St. Anthony and SS. Annunziata Feast

The religious festival of the village of Calascio

In the heart of Abruzzo, perched at over 1,200 meters above sea level at the foot of the spectacular Rocca di Calascio, the small medieval village of Calascio (province of L'Aquila) experiences one of the most heartfelt moments of its community life every July: the Feast in honor of St. Anthony and the SS. Annunziata. This is not a grand, spectacular event, but an authentic and deeply rooted religious tradition that brings together the town's inhabitants, emigrants returning for the occasion, and visitors who choose to discover this corner of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park.

A blend of faith and tradition

The festival takes place over several days. The preparatory triduum opens the celebrations with the recitation of the Rosary and Holy Mass in the Church of St. Anthony, a moment of reflection that prepares the community for the solemn days ahead. The highlight arrives with the Feast of St. Anthony and, the following day, the Feast of the SS. Annunziata: solemn masses celebrated in the morning, followed by traditional processions that traverse the narrow streets of the historic center, amidst stone houses and glimpses of the surrounding mountains.

Calascio and its churches

The town preserves a religious heritage of great value. The parish church of San Nicola di Bari, in Piazza della Vittoria, built in 1537, is the only one of the village's historic churches still in use today. Not far away, the evocative Church of Santa Maria della Pietà, with its rare octagonal plan, houses an altar dedicated to St. Anthony and a ceiling featuring the Annunciation of the Virgin, painted by the Abruzzese artist Teofilo Patini. These places tell the story of the deep devotion of a mountain community that, generation after generation, keeps its spiritual identity alive.

An opportunity to discover the Rocca

Participating in the festivities also means immersing yourself in one of the most fascinating landscapes in Abruzzo. A few steps from the village stands the Rocca di Calascio, one of the highest castles in Italy and a set for famous films, which overlooks the Campo Imperatore plateau. The festival thus becomes an opportunity to combine the spiritual dimension with the local territory, amidst popular faith, medieval history, and the pristine beauty of the Gran Sasso.