Discover Toscolano: Art, Churches and Chestnut Woods

If you are looking for a hotel in Toscolano, it helps to consider which focus should shape your stay: art in the village, church art, or a landscape defined by chestnut woods. Toscolano lies on Monte Croce di Serra and is surrounded by centuries-old chestnut woods. The village is also home to the permanent artwork “Pila Thinkerwiller” and the churches of Madonna dell’Annunziata and Sant’Apollinare. These different points of interest offer more than one way to explore the destination’s culture.

Getting there by car

The routes by car vary depending on your starting point. From Terni, you can reach Toscolano via the SS Amerina towards Amelia and the Avigliano Umbro exit. From Orvieto, take the E45 towards Terni and exit at Acquasparta. This allows you to choose your route based on where you are travelling from.

Art between the two ends of the village

The permanent artwork “Pila Thinkerwiller” is installed at two locations in Toscolano. It consists of two engraved plates, one copper and one zinc, placed at the northern and southern ends of the village. The copper plate contains a collection of ideas that the artist gathered from residents during their stay in Toscolano. In this way, “Pila Thinkerwiller” links its arrangement between the two ends of the village with thoughts that come from the village itself.

Churches and art history

The single-nave church of Madonna dell’Annunziata lies just outside the centre of Toscolano, in the municipality of Avigliano Umbro. It contains a large fresco, a “Maestà.” Federico Zeri attributed it to Piermatteo d’Amelia and dated it to around 1481–83. The approximate date and the attribution are two separate aspects: they place the work in time and identify the artist to whom it is attributed.

The church of Sant’Apollinare stands just behind Toscolano’s entrance gate and forms part of the castle’s distinctive circuit of walls. The church contains the painting “Madonna of the Rosary with the Saints and the Mysteries.” It is dated 1593 and attributed to Pietro Paolo Sensini. The two churches can also be distinguished by their dates: the fresco in Madonna dell’Annunziata is dated to around 1481–83, while the painting in Sant’Apollinare is dated 1593. They also occupy different locations in the village: one just outside the centre, the other just behind the entrance gate.

Landscape and autumn cuisine

Toscolano is a stop in the Lago Tiberino area, which is characterised by hiking trails and nature. Together with its location on Monte Croce di Serra and its centuries-old chestnut woods, this gives the village a strong connection to the landscape. If you are weighing Toscolano’s attractions in terms of art and nature, both its churches and artwork and its natural surroundings offer distinct interests to explore.

Chestnuts also feature in the chestnut festivals in Melezzole and Toscolano: in autumn, communal meals are held and open to everyone. A particular highlight is chickpea and chestnut soup. This shows how chestnuts are not only a feature of the landscape, but also a focus for a shared seasonal meal.

Discover more destinations: Montegiove, Casigliano, Prodo, Otricoli, Papigno, Montoro, Civitella Del Lago, Pornello

Return to the main travel overview: Terni.