Tom`s travels: Abruzzo & Molise (30/07-01/08/2016)

We decided to spend this year's summer vacation in Salerno at my aunt's house, so we had the great idea to stop in Scanno on our way there. Before reaching our destination we decided to stop in the town of Sulmona, famous for being the birthplace of Ovid, the roman poet. Sulmona is also famous for its confetti, or sugar coated almonds, and its historical city center. After entering the town and parking the car next to the main square, we were pleased to see they were setting up stands for the upcoming medieval jousting tournament which we decided to see the next day. In the meantime we started walking around appreciating the nice and elegant architecture of this central Italian city. We passed under the medieval aqueduct built in the 13th century and quickly entered the Church of San Francesco della Scarpa before it closed. We then decided to have lunch as we were rather hungry and opted on the Locanda al Quadrivio under suggestion of dad's friend, as the place served typical food in a medieval-like setting (I had some excellent tagliatelle al cinghiale, pasta with wild boar ragú). Following lunch we got back on the streets and gazed at the splendid setting of Piazza XX Settembre with the statue of Ovid at its center and the bell tower of the Church of the Annunziata peeking behind the houses. We then proceeded to visit such church, with an incredible baroque facade and the Gothic convent next to it. The interior was a surprise as it differed completely from the typical central/southern Italian architecture and would have probably been more apt in the Alps. Completely baroque with wood furnishings and three splendid organs it definitely reminded me of a town in Alto Adige. We then traversed the town along the main street, Corso Ovidio, and reached the Cathedral of San Panfilo which was unfortunately closed. We went back into town and walked around a bit eventually entering the Church of Santa Maria della Tomba with a mix of Romanesque and Gothic styles. The celebrations for the first day of the tournament were starting but we had decided to visit on the next day as it would be when the main event would take place, so after reaching the car we were back on the road to our next stop; Pacentro. Located just a few kilometers east of Sulmona, this little town nestled on top of a hill and surrounded by the beautiful Majella National Park is not surprisingly part of the club the most beautiful villages in Italy. After missing a turn we finally reached the town and after parking the car we immediately headed towards the castle. Built during the 14th century it features 3 impressive towers towering above the town; the ticket cost 2 euros and was run by a bunch of kids which was funny to witness. Descending then into town we walked through it pretty narrow streets and visited the only church, Santa Maria Maggiore with a pretty interior. We then joined our parents who had stayed at a bar to have something to drink, and found our dad speaking with an old man who apparently had emigrated to the US many years ago and comes back to Pacentro every summer on holiday to see his town and friends. It was then time to go so we got back in the car and finally headed towards Scanno. After reaching our destination we parked the car and checked in the hotel my dad's friend had previously arranged, unfortunately they did not accept dogs so my mom and dad decided to get another room in another place in order to stay with honey our dog. There was still some time before dinner so my brother and I decided to walk Scanno's streets and alleys; we entered the main church Santa Maria della Valle, with a Romanesque exterior and partly Baroque interior, and then headed on enjoying the lively streets and warm atmosphere. We then had a lovely dinner with my dad's friends at the restaurant: Ristorante alla Fonte, on a small square with a beautiful medieval fountain, the Fontana Sarracco. The dinner was great with typical dishes from Abruzzo and the friends were really nice and friendly. The next day we woke up late in the morning and the sun was shining bright, we decided to take another stroll around town and headed downhill to the church of Saint Anthony which had an incredible view up towards the old town. After a long but satysfying lunch we got in the car and decided to start heading back towards Sulmona to watch the jousting tournament; however we discovered on our way there that because of a triathlon happening in Scanno there was an incredible amount of traffic all the way to the lake. Luckily after nearly 1 hour stuck in traffic we managed to slip away from the lake and eventually reach Sulmona. In the meantime we were also able to stop for a quick picture in the town center of Anversa degli Abbruzzi which we had seen while driving: another impressive hilltop town also part of the most beautiful villages in Italy. In Sulmona, we parked the car and headed immediately to buy our tickets, we were just in time to see the opening of the celebration and quickly took place on the assigned stands. The tournament was really entertaining, with the neighborhoods of the town divided into teams represented by a chevalier who had to challenge another one into taking as many rings as possible with the spear. After several turns only two were left for the final, and Porta Manaresca won this year's tournament. Following the celebrations after the event, we headed to another restaurant also recommended by my father's friend, called Clemente where we had a really good and typical dinner. Back in Scanno, the next day we woke up late and decided to walk to the lake; we took a trail called the Heart's trail heading from the town of Scanno up to a hermitage and then around a hill where the lake from up top looked just like a heart. Descending then down to the lake side we waited for our mom to pick us up with the car and bring us back to town in time for lunch. It was our last moment here in Abruzzo as we had planned to leave right after, so after a hearty meal and thanking and saying goodbye to our friends, we got all our luggage and drove on towards Salerno. Before reaching our destination I wanted to stop in the town of Isernia, as a joke in Italy says that in truth the region called Molise actually doesn't exist so I wanted to refute such belief. The town is very small, about 20 thousand inhabitants, and was heavily bombed during WWII, however it never fully recovered and looked quite dull and sad. After parking the car we immediately headed to the town's main attraction: the Fontana Fraterna, a part roman part medieval fountain, considered to be one of the most beautiful in Italy. Right next to it was the small museum dedicated to the bombing of Isernia in 1943, with models, objects and several pictures. Inside we found a nice lady who was actually from the U.S. but whose parents were from Isernia, so after many years she had decided to come back. Walking on we passed along the main street, then reaching the Cathedral, built in the 19th century in a Neoclassical style over a previous 13th century Cathedral that had been destroyed by an earthquake, and standing on top of a 3rd century B.C. temple. The only medieval feature remaining is the 13th century bell tower, under which passes the main street and sided by 4 roman statues. Heading on we reached the far end of the town with the church of Santa Maria, which was unfortunately closed so we just decided to head back towards the car. After getting in we finally left heading towards Salerno where we would spend the next 3 weeks at my aunt's house.