What to expect at Santa Vitalia Serrenti 2026
From 25 September to 11 October 2026 Serrenti, a village in the Campidano di Cagliari in the Province of South Sardinia, lives through three weeks of preparation and celebrations dedicated to its patron saint, Santa Vitalia, the most heartfelt religious event of the whole village. The festival, organised by the Comitato Santa Vitalia together with the Immacolata Concezione Parish and the Municipality, opens with the daily Novena and reaches its peak on Monday 5 October — the first Monday of the month, following a tradition renewed uninterrupted since the 14th century — with the great procession to the countryside Sanctuary.
The religious programme is interwoven with civic festival days, between Saturday 3 and Tuesday 6 October, when the squares and streets of the village come alive with musical shows, cabaret, travelling magic and fireworks, culminating in the charity lottery organised by the Comitato. The most anticipated moment remains the religious one: the Solemn Sung Mass in the square in front of the Sanctuary, presided over by H.E. Mons. Mario Farci, Bishop of Iglesias, followed by the solemn procession with the Confraternity, the Cavalieri, the launeddas players and ten folk groups in traditional dress from various towns of the Campidano.
Visitors to Serrenti during these days can therefore experience both the more intimate, devotional side of the festival, with the dressing of the Simulacrum and the evening vigils, and its more convivial side, with evening concerts and the village atmosphere that welcomes residents and visitors alike.
Santa Vitalia 2026 Programme
The festival calendar runs from 25 September to 11 October 2026: the civic programme of shows and concerts is paired with the religious one, marked by the Novena, the dressing of the Simulacrum and the solemn procession on Monday 5 October.
Civic programme: music, shows and fireworks
The civic programme brings the streets and squares of Serrenti to life from Saturday 3 to Tuesday 6 October, with evening shows for all ages, from musical cabaret to magic shows, culminating in a concert and the charity lottery organised by the Comitato Santa Vitalia.
Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October
On the evening of Saturday 3 October the show opens at 10:00pm with Party Show Nostalgia 90', followed at midnight by a live show by Scribaz. Sunday 4 October evening is dedicated to families, with the theatre company Baby Fun Animation at 7:00pm, travelling magic by Comic Magician Lorenzo Mameli at 8:00pm and, at 9:30pm, a musical show with the groups Fantasias de Ballos and Disizu.
Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 October
On Monday 5 October, alongside the busiest day from a religious point of view, a further magic show with Lorenzo Mameli takes place at 7:00pm and, at 9:30pm, a fireworks display curated by Soc. Pirotecnica F.lli Massa, followed at 10:00pm by a concert by the band Le Vibrazioni. On Tuesday 6 October, from 9:00pm, the draw of the first 21 lottery prizes and the award ceremony for the winner of the “Santa Vida in donnia bixinau” contest take place; at 10:00pm the band Ratti Matti takes the stage, followed by the draw of the last five prizes, with the evening accompanied by subtitles and assistive technology for the deaf. On Sunday and Monday, from 5:00 to 8:00pm, the Domu Odilia art centre also offers “L’esperienza che Ri-Suona”, workshops and multisensory activities between art and nature.
Religious programme: Novena, dressing and solemn procession
The heart of the festival remains the religious calendar, marked by the Novena and the great procession of the first Monday of October, following a tradition the village has renewed every year since the 14th century.
The Novena, from 25 September to 3 October
Every evening, at 5:30pm, the community gathers for the Novena in honour of Santa Vitalia, followed by Holy Mass: nine days of prayer that prepare the village for the festival.
Thursday 1 October: the dressing of the Simulacrum
At 6:00pm Holy Mass is celebrated; afterwards the dressing of the Simulacrum of the Saint takes place and, while the vestments are arranged, the “Santa Vitalia” folk group sings the ancient Goccius in honour of Santa Vitalia.
Saturday 3 October: Holy Mass and solemn procession to the Sanctuary
At 6:00pm Holy Mass is celebrated and at 6:45pm the “Maria Immacolata” Choir of Serrenti sings the Is Goccius in honour of Santa Vitalia. At 7:30pm the solemn procession of the Simulacrum and the Relic sets off from the Immacolata Concezione parish to the Sanctuary, accompanied by the “G. Verdi” municipal band; on arrival a cascade of lights illuminates the square, followed by the celebration of Holy Mass.
Sunday 4 October: Masses at the Sanctuary
Masses are celebrated at the Sanctuary at 8:00am, 9:30am, 11:00am, 5:00pm and 6:30pm, while the civic programme continues throughout the rest of the village.
Monday 5 October: Dawn Salute and Solemn Mass
The day opens at 5:30am with the Granata dell’Aurora dawn salute, followed by Masses at 6:00am and 8:00am. At 9:30am the Solemn Sung Mass is celebrated in the square in front of the Sanctuary, presided over by H.E. Mons. Mario Farci, Bishop of Iglesias. This is followed by the solemn procession, with the participation of religious associations, the Confraternity, the “G. Verdi” municipal band of Serrenti, launeddas players, horse riders and folk groups from various towns:
- Serrenti — “Santa Vitalia” Folk Group
- Serrenti — “Sa Lakara” Folk Group
- Samassi — “Su Pottabi” Folk Group
- Samassi — “Sant’Isidoro” Folk Group
- Serbariu — “Santa Giuliana” Folk Group
- Assemini — “Santa Lucia” Folk Group
- Settimo San Pietro — “S’Acua e Dolus” Folk Group
- Mogoro — “Su Sticcau” Folk Group
- Orroli — “Is Feminas” Folk Group
- Monserrato — Associazione Folklorica APS
This is followed by a further Mass at the Sanctuary, while the last two Masses of the day are celebrated at 5:00pm and 6:30pm.
Tuesday 6 and Sunday 11 October: the final days of the festival
On Tuesday 6 October Mass is celebrated at 10:30am and again at 4:00pm, the latter dedicated to the elderly and the sick with the participation of the OFTAL Group. The festival closes on Sunday 11 October, when at 6:00pm Holy Mass precedes the return of the Simulacrum of the Saint to the Immacolata Concezione parish.
How to Get to Santa Vitalia
Distances from major cities
Cagliari
36 km · 34min
Olbia
239 km · 3h 6min
Alghero
169 km · 2h 26min
Event location
Sanctuary of Santa Vitalia
Serrenti (SU) · Via Santa Vitalia
🚗 By car
From Cagliari take the SS131 Carlo Felice towards Oristano and exit at Serrenti/Samassi, then follow the signs for the Sanctuary of Santa Vitalia, north of the village. From Sassari, Alghero and Olbia drive the SS131 southbound to the same exit.
🚌 Bus
ARST coaches connect Serrenti with Cagliari and the nearby towns of the Campidano; check timetables and frequency on the ARST website during the festival days.
✈️ Nearest airport
Cagliari-Elmas Airport (approx. 40 km).
🚗 Compare prices and hire a car at the best rate Open in Google Maps ↗Find nearby accommodation.
Frequently Asked Questions about Santa Vitalia
Is admission to the Santa Vitalia celebrations free?
Yes, the Masses, the procession and all the shows on the programme in the squares of Serrenti are free of charge.
Who is Santa Vitalia and why is she venerated in Serrenti?
According to tradition, Santa Vitalia was a Christian martyr killed in Cagliari in Roman times; a local legend tells how her statue, carried by a farmer from Genoni to Serrenti, kept disappearing from the house where it was kept, only to be found again in the very place where the Sanctuary dedicated to her now stands. Ever since, on the first Monday of October, the village honours her with one of the most heartfelt festivals of the Campidano.
Which folk groups take part in the 5 October procession?
Ten groups in traditional dress take part in the procession: the folk groups «Santa Vitalia» and «Sa Lakara» from Serrenti, «Su Pottabi» and «Sant’Isidoro» from Samassi, «Santa Giuliana» from Serbariu, «Santa Lucia» from Assemini, «S’Acua e Dolus» from Settimo San Pietro, «Su Sticcau» from Mogoro, «Is Feminas» from Orroli and the Associazione Folklorica APS from Monserrato.
Where can I park in Serrenti during the festival?
During the festival days, especially during the Monday 5 October procession, it is best to park in the streets of the village centre and reach the Sanctuary on foot, following the directions of the Comitato Santa Vitalia, so as not to obstruct the procession's route.
History and Traditions
According to tradition, Santa Vitalia was a young Christian woman martyred in the Roman amphitheatre of Cagliari during the imperial age, when professing the Christian faith was still persecuted. Her cult, widespread in several towns of the Campidano di Cagliari, is linked in Serrenti to a legend passed down from generation to generation: a farmer from Genoni, working for a local landowner, is said to have carried the statue of the Saint from a now-destroyed church in his own village to his master's home. The statue, however, is said to have repeatedly disappeared from the house, only to be found again in the same spot — the place where the Sanctuary, today a place of pilgrimage, was later built.
The present-day church, in the northern part of the village, has its roots in a Romanesque-Gothic building from the last quarter of the 13th century: in 1219 it was recorded as a gift from Lamberto Visconti, Judge of Gallura, to his son Ubaldo on the occasion of his marriage to Adelasia de Lacon-Gunale. During the 19th century the building was extended and its liturgical axis reversed, giving it the appearance we know today; in 2017 the church was elevated to a diocesan sanctuary by the Archdiocese of Cagliari, a recognition that confirms its role as a spiritual landmark for the whole area.
Every year, since the 14th century, on the first Monday of October the village renews this bond with its patron saint, affectionately known to the people of Serrenti as Santa Vida: the Novena, the dressing of the Simulacrum and the solemn procession, accompanied by groups in traditional dress from across the Campidano, keep alive a devotion that continues to unite faith and local identity.