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00 Sulmona
Stemma di Sulmona

Abruzzo · L'Aquila

Sulmona

In the Valle Peligna, birthplace of Ovid in 43 BC and home of the sugared-almond confetti industry since the 14th century.

Best time
Apr–Oct
By car
57 min from Pescara
By train
Station in the comune
Population
22,175

Known for

  • CONFETTI

    Italian sugared-almond confection produced in Sulmona since at least the 14th century, with Confetti Pelino operating in town since 1783.

  • OVID

    The Roman poet was born in Sulmona in 43 BC, and the town adopted his initials SMPE (Sulmo Mihi Patria Est) as its civic mark.

  • GIOSTRA

    Annual July ring-jousting tournament of the seven city boroughs, in Renaissance costume, descended from a 13th-century practice.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

  • J10°
  • F13°
  • M13°
  • A17°
  • M22°
  • J27°
  • J31°
  • A31°
  • S26°
  • O21°
  • N15°
  • D12°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

The festa: Panfilo di Sulmona, 28 April

Why come

Sulmona sits in the Valle Peligna, at the confluence of the Gizio and Vella rivers, ringed by the Maiella, the Morrone and the Genzana ranges. The Roman poet Ovid was born here in 43 BC and never stopped writing about the salubrity of its water, a claim still made by the town. Under Frederick II in the 13th century, Sulmona became the capital of the imperial province of Abruzzo and got the aqueduct of Manfred of Swabia, which still defines the long side of Piazza Garibaldi.

The town survived two earthquakes, in 1349 and 1456, and emerged as the home of confetti, the sugared-almond confection given at weddings and baptisms. Confetti Pelino, the best-known house, has been producing in town since 1783. Every July, the Giostra Cavalleresca brings out the city's seven boroughs in Renaissance procession from the Cathedral of San Panfilo, ending in a ring-jousting tournament in Piazza Garibaldi.

The Sunday letter

Sulmona is on our list. Its letter is still to come.

We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Sulmona comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Sulmona in our articles

How to get there

From Rome (FCO), about 2h 30m by car.

Ancona / Pescara (AOI) is about 2h 32m away.

By car from the centre of Pescara 57 minutes or Ancona 2h 28m.

There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.

Coming from Rome?

Coming by train into Pescara Centrale? Sulmona is about 59 minutes away by road.

Sulmona, photo 1
Sulmona, photo 2

What to see

  • Piazza Garibaldi

    The town's main piazza, dominated on its long side by the 13th-century aqueduct of Manfred of Swabia, host of the July Giostra Cavalleresca.

  • Cattedrale di San Panfilo

    Cathedral of the city's patron, the oldest church in Sulmona, starting point of the Giostra historical procession.

  • Palazzo dell'Annunziata

    Late-Gothic and Renaissance palace on Corso Ovidio with three different facade phases visible, now housing the civic museum.

  • Museo dell'Arte e Tecnologia Confettiera Pelino

    Confetti museum at the Pelino factory, in operation since 1783, with original 19th-century pans and molds.

  • Giostra Cavalleresca

    July tournament with the seven boroughs of the city sending knights to thread rings on horseback, drawing on a 13th-century practice.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Sulmona fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

We recommend

Where to eat

Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.

  • ClementeTrattoria

    A Michelin Bib Gourmand for Clemente, along with a Slow Food snail and a Gambero Rosso listing.

Signature dish

Confetti di SulmonaSweet

Sugared almonds shaped into flowers and bouquets, a craft Sulmona has kept since the Renaissance.

See every town in our catalogue with a dish of its own.

Living here

  • Population 22,175
  • Remotei
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Rome, 2 h 30 min drive
  • Regional capital L'Aquila, 1 h 14 min drive

Common questions

What is Sulmona known for?
At 405 meters in the Valle Peligna, birthplace of Ovid in 43 BC and home of the sugared-almond confetti industry since the 14th century.
Where is Sulmona?
Sulmona is a comune in the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo.
What is the nearest airport to Sulmona?
Rome (FCO), about 2h 30m by car.
Can you get to Sulmona without a car?
Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
How long is the drive from Pescara to Sulmona?
About 57 minutes by car.
When is the best time to visit Sulmona?
Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 13 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Sulmona?
The town keeps its patron saint's day: Panfilo di Sulmona, 28 April.
Which other towns are like Sulmona?
Isernia, Pisticci and Melfi.
How many people live in Sulmona?
22,175 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

  • Elevation: 405 m
  • Population: 22,175
  • Surface area: 57.93 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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