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Castel di Tora

An exciting time travel from Castelvecchio to Castel di Tora, to better know the Sabine town of Thora, and enjoy this stone village that is reflected in the blue waters of Lake Turano.

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Population

266

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Area

15,49 km²

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Altitude

607 m

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Where is it?

Castel di Tora is a small village of about 300 inhabitants, perched on a rock and framed by a splendid, wooded landscape. This medieval village, situated 32 km. away from Rieti, overlooks the shores of Lake Turano from a altitude of 607 m. above sea level and is particularly appreciated by tourists for its really magic atmosphere.

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Its origins?

The village was originally mentioned as Castrum Vetus in some documents found in 1305 in the Abbey of Farfa. Until 1864 it was called Castel Vecchio before changing adopting the name of Castel di Tora, referring to the ancient name of the mysterious Sabina city of Thora. Here, between the 6th and 7th century Sant’Anatolia, protector of the country, was allegedly martyrized. After a submission period to the Abbey of Farfa, Castelvecchio passed together with Castrum Antoni (the present-day Antuni) and Collepiccolo under the lordship of the Brancaleoni family and later on the Mareri family. In the mid-1400s the fief of Castelvecchio, annexed to the Papal State, passed under the control of the Orsini family. Two centuries later, in 1634, the town was ceded to the Borghese family that held it until the fall of the fiefdoms under the Napoleonic era. With the unification of Italy, Castel di Tora was included in the province of Perugia and passed to the province of Rieti in 1927. The construction of the dam and the creation of Lake Turano, carried out in 1935-38 brought an important transformation in the local economy based on agriculture and farming, causing the phenomenon of migration due to the fact that the fertile land in the valley was submerged. Today, after some decades characterized by abandonment and depopulation, the territory has finally has become an interesting opportunity to develop new activities based on sport and tourism.

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What to see?

A crib on the water: that’s the way Castel di Tora appears in the eyes of the visitors, showing its typical stone houses and remains of Roman columns. The historic center of Castel di Tora still keeps its medieval layout characterized by the town's fortress dating back to the 11thcentury and erected on rocky cliff. Its polygonal tower, which dominates the village houses, is still preserved nowadays. On the other hand, the turrets of the ancient city walls, date back to the 15th century. We recommend to visit the church of San Giovanni Evangelista, a baroque-style church adorned with splendid 16th-century frescoes, but also the main square, where visitors can admire the splendid Triton fountain dating back to 1898. The ancient village of Antuni is separated from Castel di Tora by an isthmus that can be easily walked to reach the peak of a small peninsula dominated by Palazzo del Drago (with its frescoed halls, stone stairways and 365 windows) and the hermitage of San Salvatore, both dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries. Inside the hermitage are kept some archaeological finds and a canvas depicting Jesus Christ, painted by an ascetic in the 17th century. A guided tour of the village of Antuni is also available but in this case we suggest to book in time. The Convent of Sant’Anatolia, a former summer residence of the Pontifical Greek-Orthodox College, attracts pilgrims every year on 8 July for the celebration of the Patron Saint of Castel di Tora who was allegedly martyrized under the emperor Decius in 252 AD