Any attentive tourist who strolls the streets of Sulmona, he can easily realize how dominant the figure of the Latin poet Ovid Naso is.
On the main street of the city, Corso Ovidio, we find the Ovidio coffee and various other businesses that recall its name.
Then, in Piazza XX Settembre, surrounded by the current classical high school and the palace of Giovanni dalle Palle, we find, in the center, a statue of the Latin poet standing, with his feet resting on two books, as it was said that Ovid could read even standing up. At the base of the statue there is an inscription in Latin showing two verses that the poet dedicated to his city: "Sulmo Mihi Patria Est" (hence the acronym SMPE found on the city coat of arms) and "Pelignae dicar gloria gentis ego" (Sulmona is my homeland. I will be called glory of the peligna people).
This statue is the faithful copy of another statue found in the city of Constance, in Romania, where Ovid died at the end of a long exile. It is no coincidence, therefore, if entering Sulmona, on the road signs you will learn about the twinning between Sulmona and Costanza.
Ovid defines Sulmona as his homeland because, descending from the Italic population of the Abruzzese Peligni, he was born there in the year 43 AD. He was deeply attached to his city, dedicating various verses to it, and the city wanted to honor him by remembering him on every street corner.
Sulmona is therefore yes the homeland of confetti, but it is also a city rich in history that deserves and tries to relive in a time when history is too often forgotten.
