Sulmona City Guide

In the heart of Central Italy sits the enchanting little city of Sulmona. This gorgeous yet quiet city is nestled between majestic mountain ranges and beautiful national parks that provide for stunning natural scenery. The people are generous and warm, making the city largely representative of true Italian hospitality. A trip to Italy just is not complete without a stop in this lovely countryside town that is likely to steal a piece of your heart.

Located in the largely rural Italian region of Abruzzo and Province of L’Aquila, Sulmona is thought to have been the birthplace of renowned Roman poet Ovid in 43 BC. The city is estimated to have been one of the primary cities of the Paeligni Italic tribe in roughly 300 BC. There are a few dilapidated remains of ancient Sulmona sitting just outside of the modern city that indicate the town was once quite large.

Today, Sulmona is a small family-friendly town of just twenty-two square miles with a population of approximately twenty-four thousand people. The local people are said to be one of the city’s best features as they are often described as extremely warm and welcoming by world travelers.

Much of the city’s daily activity takes place in Piazza Garibaldi, Sulmona’s largest square. Here in the city center, traffic is restricted and visitors can find people enjoying each other’s company over a hot cup of coffee or touring local markets. It is not unusual for the square to be home to open air markets with a treasure trove of fresh and homemade foods and interesting household goods such as ceramics, brass, candlesticks and more.

Travel season in Sulmona is generally in full swing from Easter through the first of November, but the summer months continue to be the busiest. With a bustling central piazza and several historical landmarks such as the Sulmona Cathedral and the fascinating twenty-one arch thirteenth century medieval aqueduct, the city has much to offer its guests. Visitors also often enjoy nearby activities such as picnicking in the mountains during the summer months and frequenting ski resorts in the winter months.

When it comes to traveling to Sulmona, visitors can choose to do so by air, railway, or road transportation. If traveling by railway, the city’s station is a hub to three major railway lines including Rome-Sulmona-Pescara, Terni-Sulmona, and Sulmona-Isernia. The nearest airport is roughly an hour away in Pescara, but there are some airports in Rome that are approximately two to three hours away from Sulmona. When it comes to traveling by car or bus, the A25 Motorway stretching from Rome to Pescara or the SS17 Motorway that connects Naples and Aquila may be a traveler’s best bet.

As for traveling within the city limits of Sulmona, due to its small size, much of the area can be explored on foot, although there is some limited bus service too. Some areas of the city are at least partially closed off to anything other than pedestrian traffic.

GEOGRAPHY

The quaint and quiet little city of Sulmona is located in Valle Peligna, a renowned plateau in the Italian region of Abruzzo. The town is located almost centrally in Italy, but is only a mere thirty or so miles west of the Adriatic coast.

Sulmona is tucked in between the truly stunning natural scenery of the Morrone Mountains, the National Park of Majella, and the National Park of Abruzzo-Lazio-Molise. This gorgeous backdrop often entices the city’s visitors to hike and explore the nearby mountains.

CLIMATE

In general, Sulmona enjoys both warm and cold seasons which is part of the charm of the city for visitors and locals alike. The summer is generally warm with highs near or in the low eighties (Fahrenheit) and lows in the lower sixties. The remainder of the year is a bit cooler with highs averaging in the fifties and rarely reaching a low of freezing.

Fall is typically the rainiest season in Sulmona. The winter is colder here, with February being one of the coldest months. By and large, some of the most pleasant sightseeing weather for the area is during the warmer and drier summer months.

WHEN IN SULMONA

The city of Sulmona is widely known for its production of a unique dessert and sometimes snack, known as confetti. And no, this is not confetti of the paper variety. This sweet treat consists of sugar-coated almonds that are literally every color of the rainbow and then some, arranged in beautiful, artistic shapes.

This Italian tradition can be traced back to the Romans and fifteenth century nuns at the Santa Chiara Monastery in Sulmona. It was at the monastery that nuns began wrapping confetti in colorful paper to enhance their beauty as mosaics in flower and basket shapes.

Today, confetti are still enormously popular in this part of Central Italy, and for the entire country they are a go-to dessert for celebrating important milestones such as births, weddings, anniversaries, and graduations. This sweet concoction can be found at many shops, restaurants, and cafés in the city. Travelers often suggest that when visiting Sulmona it is best to leave plenty of room in your suitcase to pack enough confetti to enjoy on your journey home.

This long-standing tradition of confetti is even honored at a local factory and museum, Confetti Pelino. The factory is home to exhibits of old-fashioned confectionery machines and equipment and related tools of the trade. Founded by the Pelino family in the late twentieth century, the museum celebrates the rich history of confetti over the years and how it became an integral part of Sulmona’s legacy.

Come to Sulmona and discover the city’s rich history as well as the famous local treats called confetti. Located in Italy’s verdant Abruzzo region, Sulmona is sure to take your breath away.

Travel Guides

The Abruzzo Region of Italy

The Cities of Abruzzo, Italy