Rural Italian Paradise
It is off the beaten path of the tourist traps of Rome, Venice, and Tuscany –in the incredible Region of Abruzzi in Central Italy. On a short drive east of Rome, you will experience breathtaking scenery with medieval castles towering over the many small towns and villages nestled in the mountain sides. On arrival from the autostrada, you will notice a huge lush green valley surrounded by the Apennine Mountains. In the centre of it all is the beautiful “city of Arts” Sulmona.
Sulmona’s population, approximately 30,000, acts as a hub for 65 small towns and villages within a 50- kilometer radius. Its biweekly mercato (Wednesday and Saturdays) is a vibrant, bustling, and boisterous event. All types of fruits and vegetables, cheeses, salami, sausages, fresh sea food, and an assortment of clothing, shoes, and hardware are available. The beehive of activities where friends and relatives meet to socialize and shop it is a must to experience and truly partake in the rural cultural of Italian life. The movie “the American” with George Clooney was filmed here four years ago and it gave international exposure to this hidden valley gem. . The world-famous candy, “confetti”, a sugar-coated almond, is a must to treat yourself. Unlike other sugar-coated almonds you may have tried, this is the authentic one, first produced in Sulmona and exported abroad. It is a delectable treat head and shoulders above the everyday variety.
Campo Di Fano, a small quaint village of 300 people only two miles west of Sulmona, is where Michael (Clementino Michele) Giammarco (a Calgarian) was born before immigrating as a child to Canada with his parents and siblings. Ten years ago, he returned for the first time after almost 40 years and was sadden to find his birth house, abandoned for 30 years, with the roof caving in and under order by the township to be demolished due to safety concerns.
The house was built by his great-great-great grandfather (1885) for his five sons to live and raise their families, and Giammarco was