Hotel Ovidius Sulmona

With your gaze on the fascinating Cathedral of San Panfilo, let yourself be tempted by the elegant shapes and refined hospitality of the Hotel Santacroce Ovidius. The elegant 4-star Boutique Hotel is located in the center of Sulmona and is a perfect location for visiting the heart of the city on foot, shopping and visiting the main monuments.

A few meters from our structure there are buildings of considerable charm and the main sites of interest, such as Corso Ovidio, the Civic Museum and the Annunziata Complex with its imposing bell tower.

Sulmona is the city of confetti, for lovers of this culinary art a visit to the Pelino Confetti Factory, Museum of Art and Technology of Confetti, declared a national monument is a must. Don’t miss the Temple of Ercole Curino, also seen as the mythical home of the poet Ovid, the hermitage of Celestino V and the Abbey of Santo Spirito al Morrone.

The structure was inaugurated in 2006 following a great work of total renovation and modernization of the historic Hotel Artù of the Jolly Hotel chain.

The Ovidius has different types of rooms allowing you to live unique and unforgettable experiences. Twenty-nine rooms including Classic, Superior and Suite offering a splendid view of the Apennine mountains and the Cathedral of San Panfilo.

The Hotel has a wonderful panoramic restaurant, a cuisine faithful to the Abruzzo tradition, a pleasant bar available 24 hours a day and a relaxing tea room.

A modular corporate room for every professional need, a garden, a terrace with a view and a Private Spa Wellness Center Narcissus. Romance, cultural and sporting activities, moments of absolute relaxation are the ideal choice to experience a stay of unique charm.

ROOMS & SUITES
Elegant, spacious and with all comforts: our Classic, Superior and Suite rooms reflect the beauty of the historic center of Sulmona and the serenity of the surrounding nature.

Most of the rooms offer a panoramic view of the Apennine mountains. Refined furnishings and light tones make the atmosphere relaxing and are inspired by the myths told by Ovid, the poet of love par excellence.

SUITE
With an area of over 50 square meters on two separate rooms, the Gemma suite is more than double the size of the classic rooms and is the ideal place for romantic relaxing stays in the center of Sulmona.

SUPERIOR
The splendid Superior rooms (30 square meters), furnished with sober and elegant taste, enjoy an excellent location within the structure. They stand out for the marvelous panoramic view of the mountains and for the hydromassage bath or shower.

OVIDIUS RESTAURANT
The restaurant of the Hotel Ovidius is a panoramic restaurant strictly of Abruzzo tradition. The skill of our Chefs will offer you unforgettable culinary journeys, authentic recipes handed down from generation to generation to best savor the unique products available in our territory.

We select for you only quality products and the passion with which the raw materials are processed. Our à la carte menu is inspired by local ingredients to guarantee the excellence of Abruzzo flavors, the Ovidius also offers suggestions of the day, ensuring the maximum freshness of seasonal products.

Enthusiastic to satisfy every palate and special needs, we offer a wide choice of vegetarian, vegan and gluten free dishes.

THE CONCEPT
After the Hotel Meeting Santacroce, our first structure, the Ovidius offers you a version of Abruzzo cuisine through a different atmosphere. Our restaurant offers a breathtaking view of the Apennines, the modular room is designed to best meet every need, private dinners, conferences, theme nights, guaranteeing the utmost privacy for our guests.

The cozy atmosphere will envelop you in the bright colors of the paintings displayed in a delicate and warm room. The highly qualified dining room staff is ready to welcome you from the most important meal of the day, breakfast, serving you passionately in the evening at dinner and at any other occasion with the same attention to the smallest details.

THE KITCHEN
The kitchen brigade is a well-established team ready to give the best of itself to every service. Chefs Domenico Santacroce, Alex Piras and Giuseppe Fiadone work the best products to perfection selected, scrupulously following tradition.

However, the creativity of our Chef Alex of Sardinian origin has given an extra touch of modernity and vitality to our cuisine, meeting a local clientele looking for new culinary combinations.

From Finger Food, to Dishes and Desserts for your romantic, professional dinners and great ceremonies, they are always at the forefront of committing themselves with passion to the success of your convivial.

THE MANUFACTURERS
We travel the territory meeting producers and winemakers to get to know those who make the richness of our gastronomy. Today we work directly with them without intermediaries to ensure the traceability and high quality of the products we offer you, in the purest Abruzzo tradition. The number one selection criterion? The taste!

The dedication of the artisans, their production processes in line with different ideas of eco-sustainable agriculture have finally guided our choices. All the products we serve are made and chosen with love and with the same feeling we are happy to present them to you every day at the table.

THE CELLAR
We offer you the most famous appellations of the wines of the territory and Italian regions and some European labels. Let us take you on an enological journey to discover the scents of our local vineyards. Our Santacroce label is curated by the important winemaker Italo Pietrantonj a few kilometers from Sulmona, Vittorito.

We offer you Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, Trebbiano and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. Our wine list features local bubbles such as Margiotta and Zaccagnini, those of the alt ‘Italy such as Franciacorta and Ferrari up to the classic French Champagne.

The selection of whites from the driest to the most fruity, of the territory and not such as Pecorino, Cococciola and Pinot Grigio. The selected rosé wines are exclusively Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, the only and incomparable, from Gentile to Dionysus, worthy companions for every delicacy, meats, fish, cold cuts and cheeses.

The choice proposed for red wines are mainly Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC with an intense ruby color with slight purple hues, a tendency to garnet with aging and aromas of red fruits and spices and a full, dry, harmonious, rightly tannic flavor.

To conclude, a wide choice of dessert wines such as Passiti, sweet sparkling wines and local digestives as well as a quality selection of grappas and spirits.

COOKING CLASS
The best way to get to know a territory is to sit at the table, taste all the most typical flavors while preparing them and cooking them step by step.

NARCISSUS SPA
The Spa: harmonious refuge for the mind, an oasis of serenity for the body. We welcome you to our exclusive Narcissus Wellness Center, the ideal place for a stay in the pursuit of tranquility and well-being, an intimate and sophisticated environment.

In Ovid’s myth, Narcissus is the flower that is born from the death of the young man of the same name; it is linked to the idea of perpetual rebirth. The wellness experience is a profound moment, in which to find yourself and rediscover a special harmony between body, mind and spirit.

A multisensory journey in total freedom to rediscover a natural and relaxing dimension that everyday life often makes you forget. Relax in the comfort and warmth of Narcissus with its sweet scents, dimly lit candles, soft music and benevolent treatments.

Let us accompany you inside the Spa, 100 square meters, designed in every detail to release tensions and regain your balance. A wellness program complete with aromatherapy, chromotherapy, whirlpool tub, Finnish sauna, Turkish bath, emotional shower, relaxation area with comfortable sun loungers, regenerating tea and herbal teas and seasonal fruit at km 0.

Wide choice of body and face treatments, to totally regenerate you thanks to the cutting-edge professionalism of the center’s operators and the naturalness of high-end products. Our watchwords are tranquility, quiet, privacy and confidentiality. Only for you unique and special moments of harmony. The Narcissus SPA is open every day from 16.00 to 21.00.

SULMONA THE CITY OF CONFETTI 
Sulmona is the ideal starting point for discovering Abruzzo and its 4 Natural Parks. The characteristic Old Town starts from the Cathedral of San Panfilo, in front of the Hotel Ovidius, and winds along Corso Ovidio, where you can come across the colorful confetti shops, the sweet of love.

Sulmona is enchanting all year round. It is even more so during the week of Easter, on the occasion of the famous “Madonna che Scappa”, and in July, when the “Giostra Cavalleresca” attracts tourists and onlookers from all over the world.

ABRUZZO
La Valle Peligna, dyed in white, chestnut and green, is splendid in every season, and in every season it deserves to be admired in all its splendor. Visiting Sulmona and the natural wonders that surround it together with an “expert guide” is a unique privilege that we feel we can offer with the safety of someone who was born in the area and lives it every day.

Unexplored alleys, churches of exciting beauty and craftsmanship, millenary history rich in traditions and stories ready to be told and discovered firsthand. National Parks and Reserves are protagonists of our territory as much as art and culture are, in fact, together they breathe deeply and rejuvenate the spirit, creating a unique, indescribable state of well-being.

Exclusively for bookings on our website, we offer a series of classic and alternative itineraries, unique and customized according to your needs and tastes, so as not to “waste” even a moment of your holiday.

EXPERIENCES IN ABRUZZO 
We live in an incredible land full of ancient stories and traditions: Abruzzo. Our outdoor team is pleased to offer you a series of unique experiences to do in our territory, relying on a consolidated network of certified local operators such as respirAbruzzo, prepared for any type of excursion in nature and ready to welcome you as only an Abruzzese can do.

FAIRY’S HILL & ROCCACASALE
A walk suitable for everyone on the bottom of Mount Morrone.

• DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM
• ALTITUDE: 240 meters
• LENGTH: 6 km
• DURATION: 2 hours including stops

Get ready to have a unique experience surrounded by nature, history, magic and popular legends. Fairies, castles, witches and popular customs of a splendid town perched on the Monte Morrone, Roccacasale. We will start our hiking from the “Red Bench” of Roccacasale and we’ll reach its castle, the highest point in town.

The path is gentle in terms of effort, surrounded by mountains and local wildlife until we reach the “Colle delle Fate” and its Italic acropolis where you can admire the fantastic Peligna Valley and its incredible landscapes.

ENCHANTED WATERFALL
Explore one of the most pristine places in the Peligna Valley. A gorge carved by the Riaccio stream rich in vegetation typical of humid environments. A stretch of water where the sun creates incredible plays of light, unique in their kind.

• DIFFICULTY: EASY
• ALTITUDE: 190 meters
• LENGTH: 3 km
• DURATION: 2 hours including stops

The starting point is in Pettorano sul Gizio, headquarter of the Monte Genzana Natural Reserve, the home of the Marsican bear. The path is gentle, suitable for everyone, fresh and rich in flora and wildlife throughout the year.

After a slight uphill on the ancient mule track that connected Rocca Pia with Pettorano sul Gizio, we will begin the descent into the gorge carved by the Riaccio stream. Along the watercourse we reach the fantastic waterfall with its splendid natural basin (callarella) where we will admire the actual rock formation and its aquatic and terrestrial life.

THE PATH OF THE HEART & SCANNO
One of the most exciting landscapes you have ever seen, the most famous body of water in Abruzzo, the true meaning of strong and gentle.

• DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM
• ALTITUDE: 210 meters
• LENGTH: 6 km
• DURATION: 2 hours including stops

Come with us to the “heart-shaped lake”, the heart of Abruzzo. The “Sentiero del Cuore” begins from the river bank, which leads, after a gentle climb, to the Hermitage of Sant’Egidio, a saint beloved by the inhabitants of Scanno (Scannesi).

The small physical effort required to complete the route (about 2 hours of walking round trip) is immediately rewarded by one of the most famous and iconic panoramic views of Abruzzo. A heart-shaped mirror of water surrounded by the Marsican Mountains with the Montagna Grande undisputed protagonist of the landscape.

THE INDUSTRIAL ARCHEOLOGICAL PARK
There is a place in the Valle Peligna where you can lost yourself in the past and its ancient traditions: the Industrial Archaeological Park in the Monte Genzana Natural Reserve.

• DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM/DIRT
• ALTITUDE: 210 meters
• LENGTH: 6 km
• DURATION: 2 hours including stops

The Gizio River is one of the Peligni waterways which over the course of history has had different functions in the lives of the valley. The industrial archaeological park shows us how in the past the strength of water was used to industrialize the inland countries.

We have studied a route that goes up the river to the source, crossing one of the most pristine areas of Abruzzo, on a path suitable for mountain biking and for those who want to put some adrenaline into their day.

CICLOVIDIA
Immerge yourself and your bike in a suggestive scenery, away from traffic and its noises, on comfortable roads between the fields and the most iconic monuments of the Peligna Valley.

• DIFFICULTY: EASY/ASPHALT
• ALTITUDE: 30 meters
• LENGTH: 22 km
• DURATION: 2 hours including stops

Discovering the Peligna Valley on two wheels is a unique experience, a privilege that our territory gives to all those who want to be transported into nature, without worries.

We will start from our structure in the historic center of Sulmona and we will reach, pedaling easily and without climbing, iconic historical, architectural and archaeological emergencies. Places like Prison Camp 78, the Abbey of S. Spirito in Morrone, the Hermitage of Celestino V and the Sanctuary of Ercole Curino.

THE OASIS & THE GORGE
Have you ever cycled on a comfortable road bordered by a river, letting yourself be accompanied by the sweet sound of flowing water? We know a place of this type and we can’t wait to bring you too.

• DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM/DIRT
• ALTITUDE: 30 meters
• LENGTH: 22 km
• DURATION: 2 hours including stops

The Cavuto’s Spring have become a WWF oasis thanks to its incredible ability to amaze anyone who visits it, leaving the desire to go deeper and deeper into the Sagittario Valley. Forgotten hamlets, one river, one spring and three lakes riding on little-frequented roads are waiting for you, contact us for more informations.

ROMANS & RIVERS 
Saddle excursion to discover an area of incredible beauty immersed in the heart of the Natural Reserve Gole di S. Venanzio.

• DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM/DIRT
• ALTITUDE: 30 meters
• LENGTH: 22 km
• DURATION: 2 hours including stops

A splendid adventure on horseback along unique paths full of historical memories, immersed in the luxuriant and uncontaminated nature up to the “sacred” source of the Solfa.

PELIGNI PATH
An excursion suitable for everyone, even for those who try the experience of a horse ride for the first time. The “Sentiero dei peligni” on the slopes of Mount Morrone is waiting you.

• DIFFICULTY: EASY
• DURATION: 1 hours 30 minutes including stops

Try the unforgettable sensation to discover the center Abruzzo in company with splendid animals. Enjoy an extrordinary experience with a 4-legged friend through amazing landscapes. All excursions will be carried out in compliance with the safety rules on horseback, accompanied by at least two federal instructors and expert equitable tourist guides.

HORSES & CASTLES 
Discover the wonder of Mount Morrone that encloses, from the slopes to the peaks, important places of history and myths.

• DIFFICULTY: EASY (16 years old at least)
• DURATION: 3 hours including stops

Suggestive path surrounded by typical shrubs and red juniper from where you can enjoy beautiful views of the Peligna Valley. You will recognize the Pietramaggiore Peak and the Rotella Mountain during the trip.

After that we will reach the ruins of the Orsa Castle (11th century) which, like the other Peligni castles, was part of a system of optical alignments that connected the Peligna Valley with the surrounding valleys.

THE KNIGHTLY JOUST
A modern reinterpretation of the ancient “joust” that was held in medieval times in the historic Piazza Maggiore of Sulmona, now Piazza Garibaldi. The seven villages and districts of Sulmona challenge each other on the last Sunday of July in a battle at the “last ring”.

The cheering of thousands of people all around the large town square, is massive. The following week the 7 contenders, twinned with as many historic European cities, compete again for the Knightly Joust of Europe.

MADONNA CHE SCAPPA
The Madonna che Scappa, one of the most attended event of Sulmona. An ancient rite from the Holy Week in Sulmona; a sacred event, played by Lauretans, in the historic Piazza Garibaldi, one of the largest in central Italy. A narrative re-enactment of the encounter between the Virgin Maria and the risen Christ with thousands of people participate every year.

The Confraternity of the “Madonna di Loreto” parades to Piazza Garibaldi on Easter Sunday and, after knocking on the door, the Madonna come out from San Filippo church. Once she has seen her son in the bottom of the square she starts to run to reach him.

TRANS-SIBERIAN OF ITALY
A trip between National Parks and Nature Reserves on a winding and difficult railway that crosses mountains and narrow gorges. Starting from Sulmona at 328 meters above sea level we reach Campo di Giove for a coffee and we go back on board until we reach the suggestive Palena station. From there we continue to Rivisondoli-Pescocostanzo and Roccaraso.

A spectacular route through inhabited centers and suggestive natural places. It is a bit like watching a live documentary with images that slide from the train windows.

During the trip there are guides on board who describes the history of the railway and the geography of the territory. On the ground, however, food stands with local culinary tradition and guided tours to discover museums, ancient villages and traditions.

Rooms: 29

Price: from 130 EUR per night

Source: www.hotelsantacroceovidius.com