What to see in Cassino, itinerary including the main monuments and attractions, including the Abbey of Montecassino, Palazzo Badiale and archaeological area.
Tourist information
Currently the second largest city in the province of Frosinone by population, Cassino played a central role in the administration of the Land of San Benedetto, that is, of that territory placed under the direct influence of the Abbey of Montecassino, which in medieval times represented an important center of attraction political, cultural and religious.
Located on the top of Monte Cairo, the Abbey of Montecassino was established in 529 by San Benedetto da Norcia, who wanted to build the oratory of San Martino, above a temple dedicated to Apollo, and the oratory of San Giovanni Battista, where currently finds his grave together with that of his sister Scholastica.
St. Benedict outlined in this place the Rule that spread widely throughout the western world.
The monastery, which experienced four destructions during its millennial history, has become famous all over the world especially after the last one, which took place on February 15, 1944, on the occasion of which it was completely razed to the ground by the bombings of the Second World War.
The reconstruction began from the first post-war period, with the precise aim of reconstructing it in the same place and with the same appearance, to restore the original majesty that had made it so famous and made it a popular pilgrimage destination.
The church is developed around various cloisters, of which the lateral ones in the eighteenth-century style and the central one in the sixteenth-century style, all communicating with each other.
In the central cloister there is access to another cloister, probably the work of Antonio da Sangallo the younger.
What see
The abbey, in Baroque style, is expertly decorated with variegated marble and golden stucco.
Inside there are wooden sculptures and sacred furnishings, as well as a beautiful fourteenth-century triptych, made by the Sienese school.
The archive of the Monte Cassino abbey is of considerable importance for scholars, thanks to the rare documents it contains, including a placid Capuan, which constitutes the first vernacular document of which news has come.
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The Badiale Palace, located in Piazza Corte, was entirely rebuilt after the war by the architect Giuseppe Breccia Fratadocchi, who also took care of the reconstruction of the abbey and the church of Santa Scolastica, using the same limestone.
This building, which is home to the curia of Montecassino, hosts many events throughout the week preceding the feast of San Benedetto, culminating on March 21 in the "Terra Sancti Benedicti" historical procession, which begins and ends in the palace itself.
The archaeological park, which is located at the foot of Montecassino, includes the remains of Casinum, the ancient Roman city developed through a series of terraces affected by parallel roads.
The visit itinerary includes the megalithic walls, the Porta Campana, the amphitheater, the mausoleum of Ummidia Quadratilla, the theater and the nymphaeum.
