Sulmona sits in the Peligna Valley in central Abruzzo, ringed by mountains and closer to the wild heart of the Apennines than almost any other Italian town of its size. It is the natural base for exploring the Maiella National Park and the surrounding highlands.
The town is the birthplace of the Roman poet Ovid, whose statue stands in Piazza XX Settembre. But Sulmona feels more medieval than Roman — the Piazza Garibaldi, with a 13th-century aqueduct running along two sides, is one of the most handsome squares in Abruzzo. Churches, palazzi like the Palazzo dell'Annunziata, and narrow streets fill the old centre.
Sulmona is also famous for its confetti — not the paper kind, but sugar-coated almonds, produced here for centuries. Shops along Corso Ovidio display elaborate confetti flowers and sculptures in their windows. The local cuisine leans on mountain flavours: lamb, saffron, lentils, and the sharp pecorino of the surrounding hills. Just outside town, the Hermitage of Sant'Onofrio and the Abbey of the Holy Spirit at Morrone — both linked to Pope Celestine V — are worth the short trip.