Portico of the 13th-century Church of San Francesco della Scarpa, Sulmona, Abruzzo, Italy
Every Easter, the statue of the Madonna che Scarpa is carried at a fast run across Sulmona’s Piazza Garibaldi, from its year-round home in the 13th-century Gothic and Renaissance Chiesa di San Francesco della Scarpa, to meet up with a second statue representing the resurrected Christ. Sulmona, population 25,000, lying between Rome on Italy’s west coast and Pescara on the Adriatic, came into being in pre-Roman times. Birthplace of Roman poet Ovid in 43BC. Its Piazza Garibaldi (formerly Maggiore) is one of the largest squares in Italy and contains the 100m, 21-arch Swabian Aqueduct built in 1256AD and a fountain dating from 1823. The Piazza is the scene of a Palio-style medieval festival and horse-race, the Giostra Cavalleresca, first run in 1484, each year in late July. Sulmona is best known for its “confetti”; to an Italian, confetti – singular: confetto - are sugar-coated almonds used as celebratory gifts. Known to the Romans in 500BC, their manufacture came to Sulmona, Abruzzo, Italy, now acknowledged as their modern birthplace, in the 15th century. Instead of almonds, the core, or “anima”, of confetti can also be hazels, pistachios, cinnamon, chocolate, nougat, marzipan, coffee beans or candied fruit. They are tied to paper, wire or material to represent flowers, insects, birds. White confetti, five in a small tulle bag, are given as favours to wedding, first communion and confirmation guests. Other colours: silver for twenty-fifth anniversaries, sky-blue or pink for christenings, red for graduations, green for engagements, multicoloured for birthdays. Confetti-making courses are available at the Museo dell'Arte e della Tecnologia Confettiera (Museum of Sugared Almond Art and Technology), a national monument. Pelino and di Carlo are the two largest, oldest manufacturers of confetti.
Size: 5400px × 3502px
Location: Church of San Francesco della Scarpa, Sulmona,Abruzzo, Italy
Photo credit: © Robin Chapman / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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