Saint Sinforosa Festival

The patronal festival of Tossicia

The Saint Sinforosa Festival is the main religious and community event in Tossicia, a small village of just over a thousand inhabitants in the province of Teramo, perched at 409 meters on a rocky spur in the heart of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, in Abruzzo. Every year, in mid-July, the town unites around its patron saint with celebrations that weave together the devotional and the popular.

Saint Sinforosa, patron saint of the town

According to tradition, Saint Sinforosa was martyred in Tivoli along with her seven sons under Emperor Hadrian. The cult in Tossicia is said to be linked to Pope Stephen III, who some believe originated from the village and ordered the translation of the saint's relics. The Roman Martyrology commemorates Saint Sinforosa on July 18, but the community of Tossicia traditionally celebrates its patronal feast around July 15.

The medieval parish church

The heart of the celebrations is the Parish Church of Saint Sinforosa, consecrated in 1438 and located in the upper part of the historic center. The stone and brick building preserves two valuable 15th-century portals—the main one attributed to Nicola da Penne, bearing the Orsini coat of arms, and a side portal in Venetian style—as well as a Renaissance wooden altar from 1587. One altar is dedicated to the saint, featuring a painting that depicts her with her martyr sons. The church, damaged by the 2009 earthquake, remains the spiritual reference point for the village.

Rites and traditions

The patronal festival revolves around the solemn mass and the procession with the statue of the saint through the streets of the historic center, accompanied by the participation of the locals. As with many Abruzzese patronal festivals, religious celebrations are usually accompanied by moments of gathering, music in the square, and conviviality that enliven the village in the heart of summer.

A village to discover

The festival is also an opportunity to visit Tossicia and its surroundings: from the Marquisate Palace of the Mendoza, now a museum, to the nearby hamlet of Azzinano, famous for its murals dedicated to the games of the past. The Municipality of Tossicia, immersed in the nature of the Gran Sasso, offers visitors a historical and landscape heritage of great charm in the province of Teramo.