The burg of Pico, in Ciociaria, is immersed in the Parco Naturale dei Monti Aurunci, among hills cultivated with olive groves and vines.
“Roads and stairs that rise like a pyramid, thick with carvings, cobwebs of stone”
this is how Montale describes the medieval concentric narrow lanes, connected by stairways, around the Rocca di Pico. The 10th – 11th century historic centre is surrounded by the remains of the ancient walls, into which a few houses embed themselves. Of the four entrances to the village, only the gate of San Rocco has remained intact.
The spectacular Castello di Pico from the year 1000, commissioned by Giovanni Scinto, Lord of Aquino, was owned, over the centuries, by the Noble Families D’Aquino, Angioini, Della Rovere in the 15th century, and Farnese in 1542. Today, a large part of the Castle is in ruins, but some towers are visitable, like the one hosting the still functioning Renaissance Clock.
Pico – www.visitpico.it
The Latin-cross Baroque Church of Sant’Antonino Martire, founded before the year 1000 to honour one of the Patron Saints of Pico, underwent its first restoration in 1781. On September 2, the statue of San Antonino is carried on shoulder in the traditional procession ending on the main square.
The 11th century Church of Santa Marina was originally dedicated to San Biagio and Santa Marina. Enlarged over the centuries, it was consecrated exclusively to Santa Marina in 1200. On July 17, Santa Marina, the other Patron Saint of Pico, is celebrated with a procession from the Church of Sant’Antonino to the Church of Santa Marina.
The Church of San Rocco was built in the sixteenth century outside the walls, as thanks for the end of the plague. It was the seat of the “Brotherhood of the Saints Sebastiano and Rocco” and was saved from decline in 1890 by the “Congregation of Charity”. San Rocco is celebrated on August 16, when the women of Pico prepare and carry in procession the traditional breads of San Rocco.
Santa Maria del Campo, originally dedicated to San Simeone, is said to have been particularly appreciated by the King Ferdinando I di Borbone, who donated the Church a painting of the Assumption.
Tommaso Landolfi, the writer and poet born in Pico in 1908, described his village as
“a tiny burg lost in the mountains”
and always referred to it as “The Village of P.”, or simply “P”. The artist spent long periods in his birthplace, depicting everyday life in his stories and poems.
In 2014, the Municipality dedicated to him the “Parco Letterario Tommaso Landolfi e il Paese del P.”, a
Literary Park, where panels in the various narration sets illustrate the stages of both itineraries through the historical centre and along the mountain paths. Pico, registered in the list of “I Borghi più Belli d’Italia” (The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy), established, in 2017, a sister-city relationship with Ronciglione, where Tommaso Landolfi died.
The House of Tommaso Landolfi in Pico – www.visitpico.it
The main street in the historic centre is also dedicated to the local poet, whose native house, with its typical vaulted windows and internal garden, is included in the “Network of Historic Homes of Lazio”.
During Hallovino, the Autumn Carnival held at the end of October since 2015, local food and rivers of wine can be enjoyed, as well as the performances of live bands, DJs, and local and national artists of all kinds.
The Pico Rally Race, the first eco-friendly one in Italy, also valid for the Italian Championship, has been taking place since 1979. At the end of July, hundreds of teams compete along exciting, picturesque routes.
Every year, the “Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Mtb Pico” organises the “Maratona dei Lupi”, a mountain bike competition in the breathtaking “Parco dei Monti Aurunci”.