Santo Stefano di Sessanio

Visit to a comune of L'Aquila, 4th October

Santo Stefano di Sessanio is located in the 'Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga' National Park, close to the alto piano (high plain) of Campo Imperatore. It is a medieval hill town that features several architectural landmarks constructed by the Medici family of Florence, and has been named one of Italy's prettiest villages. It's also famous for its sustainable agriculture, in particular the production of gourmet lenticchie (lentils).

The tiny village was largely abandoned, with many ancient buildings in ruins, up until the last few decades when a wealthy Swiss man visited and fell in love with the town. He invested heavily to restore most of the village and established the Sextantio Albergo Diffuso - an extended or 'diffused' hotel. The concept for this hotel is that its 'reception' is at the main entrance to the village, and the rooms and hotel services are scattered around, which has led to the revitalisation of several structures and the village in general. The town's permanent population remains very small because it is primarily for tourism with lots of vacation homes, and its main source of income comes from small boutiques, art galleries and restaurants.

Santo Stefano was severely damaged by the L'Aquila earthquake in 2009. The Medici tower was completely destroyed - now there is a scaffold 'shell' of the structure in its place - as were a number of buildings and one church. Less severe damage was seen throughout the small village, which was fairly covered in scaffolding. A few buildings were abandoned and in a complete state of disrepair, but it was unclear if this was a result of the 'quake or the village's previous abandoned state. However, there were many visitors and all the tourist shops and restaurants I saw were open and busy.