drive.
- Experiences in Rome on GetYourGuide: tastings in the city and activities for a rainy day.
- Museum and attraction tickets on Tiqets: the indoor plan B, with a booked entry.
- Train tickets on Trainline: to get to Rome or move around Lazio without a car.
- TheFork: to book the November 11 dinner. You’ll find ideas in the Estate Romana restaurant map too.
Frequently asked questions
When is San Martino celebrated in Rome?
San Martino is celebrated on November 11, in 2026 on a Wednesday. The date remembers Martin’s burial in Tours in 397, three days after his death at Candes. The wine-related initiatives, like Cantine Aperte a San Martino, are spread over several days instead: in 2026 from November 1 to 15, so there’s room for weekends too.
What do you eat and drink at San Martino?
People drink new wine and novello wine and eat chestnuts, roasted or boiled. In Lazio the table is often completed with new olive oil on bread, cured meats, cheeses and fall dishes. There’s no codified menu for Rome: the festival follows what the season offers, and every family has its own habits.
Is novello wine the traditional wine of San Martino?
No, novello is a wine with modern rules. The decree of August 13, 2012 sets its sale from 00:01 on October 30 and requires that at least 40% come from carbonic maceration of whole grapes. The traditional wine was young wine tapped from the barrel, made with normal winemaking. Both are fine for the festival, but they’re not the same thing.
Where is the church of San Martino in Rome?
The Basilica of Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti is at Via del Monte Oppio 24, in the Monti district. The nearest metro stops are Cavour on Line B and Vittorio Emanuele on Line A. For the Mass times on November 11 it’s best to consult the parish notices in the days before the festival.
Can you visit wineries in the Castelli Romani without a car?
Yes, Frascati is connected to Roma Termini by the regional train and you can get around the center of town on foot. Wineries outside the center instead require a taxi, an organized service or a driver who doesn’t drink. Train times should be checked on the operator’s website, especially for the evening return.
What is the summer of San Martino?
It’s the popular name for a period of mild days that sometimes shows up around November 11. Legend links it to the divided cloak: the sun supposedly came back to warm the saint. It’s not a guaranteed phenomenon, and in Rome November remains one of the rainiest months: better to keep an indoor alternative.
What does “fare San Martino” mean?
It means to move house. In the countryside of central and northern Italy many farm contracts expired on November 11, once the harvest was in, and the farming families who changed farms moved in exactly those days with carts and belongings. The expression has stayed in use even after the end of sharecropping.
Who wrote this and from what sources
The text comes from the editorial team of Tour Leader Pro, the Rome-based company that designs itineraries, visits and cultural events across Rome and Lazio. We compared the Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani, Wikipedia, the website of the Movimento Turismo del Vino, the ministerial decree on novello wine and the calendars of Lazio festivals as of the date given at the top. Tell us what you find has changed.
Organizing San Martino for yourself or for a group of friends means coordinating winery reservations, trains, a dinner and maybe a delivery of bottles: just a few things, but with times that have to be fitted together. For anyone putting together outings with several people, a useful resource for anyone who organizes group trips is Tour Leader Pro. If the festival then becomes the occasion for a trip in Lazio among the Castelli, the Tuscia and Ciociaria, a useful resource for putting together a multi-day itinerary is
Italy Planner.