A land of silence and meditation

The town of Saint Rita is packed with history: its houses, churches and streets echo the saint’s strength and gentleness.
The archaeological finds are evidence the area around Cascia was inhabited in ancient times, as a result of its central role in the very ancient, complex road system revolving around the Corno valley. An Oppidum Cassiae already stood in the territory of Cascia in the Republican period. Amongst the most important archaeological finds was the discovery in Villa San Silvestro of the 2nd century BC temple, probably dedicated to the gods Hercules, Venus and Ceres.
From the early Middle Ages, the hill castle of Cascia extended across the slopes, and this ancient fortress was destroyed and rebuilt many times. The beauty of the historic town centre remains as evidence of this golden age. During the mediaeval period, Cascia played a leading role in the struggles between the Guelfs and the Ghibellines: tenacious in its support of the pro-Imperial faction and in eternal rivalry with Norcia and Spoleto, it was definitively subjected to the Church in 1517. Its strategic position on the borders of the Kingdom of Naples made it the stronghold of the Papal State, under which it always remained a garrison of unrest.
Cascia and its territory were slowly but inexorably abandoned from the nineteenth century onwards, accelerated partly by the crisis of traditional productions and by the frequent earthquakes. The remarkable pilgrimage linked to the cult of Saint Rita marked an economic redemption of the town in the last century and led to obvious modifications in the original urban fabric.

Do not miss

• Town museum circuit
• The collegiate church of St Mary dating back to the Longobard period
• The simplicity of the Sanctuary of St Rita and the adjacent monastery
• The mysticism of the Sanctuary of Roccaporena, with the sacred rock of prayer and the paths of St Rita
• The Gothic church of St Francis with the canvas of the Ascension painted by Pomarancio
• The church of St Augustine
• The Roman archaeological site in la Villa - Temple of San Silvestro
• The adventure of a lifetime with Rafting Umbria in nearby Serravalle
• For horse lovers, the Riding School, Poggio del Sole, in Monte Puro
• The rustic strascinati pasta with a typical sauce from Cascia, spaghetti with black truffle or a dish seasoned with the delicious saffron