Cervaro, a village overlooking the Cassino plain from the mountain of the same name, is crossed by the The Prenestina-Casilina stretch of the Southern Via Francigena.
The Torrocolo Castle on Mount Trocchio
In the early Middle Ages, the abbot of Montecassino built the defensive castle of Castrum Cerbari on Mount Trocchio, next to the Torrocolo Castle from 1057.
The village of Cervaro – Facebook @Proloco-Cervaro-APS
Some say the village owes its name to the legend of a white fawn grazing on Mount Pesculum, while others argue that it derives from the term “Acerba ara”, the tomb of the young Roman patrician Tertullus, defender of the place and killed by the Goths. Destroyed during the World War II, Cervaro was rebuilt and enriched with several fountains.
Patronal Feast of Maria SS. De Piternis – Facebook @comunecervaro
At the mouth of a gorge at the foot of Mount Aquilone, stands the Sanctuary of the Madonna de Piternis, built around a small niche on the spot where the Virgin appeared to a shepherdess. The Patronal Feast of Maria SS. De Piternis is celebrated on September 8.
Cervaro – Facebook @Proloco-Cervaro-APS
A traditional event in Cervaro is the Corpus Christi Flower Festival, dating back to 1949. Religious floral mosaics are created by the local master decorators from each district, who, for a week, dedicate themselves to collecting flowers, seeds, and small leaves of broom, daisies, thistles, and snapdragons.
The local Ciociarian food and wine tradition includes the flavourful Cervaro extra virgin olive oil, Malvasia wine, and fresh tagliolini. The festival of the Cazzariegl e Fasciur, held at the beginning of August, celebrates a typical local dish based on homemade pasta, and beans.