Our Lady of Loreto: the town’s patron saint

If you ask a resident of Sangro what time of year the town “really feels like home,” the answer is always the same: the Feast of Our Lady of Loreto. It is celebrated on the last Sunday in May and lasts for three days (Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday), featuring illuminations, a marching band, a procession, street fairs, and fireworks over the sea.

Why Loreto, and not another saint

Our Lady of Loreto is the patron saint of Torino di Sangro: the Church of Maria Santissima di Loreto, along Corso Lauretano in the historic center, is the town’s main place of worship dedicated to her.

The Loreto cult is particularly widespread throughout the central-southern Adriatic region, as it is linked to the Sanctuary of the Holy House of Loreto (Marche), one of the main Catholic pilgrimage sites in Italy. Legend has it that the “house of Mary of Nazareth” was transported by angels from Nazareth to Loreto in 1294—a legend that historians have reinterpreted as a physical transfer carried out by the Byzantine Angeli family during the Crusades. The Loreto devotion in Torino di Sangro is further reinforced by the Viso Adorno, the reenactment of the transfer celebrated between December 9 and 10.

The typical program

The dates vary slightly from year to year, but the structure remains the same:

• Sunday (last Sunday in May) — official opening, solemn religious celebration, procession of the statue of the Madonna through the streets of the historic center.
• Monday — food festivals organized by the Pro Loco, concert by the City Band, dancing in the square.
• Tuesday — closing with a sung Mass, community lunch, fireworks.

“The best part is the Friday evening procession. The lights, the band playing softly, the windows draped in red. You realize that the town is one.”

The flavors of the festival

The festival is also about food. At the Pro Loco stands set up in the square, you’ll find the dishes that people in Torino di Sangro eat on special occasions:

• Pasta alla chitarra with mutton sauce — the typical Abruzzo pasta cut on the instrument of the same name made of taut strings, served with a long-simmered sauce made from castrated sheep meat. It is the festival dish par excellence.
• Arrosticini — skewers of mutton cooked over charcoal embers, the gastronomic icon of Abruzzo. They are eaten “alla pecora,” in small bunches, with bread and oil.
• Fish broth — a less traditional but ever-present version, made with the day’s catch from the trabocchieri.
• Pizzelle (ferratelle) — thin, rosette-shaped waffles, served with honey or ice cream.
• Tollo wine — local Trebbiano and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.

The oldest traditions still alive

Some elements of the festival have changed in recent decades—the band has become professional, the stands are now run by the Pro Loco with modern health permits, and the fireworks have been scaled back for environmental reasons. But others have remained unchanged for centuries:

• The red drapes at the windows along the procession route—an ancient gesture of welcome to the Virgin Mary.
• The personal “vow”—many residents walk the procession barefoot as a sign of thanks for a grace received.
• The “tour of the seven churches”—some families visit the town’s smaller churches in succession on Thursday evening.
• The offering of blessed bread—distributed after the solemn Sunday Mass.

For visitors

• When: Last Sunday in May, followed by Monday and Tuesday. Exact dates on the town’s website.
• Where: Piazza Donato Iezzi (downtown), Church of Maria Santissima di Loreto (Corso Lauretano), Le Morge (for the fireworks).
• Parking: The town center is closed to traffic during the main evenings. It’s best to park in Le Morge and walk up (10 minutes).
• Accommodations: Book at least 2 months in advance—the town gets crowded.