Umbria · Perugia
Cascia
Santa Rita's town at 653 meters in the upper Valnerina, in the seismic corner of Umbria that the 2016 earthquake reopened.
- Best time
- May–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 47 min from Perugia
- Population
- 2,957
Known for
SANTA RITA
Augustinian nun who died in Cascia in 1457, canonized in 1900, patron of impossible causes and the town's central economy.
TARTUFO NERO
Black truffle of the upper Valnerina, harvested in the woods above town, the secular half of Cascia's annual calendar.
2016 EARTHQUAKE
August 2016 sequence damaged the basilica and centro storico, part of an active seismic corner that has shaken the town for centuries.
PROTECTED PRODUCTS
The commune lies inside the Farro di Monteleone di Spoleto DOP, Caciottone di Norcia IGP and Prosciutto di Norcia IGP production zones.
When to visit
Best · May–Oct
- J9°
- F12°
- M12°
- A15°
- M20°
- J25°
- J30°
- A29°
- S24°
- O19°
- N14°
- D10°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Rita da Cascia, 22 May
Why come
Cascia sits at 653 meters in the mountainous southeastern corner of Umbria, a remote pocket of the upper Valnerina near the Marche and Lazio borders. The commune carries the highest seismic activity in the region together with Norcia twelve kilometers away, and a long history of destructive earthquakes that culminated in the August 2016 sequence. The town is built around Rita Lotti, who died in the Augustinian monastery here in 1457 and was canonized as Santa Rita in 1900.
The Basilica di Santa Rita, built 1937-1947 in white Tivoli travertine on the site of the older church, draws pilgrims year-round and turns Cascia into a town that runs on faith and on truffle. The Cammino di San Benedetto passes through, linking Norcia to Subiaco and Montecassino. Visitors not pilgrims tend to come for the black truffle, the lentils of nearby Castelluccio, and the silence of the high pastures above town.
The Sunday letter
Cascia is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Cascia comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Cascia in our articles
The 6 best hidden truffle towns in the province of Perugia6 towns, Cascia among them.
The 6 best mountain towns within 90 minutes of Terni6 towns, Cascia among them.
The best hidden towns on a walking route in the province of Perugia8 towns, Cascia among them.
The best cheese towns within two hours of Perugia9 towns, Cascia among them.
How to get there
From Ancona / Pescara (AOI), about 2h 34m by car.
Rome (FCO) is about 3 hours away.
By car from the centre of Perugia 1h 47m or Pescara 2h 25m.
What to see
Basilica di Santa Rita
Built 1937-1947 in white Tivoli travertine, Greek-cross plan, frescoes by Montanarini, Filocamo, Consadori, Ceracchini and Vicenzi.
Monastero di Santa Rita
Augustinian monastery where Rita Lotti lived and died in 1457, attached to the basilica and still active as a religious community.
Chiesa di San Francesco
Medieval Franciscan church in the lower centro storico, fourteenth and fifteenth-century frescoes inside.
Centro storico medievale
Compact upper town around the basilica, partially restored after the 1979 and 2016 quakes, remains of medieval fortifications.
Cammino di San Benedetto
Pilgrim route from Norcia toward Subiaco and Montecassino, with Cascia as the main Umbrian stage.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Cascia fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
Living here
- Population 2,957
- Remotei
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Ancona / Pescara, 2 h 34 min drive
- Regional capital Perugia, 1 h 47 min drive
Common questions
- What is Cascia known for?
- Santa Rita's town at 653 meters in the upper Valnerina, in the seismic corner of Umbria that the 2016 earthquake reopened.
- Where is Cascia?
- Cascia is a comune in the province of Perugia, in Umbria.
- What is the nearest airport to Cascia?
- Ancona / Pescara (AOI), about 2h 34m by car.
- How long is the drive from Perugia to Cascia?
- About 1h 47m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Cascia?
- Best in May–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Cascia?
- The town keeps its patron saint's day: Rita da Cascia, 22 May.
- Which other towns are like Cascia?
- Pennabilli, Santa Fiora and Introdacqua.
- How many people live in Cascia?
- 2,957 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 653 m
- Population: 2,957
- Surface area: 180.85 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Similar
Towns like Cascia
Pennabilli
Province: Rimini
both mountain-valley towns · both under 3,000 people
Santa Fiora
Province: Grosseto
both mountain-valley towns · both under 3,000 people
Introdacqua
Province: L'Aquila
both mountain-valley towns · both under 3,000 people
Gavoi
Province: Nuoro
both mountain-valley towns · both under 3,000 people
Corniglio
Province: Parma
both mountain-valley towns · both under 3,000 people
Mormanno
Province: Cosenza
both mountain-valley towns · both under 3,000 people
🍄 Città del Tartufo
More Città del Tartufo towns in Umbria
Campello sul Clitunno
Province: Perugia
Springs of the Clitunno and the Lombard Tempietto on the valley floor at 290 meters, the temple inscribed by UNESCO in 2011.
Città di Castello
Province: Perugia
A walled town of 38,000 in the upper Tiber valley where Raphael painted his first independent commissions and the white truffle season is the year's headline food event.
Gubbio
Province: Perugia
Pre-Roman Ikuvium of the Umbri, where seven bronze tablets carry the longest text of the Umbrian language.
Norcia
Province: Perugia
Birthplace of San Benedetto at 604 meters on a Sibillini plateau, leveled by the 2016 earthquake and rebuilt stone by stone.
Pietralunga
Province: Perugia
A pre-Apennine hill town at 566 meters on the northeast Tiber ridge, ringed by truffle woods and white-potato fields.