Bees fly buzzing on flowery meadows to produce 90% of Abruzzo honey. A great number of small family businesses have sprung up from Atessa to Tornareccio to reach high-quality levels in honey production. Emilio Iacovanelli, 50, the owner of Piazzano d'Atessa founded in 1896 by his great-grandfather Giuseppantonio, has now 500 beehives all along the Sangro valley. He points out how most people buy the so-called similmiele instead of the genuine, healthy product. Honey is energetic (30 grams each morning), therapeutic (each flower flavor is recommended for the different diseases) and is used in many traditional dishes (cicirchiata, caciocavallo al miele, torrone).

In the hospital of Sulmona self-donation and blood substitutes are fast replacing traditional donors' transfusions, with the help of parallel techniques such as limiting blood loss with drugs and special surgery and recovering plasma from the blood lost to treat it and reinfuse in the patient. Another pilot hospital is the "Mazzini" in Teramo, with 7,000 cases since 1988. These techniques were employed also during the Pope's recent surgery.

The Alpines who died in Russia were commemorated in Santa Maria in Colleromano with a band concert and a Mass with the presence of Penne mayor Lucio Marcotullio, Alpine Major Di Donato from L'Aquila and representatives of many veteran associations and military districts. There were tears in people's eyes when trumpeteer Giuseppe Sergiacomo played the "Silenzio".