Tocco Caudio
Tocco Caudio (BN)
Hidden gemVillages
The story
On the rocky spur remains the old borgo (village), abandoned after the 1980 earthquake: you climb on foot among ruins and empty churches reclaimed by nature.
The story
Tocco Caudio lies on the eastern spurs of Monte Taburno. In the Middle Ages it was a fortified village of weight — the seat of a Lombard gastaldate and, for a period, of a diocese — capable of resisting eight days the siege of Roger II of Sicily in 1138. Then a long series of earthquakes marked its decline: after the 1980 quake the old centre, Tocco vecchio, was abandoned and life moved to the new settlement of Friuni.
What to see
The territory of Tocco Caudio climbs the Taburno massif, among valleys and woods, in one of the greenest areas of the Sannio. The old centre, abandoned after 1980, remains as a silent testimony of the village's long history, while the community lives today in the new settlement.
Hours and prices
Free entry.
Tips
You are on the eastern side of the Taburno, an excellent base for the trails of the massif. The modern town (Friuni) is the centre of today's life. You arrive by car; to be combined with Vitulano and the other villages of the Taburno.
Frequently asked questions
What is Tocco vecchio?
It is the old centre of Tocco Caudio, abandoned after the 1980 earthquake, when the population moved to the new settlement of Friuni.
Where is Tocco Caudio?
On the eastern spurs of Monte Taburno, in the province of Benevento.
What importance did Tocco have in the Middle Ages?
It was a significant fortified village, the seat of a Lombard gastaldate, which resisted eight days the siege of Roger II of Sicily in 1138.
More gems in Tocco Caudio
More gems: Villages
VillagesLa Pignasecca
Montesanto
The oldest market in Naples unspools through the alleys of Montesanto: fish stalls, fry shops and old-time botteghe (traditional shops) in a hubbub that never stops.
VillagesBorgo Marinari
S. Lucia
At the foot of Castel dell'Ovo, the little fishermen's borgo (old village) is now a marina of boats and restaurants: stone, salt air and the legend of Virgil's egg hidden in the foundations.
VillagesMarina Corricella
Procida
The oldest fishermen's borgo (old village) on Procida, an amphitheatre of pastel houses tumbling down to the harbour, where the boats sleep beneath the hanging laundry.
- ◆ Villages
Mercato di Porta Nolana
zona Garibaldi
Beneath the Aragonese arch of Porta Nolana the fish market erupts with voices, crates of seawater and shellfish still alive: Naples at its most unvarnished.
- ◆ Villages
Borgo di Casamale
Somma Vesuviana
The medieval heart enclosed by Aragonese walls and towers, a tangle of alleys where every four years the Festa delle Lucerne lights thousands of little lamps.
- Villages
Marina Grande di Sorrento
Sorrento
Below the town's cliffs, the old fishermen's borgo (old village) with houses faded by the salt, boats hauled ashore and trattorias fragrant with frying.