Overview
The centre of cultural and religious life in Sulmona
Also known as Piazza Maggiore, Piazza Garibaldi—or Piazza del Mercato, as it was called until 1880—is among the main landmarks of Sulmona and the beating heart of city life.
Be sure to stop to appreciate its size: it is the third largest in Abruzzo, after Piazza Salotto in Pescara and Piazza Duomo in L’Aquila, and among the largest in Italy. At its centre is a 19th-century octagonal fountain. It is surrounded by some of Sulmona’s most beautiful and important buildings, including the Church of San Filippo Neri, where every year at Easter, the mourning Virgin receives the news of her son’s resurrection during the rite of the Madonna che scappa (Running Madonna). Not forgetting the Monastery of Santa Chiara, the Acquedotto Svevo aqueduct, the Church of San Rocco and the Church of San Francesco della Scarpa, with the Morrone and Majella mountains in the background.
It hosts a traditional market every Wednesday and Saturday and also sets the stage for some of the city’s most important cultural and religious events, including the previously mentioned Running Madonna, the Fires of Saint Joseph and a jousting tournament.
