Central Italy
	Sulmona (Abruzzo) by Clive McCombe

 

 The Region

The greenest region of Europe is in fact Abruzzo - approximately 30% of Abruzzo comprises national parks. It's a nature lover's paradise - host to some rare fauna including the Apennine wolf, Marsicano bear and Abruzzo chamois, and in the central Abruzzan Roman city of Sulmona we find the very rare black squirrel. Abruzzo shares the mid section of Italy with the western region of Lazio, home to the eternal city Rome, sweeping east over the Apennine mountains and ending at the beautiful beaches of the Adriatic coast. How many of us have thrown confetti at weddings? Rather than paper, confetti was originally sugared almonds with their roots in Sulmona, the most central city of Abruzzo. Documents dating back to the fifteenth century record the nuns of Santa Chiara using confetti to make up small silk-tied bunches of flowers. Nowadays the porticos of Corso Ovidio are lined with stunning displays of Sulmona's Confetti....

 

 In and around Abruzzo

Mountains, valleys, lakes, sea, sand and sunshine - Abruzzo has it all in abundance. In winter we have skiing at Roccaraso, the largest ski resort south of the Italian Alps with 24 ski lifts catering for all abilities. There are numerous skiing schools - ski pass prices start from 15 Euros per day. Summertime sees local village festivals where the locals revel in the opportunity to show off local produce including Moltipulciano, Trebbiano and Cerasuolo wines, their gorgeous olive oil and of course their incredible home produced fruit and vegetables - some of which have seldom seen the light of day outside Abruzzo!

 Hill Towns

Italy is famous for its medieval hill towns and villages. Over two hundred of these villages have been included in an official list called, 'I Borghi Più Belli d'Italia' or ‘The Most Beautiful Villages of Italy. Thirteen of theses village are in Abruzzo and they are indeed absolutely lovely. The Sulmona valley itself is home to four of them: Introdacqua, Pettorano sul Gizio, and Pacentro, with other spectacular ones such as Anversa and Scanno just a short drive away. Each village has its own patron saint and associated festivals which colour the whole region from April through to November. The most famous festival in Sulmona is the ‘Giostra’. During the last week of July and the first week of August the central square of the city is transformed into a medieval jousting arena. For those two weeks of the year it’s entirely normal to see and be greeted by noble knights and ladies in traditional costume as they take part in one of the most important of Italian customs, the evening passeggiata, an opportunity for visitors and residents to stroll the length of Corso Ovidio - to see and be seen.

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