There is a great market on Wednesdays and Saturday mornings in the beautiful Piazza Garibaldi and a Street Flea Market every year in July. The evenings are very special as the town starts to Buzz with excitement, especially during summer! If you are around on the last weekend in July, will be able to see the Giostra (Jousting). On the Saturday & Sunday afternoon there is a magnificent pageant, horse race, falcons etc and the first weekend in August is the International Giostre with competing European nations. It is amazing to see the whole square prepared for the occasion with at least a Foot depth of sand (30cm to younger people)! Church Crawl Before you get into town, if you have parked alongside the Public Park, you will see the Duomo at the bottom end which is normally open for a visit. As you enter the town you will come across a small square where the 11th-century cathedral of San Panfilo is located. It has a magnificent Byzantine-style relief of the “Madonna Enthroned”, in the crypt and is worth a visit …. Look out for the statue of OVID in the square near the Cathedral - his nickname was ‘Naso’ for obvious reasons connected with the size of his snout – but the statue of him shows quite an ordinary nose! At Easter, there is an annual enactment of the Christian Easter Story taking place in the main Piazza Garibaldi with a group of believers knocking on the door at the Church of San Fillipo Neri, and eventually running full speed towards the Risen Christ at the other end of the Piazza! (Not easy to capture the moment on camera as everyone waits in anticipation, even when you know what is about to happen) If you enjoyed that, then maybe you would like a visit the fascinating 14th-century Palace of Santa Maria Annunziata (0.44km North of Sulmona and Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am-1pm). Founded in 1320 and finally completed in 1522, shows a beautifully harmonious progression from Gothic to renaissance styles. It was established by a brotherhood of penitents as a hospital for the poor and sick of Sulmona and once housed a hospital and a pharmacy.

There is a great market on Wednesdays and Saturday mornings in the beautiful Piazza Garibaldi and a Street Flea Market every year in July. The evenings are very special as the town starts to Buzz with excitement, especially during summer! If you are around on the last weekend in July, will be able to see the Giostra (Jousting). On the Saturday & Sunday afternoon there is a magnificent pageant, horse race, falcons etc and the first weekend in August is the International Giostre (Jousting) with competing European nations. It is a spectacle that you will never forget and there should be lots of English speaking visitors around the town. It is amazing to see the whole square prepared for the occasion with at least a Foot depth of sand (30cm to younger people)! Church Crawl Before you get into town, if you have parked alongside the Public Park, you will see the Duomo at the bottom end which is normally open for a visit. As you enter the town you will come across a small square where the 11th-century cathedral of San Panfilo is located. It has a magnificent Byzantine-style relief of the “Madonna Enthroned”, in the crypt and is worth a visit …. Look out for the statue of OVID in the square near the Cathedral - his nickname was ‘Naso’ for obvious reasons connected with the size of his snout but the statue of him shows quite an ordinary nose! At Easter, there is an annual enactment of the Christian Easter Story which takes place in the main Piazza Garibaldi with a group of believers knocking on the door at the Church of San Fillipo Neri, the statue of Mary eventually emeges dressed in a Black Dress and is carried slowly through the Piazza until she sees her Risen Christ for the first time! As she sees Him coming through the arches at the far end, her Black Robe falls away to be replaced with a Bright Green Dress, a flock of white doves is released into the air and her and her carriers burst into a run at full speed towards her Risen Christ! (Not easy to capture the moment on camera as everyone waits in anticipation, even when you know what is about to happen) If you enjoyed that, then maybe you would enjoy a visit the fascinating 14th-century Palace of Santa Maria Annunziata (0.44km North of Sulmona and Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am-1pm). Founded in 1320 and finally completed in 1522, shows a beautifully harmonious progression from Gothic to renaissance styles. It was established by a brotherhood of penitents as a hospital for the poor and sick of Sulmona and once housed a hospital and a pharmacy.