Castel di Tora is mirrored in Lake Turano from the north-eastern shore, and until 1864 it was called Castelvecchio: that is exactly how it appears, as Castrum Vetus, already in 1035. When it was decided to change the name, the choice fell on Tora, an ancient Roman settlement linked to the martyrdom of Saint Anatolia — except that the martyrdom, the sources say, took place in the village that still bears the saint's name, not here. Of the castle, raised around the year one thousand, only the pentagonal tower remains, which was its keep.
The lake the village looks out on was not there: it is artificial, and beneath its surface lies a piece of local history. When the water level drops, the medieval ruins of Cornito reappear, and stay visible until the lake covers them again. On the peninsula opposite stands the abandoned village of Monte Antuni, with the palace of the Del Drago princes. And the ground keeps giving things back: in 2021, just outside the village, a Roman necropolis of the imperial age was discovered.
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📅 Every year, on the second Sunday of July; the saint's day is 10 July
On the second Sunday of July Castel di Tora, a municipality of 299 inhabitants in the province of Rieti, holds the patronal feast of Saint Anatolia; 10 July is the saint's day.
Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
Outside Castel di Tora, but an easy day trip away.
