SULMONA: HOLY WEEK 2015 - GOOD FRIDAY

The Good Friday procession starts from the church of the SS Trinità on Corso Ovidio. This is the little church set within a row of shops just down from the Annunziata. It's easy to miss but it sits almost opposite the entrance to Via Aragona. At about 8.00pm (these things are never precise so it helps to be a little patient) the doors will open and the members of the confraternity will start to file out of the church and onto the Corso. Note that they turn LEFT towards the Duomo at this stage so if you are positioned in any way on the wrong side you'll see very little here. The procession then turns right at the War Memorial in Piazza Tresca and continues down the side of the Villa Comunale to San Panfilo. Our advice at this stage is to go and have some dinner and catch up with the procession later on in the evening. Once the procession emerges from the Duomo it continues very slowly up the Corso Ovidio so another good viewing position is on the steps of the Annunziata. The procession will loop around the southern area of town, do a tour of Piazza Garibaldi and then continues through Piazza Plebiscito passing by the front of the newly restored church of Santa Maria della Tomba*. This is another good place to be as fireworks are let off from the bell tower. In all the procession takes over 5 hours so you'll have plenty of opportunity to catch one or more stages. Note that there has been some talk again this year about changes to the route and timings do vary somewhat. If you are in any doubt then follow the locals as they usually know what's going on and the best places to be. *This morning's news suggests that the choristers are going to strike precisely at this point of the route in protest at the Bishop who refused to allow them a restorative break along the course. That means that those who gather in Piazza Plebiscito this year will be greeted with total silence. Regardless, it's an extremely emotive event not only for Sulmonesi but also for visitors. (WELCOME TO SULMONA)