The patron saint of Penne is Saint Maximus, celebrated on 7 May in the Cathedral of San Massimo e Santa Maria degli Angeli.
The Good Friday Procession, which stops at the Church of Santa Croce with its wooden ornamental cross bearing the symbols of the Passion, was solemnly established in 1570 by the Umbrian Capuchin friar Girolamo da Montefiore: the rite is still deeply felt by the population today, who take part in large numbers. The six districts into which the historic centre is divided compete each year in a historical reenactment called the Palio dei Rioni. The town also holds the Church of Sant'Agostino and the Lake Penne Controlled Nature Reserve.
