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| Area (sq km): | 301,230 | |
| Population: | 58,103,033 | |
| Nationality: | Italian | |
| Local Name: | Italia | |
| Language: | Italian, German, French |
|
| Time Zone: | +1 GMT | |
| Currency: | 1 euro = 100 cents | |
| Rate: | www.xe.com | |
| Capital: | Rome | |
| Dialling Code: | +39 | |
| Electricity: | 230V/50Hz | |
| Internet Code: | .it | |
| Religion: | Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish |
|
| Climate: | Mediterranean, Mountain |
|
| Government: | Republic | |
| Inoculations: | None | |
| Driving: | Right | |
| Int'l License: | Not Required | |
| Banking: | M-F 8.30-13.30, 14.30-16.00 |
|
| Major Airports: | Bologna(BLQ), Florence(FLR), Genoa(GOA), Naples(NAP), Palermo(PMO), Rome(FCO), Torino(TRN), Venice(VCE) |
Saint Dominic Snake Festival - Italian villas
Slightly scary and not just a little bit bizarre is the Snake Charmer’s Festival in Abruzzo to see when you book Italian villas. The event is also known as Festa di San Domenico Abate. No matter what you call it, this little town of Cocullo is home to one of the most unique and freaky spectacles in the world!
The story is certainly unusual, and even unbelievable, but when you rent Italian villas for this festival, you'll be left with no choice but to believe. The first version of the story tells of Saint Dominic, the patron Saint of Cocullo in Abruzzo. As legend has it, in the 11th Century the village fields were overrun with snakes. Saint Dominic is said to have cleared the fields of the snakes and as a lasting show of gratitude the villagers drape his effigy in snakes annually.
The other versions date all the way back to 700BC. With the land still covered in a mass of serpents, Apollo ordered the villagers to gather the snakes and take them to his statue. When they were laid across it they became tame.
Italian villas & snake festival
The Festival of the Snakes technically lasts for two months. It begins on 19 March when the people of Cocullo begin to capture snakes (nonvenomous of course). They do so until the first Thursday of May.
On that day a procession marches through the village carrying the statue with the captured snakes draped over it. As the crowd gathers, mass is broadcast over loud speakers and there are sideshows to keep the people entertained. From the comfort of private Italian villas explore the Abruzzo region further after witnessing the Snake Charmer’s Festival.