Actually, that should probably read ‘Having Lunch At The Same Place As George Clooney, Only A Few Days Later’, but why let an unimportant fact ruin a killer headline ?

(George Clooney. Pope Benedict. Sulmona. Red garlic. Candy. All key – though unlikely – ingredients of our day out in Abruzzo’s hinterland. Click on the main headline title above to find out more…)

Don’t get the idea that Abruzzo festa and sagre – the feasts, fairs and festivals for which the region’s renowned – only take place in the summer. They’re a year-round attraction – as you’ll find when your’re staying at our Abruzzo villas for two. And one of the very best took place last week in neighbouring Casoli…

(Click on the headline title above for more on our biggest local Abruzzo festa – with pictures !)

It’s nearly 750 years old and perhaps the most famous landmark in L’Aquila – but is there a hidden Knights Templar code locked into ‘La Fontana delle 99 Cannelle’ ?

To this day, nobody knows the source of the ice-cold water that gushes from the 99 spouts. The story goes that the architect – a certain Tancredi of Pentima – was executed because he refused to give up this secret. The story also goes that his body is buried somewhere within the Fountain’s boundaries.

Then the plot really starts to thicken…

(For more on this medieval mystery – and picture clues that might help you solve it ! – click on the headline title above…)