In a picturesque setting of gorges and torrents, the municipality of Castel di Tora is a wonder of Lazio. It is one of the ‘Borghi più Belli d’Italia‘ (Italy’s most beautiful villages) gorgeously stretched on the banks of the artificial lake Turano and surrounded by the dense woods of the Monte Navegna and Monte Cervia Nature Reserve.
Castel di Tora
The landscape is unspoilt and rich in the scents of broom and thyme. The pure air, the green of the centuries-old chestnut groves and the turquoise colour of Lake Turano fill the heart. The flight of the buzzards turns it into a fairytale.
The historic centre is perched on high ground and the medieval rural architecture has remained intact, with its stone houses, wooden roofs and brick tiled roofs.
The village is suspended between history and magic. Visitors walk along small streets dotted with arches, stairways and caves. Following the perimeter walls of the Church of San Giovanni, you can admire the bell tower where ‘violacciocca’ and mint grow. In the main square, one is greeted by the baroque Fontana del Tritone, from which there is a splendid panorama of the lake and mountains.
Crossing a small isthmus over the lake, here is Antuni, a ghost town. Many say the cause was erroneous bombing in World War II, but it was already depopulated! In the 1930s the dam generated Lake Turano and the lake generated the flight of the people of Antun to the valley. In fact, they could no longer cultivate or raise animals, their traditional productive activities, in their village. In the 1990s it was restored and the 15th-century Palazzo del Drago, which had as many as 365 windows, and the Labyrinth can now be visited.
il Labirinto a Borgo Antuni – Facebook @castelditora
The Labyrinth is the first sensory trail in a protected area. It is a “one-way” labyrinth with seven circles, made with only material already on site. The labyrinth is a very ancient path dedicated to meditation that has accompanied human history since prehistoric times.
Eremo di San Salvatore
Also not to be missed is the Hermitage of San Salvatore, overlooking the lake since as far back as 1300. The Hermitage is a natural cave carved out of a slope of Mount Antuni. It is said that a hermit lived here in the 17th century and made a small church out of it by closing the entrance to the cave. It houses two frescoes painted in 1640. Guided excursions to the Borgo di Monte Antuni and Eremo di San Salvatore can be made only by guided tours and by reservation.
The charm and enchantment of Castel di Tora is also reflected in the traditional cuisine. The sheep’s and cow’s milk cheeses are excellent, such as the sheep’s ricotta cheese perfect for ravioli. And then the cereals, truffles, porcini mushrooms, without forgetting the lake fish. Food traditions are so heartfelt that two festivals celebrate polenta and ‘strigliozzi’. ‘Polentone’ is celebrated on the first Sunday of Lent with polenta cooked in a giant cauldron and seasoned with salt cod sauce, herring, tuna and anchovies.
Sagra degli Strigliozzi a Castel di Tora
The ‘strigliozzi’ is a type of handmade macaroni and celebrated on the last Sunday of September. The third highly anticipated festival is Mangiando sotto le stelle (Eating under the Stars), which combines the natural beauty of the place with gastronomy. On the evening of 17 August, under the starry sky, visitors can taste sausages, fried pizzas, arrosticini and paranza with perch fillet, typical of Lake Turano.
Instagram @paologentilifotografia
In the evening, Castel di Tora turns into a nativity scene on the water enveloped by the celestial vault. It is an exciting and romantic spectacle.