Abruzzo News: 23 December 1999

At the Url www.roccaraso.com a virtual tour through the history, restaurants and hotels, skilifts and amusements, useful telephone numbers, cinemas and real estate. Advice for mountaineers and trekkers, a snow bulletin and prices for all facilities.

For centuries now, on the day before Christmas Eve at 7 pm the Town Hall bell has been tolling for an hour, summoning everybody to the traditional exchange of gifts and to peace and reconciliation. Before the Squilla bishop Enzio D'Antonio and parishioners will walk from Piazza Plebiscito to the small church of the Iconicella where the Monsignore will send a message of hope to the Lancianese and the world. Historian Gennaro Finamore says the tradition was established by archishop Paolo Tasso in 1599. As soon as the bell starts to ring, all Lancianese hasten to their homes and families gather around the oldest patriarch to exchange peace and forget hates.

We are almost there. After the long queues to pay for pandoro, turkey, champagne, the time to sit down at the table has almost come. The traditional menu: on Christmas Eve fish, "cardo" soup and turkey on the 25th, and of course the panettone. Alternative menus: cod, fried mixtures (carrots, fish, clams), lasagna, lamb with potatoes. Altogether, our shopping was 469,000 lire. What suffers is our silhouette and wallet. The average table will be laid for 10: a couple of families plus grandparents.

The most picturesque corners in an artistic calendar for the year 2000, created by artist, journalist and photographer Nicola De Gregorio, free to all manoppellesi and emigrants' associations, with the sponsorship of Manoppello municipality, which is also preparing a brochure and video on the Volto Santo mystery.