TOSSICIA

Province of Teramo, Abruzzo, Italy

Tossicia is a picturesque village built along the edge of a mountain crest, just over the Chiarino and Della Valle streams.

Info

History

The place appears for the first time with the name Tusciciam in the Catalogue of Barons (1150-1168) and later as Tussicia in a document of 1262. It belonged to Oderisio of Collepietro and his descendants, to the Di Pagliara counts and finally to the Orsini of Manoppello. In 1256 it came under Ferrante de Alarcon y Mendoza as a grant of Charles V.

In the dark years of World War II, Tossicia was the site of a concentration camp, active from 21 October 1940 to 26 September 1943.

Sights & Excursions

• Remains of the XIV-century castle
• the church of St. Anthony the Abbot, with a Gothic portal by Andrea Lombardo dated 1471, and the statue of St. Antony in the lunette; inside a wooden painted Crucifix of the 15th century.
• the church of Santa Sinforosa (15th century) with two portals, one Romanesque and another Gothic; inside a sepulchre and a wooden image of Our Lady, other 16th-century sculptures and Baroque altars
• the Renaissance chapel of Santa Teresa or of Madonna della Neve (=Our Lady of the Snow), just outside the walls, of the 14th century, which is attributed to Girolamo da Vicenza.
• the Palazzo marchesale (Marquis Palace)

Events & Festivities

• 18July : Feast of St. Sinforosa
• end of July - first week of August at nearby Aquilano, feast of St. Rufina
• August: Feast of the "timballo Aprutino" (=Abruzzese lasagna) and bruschetta (grilled bread with assorted dressings)

Genealogy, News & Link

• People researching in Tossicia
• Newspaper articles on Tossicia

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