In Rome, October is not only the month of the first falling leaves. It is also a collective memory: that of the Roman 'ottobrate', the outings from papal Rome, which between the 1700s and 1800s transformed the city into a grand festive parade. A cultural phenomenon that tells a lot about the Roman character and more: October was the month when the grape harvest had just concluded and the new wine began to flow in the shops and taverns.
The Roman people, as well as bourgeois and noble families, would set off in the typical carriages of the time adorned with flowers and ribbons towards the Roman Castles, Monte Mario, Monte Testaccio, or the vineyards that surrounded the city.
In the Roman October days, wine was the true engine: it marked the end of the grape harvest and the beginning of a collective rite.
From the Colli Albani to Frascati, the rows of vines were emptied, the barrels were filled, and the smell of fresh grape juice echoed in the streets. It was not yet the mature wine we know today, but a fresh, cloudy, slightly sparkling product that the Romans called "vino novello" or "vino de li Castelli." Even then, wines destined to remain in history were being born: Frascati, with its delicate aroma and savory taste, which still pairs well with Roman cuisine; Marino, Montecompatri-Colonna, and the white Castelli.
The new wine was not just pleasure, but a communal gesture: a toast that united young and old, rich and commoners.
Evoking the great names of ancient Roman tradition – the Falernum, the Cecubo, the Setino, the Albanum – added solemnity to a rite that was rooted in the history of the City.
The chroniclers of the time tell of a Rome that, for one day, allowed itself a pause, where social differences were softened in the pleasure of being together. The 'ottobrate' were the symbol of an eternal and changeable Rome, celebrating autumn and the generosity of the land with a glass of wine.
