The patron saint of Tolve is Saint Roch, the «Saint of Montpellier», celebrated each year on two occasions, 16 August and 16 September: among the many towns of southern Italy where the saint is venerated, Tolve holds a prominent place for the long tradition and vitality of his cult, which draws every year tens of thousands of pilgrims from the whole region and neighbouring ones, as attested by the thousands of votive offerings kept in the «Casa del Pellegrino».
On both occasions, at midday, a solemn procession is held through the town's streets: the saint's statue is carried on the shoulders of the devout in a procession opening with the confraternity members of the Purgatorio, in white tunics and red capes, followed by barefoot pilgrims carrying the candles of the various companies, artistically arranged on wooden bases to represent churches and bell towers. On the occasion, the statue is draped in a cloak of gold made by assembling the countless votive offerings given to the saint, testimony to the bond of devotion and his healing powers: the crowd of pilgrims accompanies the procession with a traditional chant, «La storij r' Sand'Rocc'», composed of a hundred verses on the trials of human life and the saint's glory.
