The ski resort of Roccaraso is at the center of a new and unusual phenomenon involving "merchants of faith." People from Campania, posing as members of the Civil Protection Department, are offering passersby sacred images and bracelets in exchange for a donation of 20 euros.
They entered businesses offering small bags with an image of the Madonna and the words "Jubilee 2025" written on them, accompanied by a bracelet, asking for a modest donation of 20 euros in return.
They were immediately identified by the Carabinieri, who are investigating a suspicious cash flow that affected Roccaraso over the past few weekends. The aim is to determine whether there is a strategy to launder money of dubious origin.
The Public Prosecutor's Office of Naples, which first initiated the investigation, is working in close collaboration with the Abruzzo military.
In the meantime, the small town It was overrun by thousands of tourists, mostly Neapolitans, arriving aboard numerous buses. Police checks were intensified to ensure safety and compliance with the rules.
"We came here to ski. They can do whatever they want," was the first comment from a Neapolitan tourist, referring to the Roccaraso model. Last Sunday, 10 visitors were recorded across the entire Alto Sangro area.
However, since yesterday, the town has been transformed into a sort of open-air barracks. A large number of law enforcement forces, including carabinieri and police, constantly patrolled the territory, the internal roads, the “Ombrellone” area – a point of reference for tourists – and state road 17, the main point of loading and unloading of visitors.
Meanwhile, in Oviondoli, the challenge launched by TikToker Rita De Crescenzo, which predicted the arrival of numerous tourist buses, was thwarted by the mayor's order limiting access to a maximum of 35 buses.
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