Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The park has a network of
rifugi
(mountain huts) for walkers. Otherwise, you can bed
down at a modest campground in Fonte Cerreto,
Camping Funivia del Gran Sasso
( 0862 60
61 63; Fonte Cerreto; camping per person/tent/car €27; mid-May-mid-Sep)
. At the top of the
cable-car lift, the
Hotel Campo Imperatore
( 0862 40 00 00;
www.hotelcampoimperatore.it
;
Campo Imperatore; half-board from €60; )
, where Mussolini was briefly imprisoned in
1943, also has a
hostel
(dm per person €30, incl dinner €45)
that offers basic year-round digs.
Fonte Cerreto is just off the A24 motorway (clearly signposted). It's best to have your
own transport to navigate the park.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Sulmona
POP 25,200
Sulmona lies in a picturesque location, nestled in a valley with the Morrone massif as a
backdrop. A lively and prosperous provincial town with an atmospheric medieval core, it
makes a convenient base from which to explore southern Abruzzo.
Despite its medieval appearance, Sulmona's origins pre-date the Romans (the poet Ovid
was born here in 43 BC). In the Middle Ages it became an important commercial centre,
but much of Sulmona's modern wealth is based on the production of
confetti
- the in-
sanely colourful sugar almonds presented to guests at Italian weddings - and jewellery.
Sights
Most sights are on or near the main street, Corso Ovidio, which runs southeast from the
Villa Comunale park to Piazza Garibaldi, Sulmona's main square. It's a five-minute stroll
and the
corso
(boulevard) is closed to traffic outside business hours. About halfway down
is Piazza XX Settembre, with its
statue of Ovid
- a popular meeting point.
PIAZZA
Piazza Garibaldi
The large town square is home to Sulmona's extensive Wednesday and Saturday morning
market: you'll find fresh fish, veg, fruit and flowers as well as the ubiquitous
porchetta
van, selling pork in a roll. Along Corso Ovidio is a striking series of arches, all that re-
mains of a 13th-century
aqueduct
. In the centre of the piazza, the Renaissance
Fontana del
Vecchio
(Fountain of the Old One) is said by some to depict Solimo, the founder of Sul-
