Castel San Vincenzo, Italy is home to San Vincenzo al Volturno Abbey

Visit Castel San Vincenzo

Castel San Vincenzo is the largest village in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park. It is also home to the Benedictine Abbey of San Vincenzo al Volturno.

Explore Castel San Vincenzo

Castel San Vincenzo is built on the slopes of Mount Vallone and has impressive views over the surrounding mountainous countryside and the prettly lake below. The village itself consists of narrow roads climbing up the hillside and lined with attractive stone houses.

The key monument in the village is the San Vincenzo al Volturno abbey which was built at the beginning of the 8th century. It quickly received land donations from noble families in the area and became one of the most important and richest abbeys in Italy. It was even visited by Charlemagne!

The abbey was severely damaged in 847 and then sacked and destroyed in 881 by a band of Arabs. Some years later the monks who survived the attack set about rebuilding the abbey. Nowadays there are parts of the ancient abbey that can be explored including some important frescoes which date back to the 9th century, however the current abbey is newly built following destruction in the second world war.

The surrounding village grew up from around the 9th century and the current village is in fact a merger of Castellone al Volturno and San Vincenzo al Volturno. Its parish church is the 12th century Saint Stephen's church and inside are two 15th century processional crosses made by goldsmiths of the town of Sulmona which lies to the north.

Places to Visit Nearby

The lake of Castel San Vincenzo is a popular spot for fishing, camping and water sports. Be sure to take the road around the lake as you get lots of splendid views of the lake and mountains as you drive.

There are plenty of scenic walking paths into the Mainarde mountains.

Where is Castel San Vincenzo

Castel san Vincenzo is about 75 kilometers west of Campobasso and 50 kilometers north-east of Cassino. It is close to the Molise-Lazio boundary and the Molise-Abruzzo boundary.

You can find more local travel ideas in the Molise guide.