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The product
What Sulmona confetti are
Almonds wrapped in thin layers of sugar.
A confetto is a blanched almond coated with many thin layers of sugar, until it forms a smooth, crunchy shell. Sulmona also makes confetti with chocolate, hazelnut or fruit centres, in many colours.
The town is famous above all for its arrangements: confetti tied with coloured silk threads become flowers, ears of wheat, bunches and bouquets that fill the shop windows of corso Ovidio.
Territory
Where it comes from
Sulmona is the main town of the Valle Peligna, surrounded by the Morrone and Majella mountains. Sugar work is documented here from the 15th century, in the convents; the confetti factories were founded in the 18th century and some are still active.
From field to table
How it is made
- The almonds are blanched, sorted and dried.
- They are put in the «bassina», a large rotating pan, and moistened little by little with sugar syrup.
- The constant movement and warm air dry each layer: the process is repeated many times, for hours.
- Finally the confetti are smoothed and polished; coloured ones are tinted in the last stages.
- In the shops confetti are tied by hand with threads and crepe paper to create flowers, ears of wheat and arrangements.
In the kitchen
How to use it
Confetti are the sweet of celebrations: they are given and offered on important occasions.
- White for weddings, communions and confirmations
- Pink or blue for births and christenings
- Red for graduations
- In arrangements of flowers and ears of wheat as a gift or decoration
Tips
How to choose and store it
- Good confetti have a smooth, even surface and break cleanly when bitten.
- Read the label: classic confetti contain only almonds and sugar.
- Keep them in a closed jar, dry and away from light.
- Arrangements last a long time: keep them away from damp.
Worth seeing: at the Confetti Pelino premises there is the Museum of the Art and Technology of Confetti, with historic tools and machinery; it is a national monument.
Ordering
Where to buy it and whom to contact
Contacts checked on the official websites in October 2026: check availability and prices before ordering.
Confetti Pelino
Sulmona’s oldest confetti maker, in business since 1783. Its premises on via Stazione Introdacqua house the shop and the Museum of the Art and Technology of Confetti.
- Address: Via Stazione Introdacqua, 55 – 67039 Sulmona (AQ)
- Phone: 0864 210047
- Email: pelino@pelino.it
- Order online: pelinostore.com
- Source: Ministero della Cultura – scheda del museo
Gallery
Photos
Tap a photo to enlarge it.
Photo 1: Sulmona confetti. Credits: Claro48 (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons, resized; the menu icon is also made from it.
Tradition
History and trivia
Tradition says that in Sulmona the art of sugar began in the convents: as early as the 15th century the Poor Clares made sugar and confetti decorations. The first factories were founded in the 18th century, and Sulmona became Italy’s confetti capital.
In 1783 the Pelino company was founded, today the oldest still active. In 1988 the Museum of the Art and Technology of Confetti opened on its premises, and in 1992 it was declared a national monument.
Did you know? the poet Ovid was also born in Sulmona: the town’s main street, lined with confetti shops, bears his name.