Discover Piccilli

Piccilli offers three specific points of interest to help you plan your trip: the church of San Giovanni Evangelista, the medieval town center, and the trails in the landscape around Tora and Piccilli. You can focus on local history and architecture or on hiking and scenery. These themes offer different ways to explore the area, from a religious building in town to trails in the surrounding area.

Church and townscape

San Giovanni Evangelista is a parish church on Piazza S. Giovanni Evangelista in Piccilli, 81044 Tora e Piccilli (CE). The church dates from the 17th century and is documented in 1676. It is one of the largest religious buildings in the Diocese of Teano-Calvi. The upper and lower sections of the façade differ: the upper section has a rectangular window and a triangular pediment with pinnacles; the lower section features Ionic capitals with festoons and a curved portal. Pinnacles are slender, tower-like decorative elements, while festoons are garland-like ornaments. The interior has a single nave and a barrel vault with lunettes, as well as side chapels. A barrel vault arches lengthwise over the space; lunettes are smaller vault sections that intersect it. The façade and interior have distinct features: the windows, pediment, and portal structure the exterior, while the vault and side chapels define the interior. Both the building’s historical period and its specific architectural features are therefore relevant to understanding it.

Piccilli has a medieval town center. Numerous old farmhouses form part of the town’s rural architecture. Together with the church, the town center broadens the picture of Piccilli’s architectural heritage: alongside the religious building, the historic settlement and rural architecture are subjects in their own right. If you are interested in the character of a place, this offers a broader perspective than focusing on a single building.

Hiking trails and volcanic landscape

Tora and Piccilli lie together in a sheltered position at the foot of the northern slope of the great volcanic cone of Roccamonfina. The area around both towns is characterized by centuries-old chestnut forests. Steep trails through chestnut and oak forests connect Tora and Piccilli and offer views of the landscape. One hiking trail branches off toward Piccilli.

A hike to the Ciampate del Diavolo begins in the nearby area of Piccilli, at the square in Foresta. The route passes through a forest to a footbridge overlooking a volcanic slope. The hiking options can be distinguished by their specific points of reference: the steep forest trails focus on the connection between Tora and Piccilli and views of the landscape; the hike to the Ciampate del Diavolo is defined by Foresta as its starting point and the footbridge overlooking the slope. This can help you decide whether you would rather follow a route connecting the towns or head toward a named destination.

History of the surrounding area

The history of the wider area includes an event from the Second World War: about thirty Jewish families from Naples found refuge from Nazi persecution in natural caves around Tora e Piccilli. This historical context adds a specific story of persecution and refuge in the region to the themes of architecture and landscape.

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