What is Tocco da Casauria known for?

High-proof Maiella herb liqueur, distilled by the Toro family since the mid-19th century, the signature product of the commune. Benedictine abbey founded in 871 by Louis II to house the relics of Pope Clement I, bronze doors with 72 figurative panels. Both Città dell'Olio and Città del Vino, with Montepulciano d'Abruzzo vineyards and olive groves on the Pescara valley slopes.

Where is Tocco da Casauria?

Tocco da Casauria is a comune in the province of Pescara, Abruzzo region of Italy, about 50 kilometers from Pescara.

Abruzzo · Pescara

Tocco da Casauria

A 356-meter hill town between the Pescara river and the Maiella, built around a Carolingian abbey and an herb liqueur called Centerba.

50 km / 31 mi

Nearest hub (Pescara)

2,400

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Tocco sits on a hillbetween the Pescara river and the Arolle stream, with the Maiella massif behind it. The town was founded around 872 under the authority of the nearby Abbey of San Clemente a Casauria, the Benedictine monastery established by Louis II, great-grandson of Charlemagne, in fulfilment of a vow made during his imprisonment in Benevento. The abbey held the relics of Pope Clement I; its 12th-century bronze doors carry 72 figurative panels and have been a national monument since 1894. The town was simply Tocco until 1861, when da Casauria was added to honour the abbey it grew up beside. The Caracciolo Castle, built between 1187 and 1220 under Frederick II, was destroyed in the 1456 earthquake and rebuilt Renaissance-style. The town is best known today for Centerba, a high-proof liqueur made from a hundred Maiella herbs, distilled here since the mid-19th century by the Toro family. Olive oil and Montepulciano vines fill the lower slopes.

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Gallery

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Known for

Abbazia di San Clemente a Casauria
Benedictine abbey founded in 871 by Louis II, with bronze doors of 72 panels and a national monument since 1894, just outside the commune in Castiglione.
Castello Caracciolo
Built between 1187 and 1220 under Frederick II, destroyed by the 1456 earthquake and rebuilt in Renaissance style, dominating the centro storico.
Chiesa di Sant'Eustachio
Main church of Tocco, built in the 18th century and named for the town's patron, with the statue of the saint inside.
Torre dell'Orologio
13th-century clock tower of the medieval village, one of the few defensive elements of the old walls that still stand.
Palazzo Toro
Mid-19th-century palazzo built by Enrico Toro, founder of the distillery that produces Centerba, the herb liqueur the town is famous for.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through October works best in Tocco. The hill catches breeze off the Maiella even in July, and the olive harvest in October fills the lower terraces with activity. Spring opens the abbey grounds and the Pescara valley vineyards. July and August are warm but not coastal-hot at 356 meters; the centro storico empties between two and five each afternoon. November to March is quiet, with the distillery still working through winter stills and the abbey often closed on weekdays. The patron-saint feast of Sant'Eustachio in late September draws back emigrants from across the diaspora.