Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua (Laroma District)

The Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua in the Laroma District

In the heart of the Abruzzo summer, the Laroma district of Casoli, in the province of Chieti, dedicates two days to the feast in honor of Saint Anthony of Padua. It is one of many local district festivals that bring the Chieti hinterland to life in the second half of August: small communities that, around their church and patron saint, renew a bond of devotion, memory, and conviviality every year.

Popular Faith and Rural Tradition

The religious core of the festival is the solemn Mass followed by a procession through the streets of the district, accompanied by the Casoli Band. Revolving around this liturgical moment are the popular traditions that make the Casoli festival unique: the fireworks that open the day and the famous giro delle conocchie, a parade of offerings where the community, dressed in traditional Abruzzese costumes, carries the "conocchie" in procession — wooden structures adorned with typical local products, such as the renowned totere casolane. The parade is joined by allegorical floats created by the village youth, depicting the crafts and rural life of the past: harvesting, bread-making, grape harvesting, and weaving.

Musical Evenings

The two nights of celebration conclude in the square adjacent to the church with concerts and shows open to everyone. Over the years, the district has hosted ballroom dancing, boogie-woogie and swing performances, and well-known names in Italian music, attracting audiences not only from Casoli but from the entire Aventino Valley. Admission to the events is free, and the atmosphere remains that of a genuine village festival, where the square becomes the open-air living room for the entire community.

Casoli and the Aventino Valley

Dominated by its ducal castle, Casoli is one of the most charming villages in the Chieti hinterland, overlooking Lake Sant'Angelo and at the gateway to the Majella National Park. District festivals like the one in Laroma are the ideal opportunity to discover this corner of Abruzzo far from the beaten tourist paths, amidst local gastronomy, hospitality, and traditions passed down from generation to generation.