Cassino is one of the most important centres of southern Lazio, a hub and hinge between the regions of Lazio, Campania, Molise and Abruzzo.
Two events shaped the town: the arrival of St. Benedict (San Benedetto da Norcia) in 529 with the foundation of the Abbey of Montecassino and the bombings of the Allied Forces that on February 15, 1944, razed the town and its abbey to the ground.
Montecassino, a spectacularly beautiful spot, houses the mortal remains of San Benedetto and Santa Scolastica and despite having suffered devastation and destruction, has always returned to dominate the town of Cassino and much of the surrounding area.
Its last reconstruction began at the end of the war with materials recovered from the rubble, and has maintained the original architectural design.
Worth visiting are the archaeological area of Casinum with the Amphitheatre, the Theatre, Via Latina, the Mausoleum of Ummidia Quadratilla and the Ninfeo, and the finds exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum.
The baths, Terme Varroniane, which house the largest water source in Italy, were built on the ruins of the great villa of Marcus Terentius Varro, in the middle of a very green area with many willows, creating a hydroponic complex rich in mineral water sources particularly effective for kidney stones, gout and diuresis.
Particularly interesting is the Historical Procession called “Terra Sancti Benedicti”, set in the 13th century, which every year re-evokes the oath of the “abbatial militia” and the tribute to San Benedetto.
The local cuisine has many first courses with peasant origins and based on the cultivation of legumes: chickpeas and taglierini noodles, pasta and lentils alla cassinese, bean soup and cabbage, rice and beans.