This is a great little town. In the evenings the streets are full of families, couples, old dears, dogs, kids... all wandering up and down, shouting greetings to all and sundry. Both evenings we have been here we have sat watching the locals doing their daily constitution, and it is lovely to see so many happy people. The town is built in a valley surrounded by some very big mountains (the Appenines), and it is very picturesque, with lots of beautifully decorated houses, loads of renovated churches, and considerable greenery and plants (especially in hanging baskets on the houses).

After the most amazing breakfast on the roof-top terrace at our B&B (Il Marchese Del Grillo), and after taking numerous photos of the 360 degree view of Sulmona and surrounds, we set off for a walking tour of town . First stop was the cathedral which was seriously damaged in the 1706 earthquake. The main door dates back to 1391, but the rest of the outside was replaced after the earthquake. It appears only half of the main building was replaced - when you go around the side of the cathedral, you can see that most of the front is just a facade, exposing the bells etc. It looks very odd!

We walked past two of the gates into the ancient City Wall, one at one end of the historic area of Sulmona called Porte Romana (built in 1429) and one at the other end called Porta Napoli. Most of the action in Sulmona takes place around the Palazzo Della SS Anunziata, where there is an old palace, a beautiful church, and the town museum, all linked together into one building. A bit further on down the main street is a medieval aqueduct built in 1256, under the rule of Manfredi. Next to the aqueduct is a fountain built in 1484 by Tiberti, and the very large Garibaldi Square is the other side . Apparently the square houses a large market twice a week which is very popular with the locals.

Sulmona's key industry is confetti - sugared almonds, coloured and made into flower shapes, ready for the guests at Italian weddings. They are very colourful, and really quite garish, but there are numerous shops selling them. I can't quite see them taking off in Australia!

After all our walking, we sat down to have a prossecco and beer at a lively spot where we could watch the antics of the locals, and were amazed at how many free nibbles accompanied the drinks - seems to be a tradition here. And when we ordered a second drink, more nibbles arrived, so we ended up not wanting to go out for dinner because we were already full! The prices here are even cheaper than Florence - €6.50 for two drinks (plus all the free nibbles), in an outside garden where we were able to watch all the comings and goings. Not a bad life at all.