Antrodoco: History, Art and Flavours in the Velino Valley

Sanctuary and Baptistery

The Baptistery of San Giovanni Battista, which is separate from the church building, was built in the 9th century and has a hexagonal shape. It also served as a sundial: on 21 June at 5:30 p.m., a ray of sunlight enters through a small window and announces the summer solstice. The Sanctuary of Madonna delle Grotte is located at the Gole di Antrodoco. It was built between 1603 and 1604 at the site where the shepherdess Berardina Boccacci discovered a sacred image of the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child near a small grotto in 1601. The crypt contains the mortal remains of French soldiers who died as a result of the peasant revolts of 1799 in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Santa Maria Extra Moenia was built in the Early Middle Ages over the remains of a pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Diana.

Museums, Military History and Street Art

The Museo Lin Delija–Carlo Cesi is located in the former Santa Chiara monastery on Via Roma in the heart of Antrodoco. All the works preserved there are by the painter Lin Delija. The Museo Storico Militare focuses on a different aspect of history: it displays more than 300 pieces of headgear as well as memorabilia from the world wars and colonial wars, including weapons, uniforms, bomb fragments and a fully equipped typical base camp. A contemporary accent was added by the “R/Esistenza” cultural project implemented in 2021. It transformed Antrodoco into an urban open-air gallery for street art, with works by, among others, STEN&LEX, Lucamaleonte and NEVE.

Routes between the Town Centre and the Velino

The MTB route SI-C O12-A to the Rifugio CAI Sebastiani begins in Antrodoco’s historic centre. The 17th stage of the Cammino Naturale dei Parchi also begins in Antrodoco and follows the Salaria 150 trail designated by the CAI. The stage from Antrodoco leads through the valley of the River Velino and runs along the old Via Salaria. The Gole del Velino are designated as a Special Protection Area and a Special Area of Conservation, abbreviated as ZPS/ZSC. In Antrodoco, therefore, cultural and historical themes stand alongside routes and landscapes, which you can weigh differently depending on your travel interests.

Festivals and Cuisine in Antrodoco

The Festa di Sant’Anna is celebrated on 26 July in honour of Antrodoco’s patron saint with a solemn procession as well as performances by bands and singers. The festival also includes a Mass and a market display featuring local pecorino cheese and wines in the historic centre. The Castaldato di Antrodoco allows visitors to experience the town’s medieval past between 1228 and 1371. It includes the Corteo delle Dame, the Banchetto dei Rioni, the Notte dei Tamburi, the Corteo Storico and the Palio Madonna del Popolo. The culinary focus is on Stracci Antrodocani: wafer-thin, elastic egg pancakes baked in the oven, made from eggs, water and flour, and filled with tomatoes, minced veal, mozzarella, butter, beef sauce and grated Parmesan. The Sagra degli Stracci Antrodocani takes place in the first days of August. The Festa d’Autunno celebrates local gastronomic specialities such as mushrooms, chestnuts and cheese for three days between the end of October and the beginning of November, accompanied by regional wines.

Further destinations for your trip to Italy: Castel di Tora, Vacone, Talocci, Passo Corese, Stimigliano, Poggio Bustone, Grotti, Pescorocchiano.

To the higher-level travel overview: Rieti.