I Love Italian Travel - May Attractions Of Central Italy, Part II

So you are thinking of passing your May holidays in Abruzzi or elsewhere in central Italy. Don't despair; there are lots and lots of special spring events that simply aren't available in the good old summertime. Here are a few of them. Get rolling; May is almost upon us. We start our virtual tour in Abruzzi on the eastern Adriatic coast and then proceed south to Molise. There are so many things to see and do in central Italy in May that this is the second of three articles.

On the first Thursday in May the village of Cocullo, Abruzzi, home to about 300, hosts a Snake Handlers' Procession. A statue of the town's patron St. Dominic, all covered with live serpents is carried through the town. Thousands of people follow this solemn procession through the village. In addition to the snakes, there is a band, fireworks, breakfast at the foot of the hill, and later on a banquet.

The Abruzzi city of Pratola Peligna, population some 8 thousand, hosts The Festival of the Madonna della Libera in early May. This festival attracts thousands of people, on the weekends. The streets are festively lit and brass bands play all day long. Local food specialties include hot porchetta and warm roasted peanuts. Major highlights include welcoming those doughty pilgrims who have walked almost 30 miles (42 kilometers) from the small town of Gioia de Marsi and the procession of La Madonna's statue from the church through the town's historic streets. If you stay there until Saturday night you will enjoy the great fireworks display.

On May's final Sunday the small town of Rocca di Mezzo, population 1500, hosts a daffodil festival that attracts thousands of people who have come to greet the spring. Saturday night the wagons are festooned with thousands of daffodils. Sunday afternoon they parade through the town. Unlike so many other Abruzzi festivals this one is not rooted in time immemorial. It was started in 1947 by soldiers returning from World War II.

In many Molise villages and towns the month of May starts with festivals that are dedicated to Santa Maria, San Filippo and San Giacomo. These festivals are often accompanied byspecial fireworks. The little city of Larino, whose population is approximately 7 thousand, hosts the Feste 'e San Pard (San Pardo Festival and Procession) near the end of the month. This procession includes over one hundred carts belonging to local families. Each and every cart is richly decorated with flowers and pulled by two white oxen. This parade begins at the historic town center, passes by the cathedral and cemetery, and terminates at a historic local church. Sociologists and gossipers can study the local pecking order by noting the carts' position in the parade.


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Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but prefers drinking fine French wine with the right foods. He teaches computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his Italian travel website www.travelitalytravel.com and his global wine website www.theworldwidewine.com with a weekly column reviewing $10 wines and new sections writing about and tasting organic and kosher wines.