Cascia () is a town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' (municipality) of the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

province of Perugia The Province of Perugia ( it, Provincia di Perugia) is the larger of the two provinces in the Umbria region of Italy, comprising two-thirds of both the area and population of the region. Its capital is the city of Perugia. The province covered al ...

in a rather remote area of the mountainous southeastern corner of

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

. It is about 21 km from

Norcia Norcia (), traditionally known in English by its Latin name of Nursia (), is a town and comune in the province of Perugia (Italy) in southeastern Umbria. Unlike many ancient towns, it is located in a wide plain abutting the Monti Sibillini, a su ...

on the road to

Rieti Rieti (; lat, Reate, Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of 47,700. It is the administrative seat of the province of Rieti and see of the diocese of Rieti, as well as the modern capital of the Sabina re ...

in the Lazio (63 km). It is also very close to

Terni Terni ( , ; lat, Interamna (Nahars)) is a city in the southern portion of the region of Umbria in central Italy. It is near the border with Lazio. The city is the capital of the province of Terni, located in the plain of the Nera river. It is ...

History

The modern territory of Cascia was the home of the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

settlement of ''

Carsulae Carsulae is an archaeological site in the region of Umbria in central Italy. It is located approximately north of San Gemini, a small comune in the province of Terni. Origins and History Most historians fix the town's foundation about 220-219 ...

'', destroyed in the 1st century BC by an earthquake. In the Middle Ages it was sacked by the Byzantines and the

Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 and ...

, and was later a fief of the

Trinci The Trinci were a noble family from central Italy, who were lords of Foligno, in Umbria, from 1305 to 1439. History During the War of the Guelphs and Ghibellines which tore apart Italy from the 12th to the 14th century, the Trinci were initially ...

family. It was occupied by Papal troops in the 15th century, and thenceforth it was a Papal town until the

unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century Political movement, political and social movement that resulted in the Merger (politics), consolidation of List of historic stat ...

in 1860. Cascia was the home of

Saint Rita of Cascia Rita of Cascia, born Margherita Lotti (1381 – 22 May 1457), was an Italian widow and Augustinian nun venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. After Rita's husband died, she joined an Augustinian community of religious sisters, wh ...

, who was born in the nearby ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'' of

Roccaporena Roccaporena is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' (municipality) of Cascia, Umbria, central Italy. It is located at 707 m of altitude, and, according to 2001 census, it had 71 inhabitants. Overview Roccaporena is known to have existed since th ...

in 1381 and died there in 1457. After her canonization in 1900, a large shrine, with the

Basilica of Santa Rita da Cascia The Basilica of Santa Rita da Cascia is a 20th-century Roman Catholic minor basilica church, sanctuary, and convent located in the town of Cascia, province of Perugia, region of Umbria, Italy. History The basilica was built in the early twentieth ...

, was built in Cascia, which is still an important place of pilgrimage; and the house where she was born may still be visited. The town also is home to the frescoed 14th-century church of Sant’Antonio Abate.

''Frazioni''

Atri, Avendita, Buda, Castel San Giovanni, Castel Santa Maria, Cerasola, Chiavano, Civita, Colforcella, Collegiacone, Colmotino, Coronella, Fogliano, Logna,

Maltignano Maltignano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Ascoli Piceno in the Italian region Marche, located about south of Ancona and about east of Ascoli Piceno. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,470 and an area of .All demo ...

, Ocosce, Onelli, Opagna, Poggio Primocaso,

, San Giorgio, Santa Anatolia, Trognano, Villa San Silvestro, Santa Trinità, Fustagna, Piandoli, Giappiedi, Capanne di Collegiacone, Sciedi, Valdonica, Capanne di Roccaporena, Tazzo, Manigi, Serviglio, Colle Santo Stefano, Puro, Palmaiolo.

References

External links

Umbria.Org - Article about Cascia

''(Incorporates text from Bill Thayer's site, by permission.)'' Cities and towns in Umbria {{Umbria-geo-stub