Reviving a medieval Italian village

Reviving a medieval Italian village

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Within the stone walls of the medieval village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, narrow lanes weave through stone arches, cobbled piazzas and overhanging buildings.

The streets are mainly empty, except for tourists admiring the architecture and surrounding hills in Italy's southern L'Aquila province.

. Catsel Del Monte, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

A village which over centuries lived off agriculture and wool, Santo Stefano di Sessanio has just 108 inhabitants, less than a tenth of its pre-World War One population according to its mayor. Like many surrounding villages, most residents left for work in cities or abroad, leaving it all but abandoned.

. Rocca Calascio, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

Decades later, its untouched architecture caught the attention of Swedish-Italian entrepreneur Daniele Kihlgren, who came across it on a 1999 motorbike trip.

. Santo Stefano Di Sessanio, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

Kihlgren bought several houses, turning them in 2005 into a hotel with rooms scattered around the centre. The project has drawn tourists and injected life back into the village, according to locals.

. Santo Stefano Di Sessanio, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

"When I first arrived ... it seemed nearly abandoned," Kihlgren said. "Everything had stopped in a past era."

. Castel Del Monte, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

While it still has shepherds and farmers, today Santo Stefano di Sessanio is being revived through tourism, with residents seeking to draw visitors to the surrounding Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga national park to their picturesque lodgings.

. Santo Stefano Di Sessanio, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

“You can see a visible increase in visitors," mayor Fabio Santavicca said, without giving figures. "People have opened up their homes, renting out rooms, opening restaurants. It is a positive."

The village now has around a dozen tourist lodgings, Santavicca said, with plans to develop local leisure activities.

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According to the most recently available hospitality figures from the regional tourism department, the village saw 4,361 visitor arrivals in 2013 versus 900 in 2005.

. Santo Stefano Di Sessanio, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

Santo Stefano di Sessanio is one of several villages in the Abruzzo region which saw its population depleted as the collapse of its wool-making industry after the introduction of synthetic materials, poverty and natural disasters in the active earthquake area drove people away.

In nearby San Silvestro village, vegetation fills empty buildings. Further north, Vale Piole is deserted.

. Santo Stefano Di Sessanio, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

According to Santavicca, Santo Stefano di Sessanio had some 1,100 residents before World War One.

The village, which in winter sees its population fall further as some residents swap its 1,250-metre altitude for the valley, has also drawn secondary home owners from cities.

. Vieste, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

"People love coming to this region," said resident Amelia, who owns a bed and breakfast and offers cooking classes to tourists. "We are working hard on opening it to the world."

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Slideshow

Nuns walk up to the entrance of a church in Castel del Monte.
. Castel Del Monte, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

Nuns walk up to the entrance of a church in Castel del Monte.

A cross and fake flowers are seen in a wall in the town of Castel del Monte.
. Castel Del Monte, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

A cross and fake flowers are seen in a wall in the town of Castel del Monte.

Thick belts are tied around a building to prevent further damage after it was damaged by a strong earthquake, near the old centre of the town of Catsel Vecchio.
. Castel Vecchio, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

Thick belts are tied around a building to prevent further damage after it was damaged by a strong earthquake, near the old centre of the town of Catsel Vecchio.

Luca Cucchiella looks at historical frescoes on the ceiling of a room in his family’s house, which is undergoing restoration after being damaged during the 2009 earthquake, in Santo Stefano di Sessanio.
. Santo Stefano Di Sessanio, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

Luca Cucchiella looks at historical frescoes on the ceiling of a room in his family’s house, which is undergoing restoration after being damaged during the 2009 earthquake, in Santo Stefano di Sessanio.

Women wear costumes as part of an art installation in the mostly abandoned old centre of the town of Catsel Vecchio.
. Castel Vecchio, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

Women wear costumes as part of an art installation in the mostly abandoned old centre of the town of Catsel Vecchio.

A cross stands on a hilltop near the town of Rocca Calascio.
. Rocca Del Monte, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

A cross stands on a hilltop near the town of Rocca Calascio.

Domenico Ciccone greets his dogs as he arrives where some of his sheep spent the night near the town of Rocca Calascio, close to Santo Stefano di Sessanio.
. Rocca Calascio, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

Domenico Ciccone greets his dogs as he arrives where some of his sheep spent the night near the town of Rocca Calascio, close to Santo Stefano di Sessanio.

Ginevra, 10, and her brother Giulio Cesare, 7, play with their horses at the family farm in the town of Santo Stefano di Sessanio in the province.
. Santo Stefano Di Sessanio, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

Ginevra, 10, and her brother Giulio Cesare, 7, play with their horses at the family farm in the town of Santo Stefano di Sessanio in the province.

Aida Cicci Cardelli, 90,  cooks for a birthday dinner in the town of Santo Stefano di Sessanio.
. Santo Stefano Di Sessanio, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

Aida Cicci Cardelli, 90, cooks for a birthday dinner in the town of Santo Stefano di Sessanio.

A man works in a local milk factory close to the town of Ofena.
. Ofena, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

A man works in a local milk factory close to the town of Ofena.

A black and white photograph is seen in an abandoned building in the old centre of the town of Catsel Vecchio.
. Castel Vecchio, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

A black and white photograph is seen in an abandoned building in the old centre of the town of Catsel Vecchio.

Elders enjoy an evening drink before dinner in a bar in the town of Catsel del Monte.
. Castel Del Monte, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

Elders enjoy an evening drink before dinner in a bar in the town of Catsel del Monte.

A priest conducts Sunday mass in the church of Santo Stefano di Sessanio.
. Santo Stefano Di Sessanio, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

A priest conducts Sunday mass in the church of Santo Stefano di Sessanio.

A woman burns incense during a religious procession held every year to bless shepherds, who would at the start of winter, walk with their herds to the south of Italy for warmer weather.
. Castel Del Monte, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

A woman burns incense during a religious procession held every year to bless shepherds, who would at the start of winter, walk with their herds to the south of Italy for warmer weather.

Men carry a statue of the Virgin Mary during a religious procession held every year to bless shepherds.
. Castel Del Monte, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

Men carry a statue of the Virgin Mary during a religious procession held every year to bless shepherds.

People eat underneath a temporary tent during a fair organised every year to attempt boost the economy of the town of Santo Stefano di Sessanio.
. Santo Stefano Di Sessanio, ITALY. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

People eat underneath a temporary tent during a fair organised every year to attempt boost the economy of the town of Santo Stefano di Sessanio.