A Village is Reborn

Budgettravel.com ^ | Jul/Aug 2008 | Reid Bramblett

[WVKayaker]

Ancient Italian villages are being turned into a new kind of hotel, where the rooms are spread out across town and you share the streets with residents. One of the best of these alberghi diffusi is Sextantio, in the Abruzzi mountains.

by Reid Bramblett | July/August 2008 issue

On the day he found Santo Stefano di Sessanio, the ancient Italian village that would change his life, Daniele Kihlgren was lost. He had set out on his motorcycle to explore the Abruzzi mountains, two hours east of Rome, and was trying to locate a back road from the ruins of a medieval castle to a gorgeous high Alpine plain known as the Campo Imperatore. Instead, he stumbled across a tiny fortified town of narrow alleyways and crumbling stone buildings.

Santo Stefano reached a peak population of around 3,000 in the 16th century, when it was a thriving way station on the Medici wool-trade route. In the 20th century, however, it went the way of countless other central and southern Italian hill towns: a long postindustrial-era decline followed by a mass exodus of residents seeking a better life in big cities or abroad after World War II. By the time Daniele arrived on his motorcycle in 1999, there were only about 120 residents left. "There were no cement buildings, no industrial warehouses, none of the Swiss-style tourist chalets that blight so many historic Abruzzesi towns," says Daniele. "It was just this stone village."

Not many people would look at a dying town—some former homes were just piles of rubble, others had caved-in walls and no roofs—and think, This would make a great hotel...

*****

...more

[WVKayaker]

...The $63 prix fixe dinner begins with a flute of spumante (Italian sparkling wine) and a bottle of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo red wine. For the antipasto course, there are three kinds of salami and prosciutto (all made in-house), a small bowl of zucchini soup, aged and fresh pecorino cheese, a dollop of fresh ricotta and grape marmalade, and irresistable tiny fried pizzette puffs topped with thin slices of sharp pecorino.

Then comes a trio of first courses: bruschetta with a soup of lenticchie (tiny mountain lentils), farro (a barley-like grain) with mushrooms and saffron, and homemade chitarrini, a kind of square spaghetti that's hand cut with an implement called a chitarra (Italian for "guitar")—a rack with closely spaced wires the chef presses down on a sheet of dough. The second course is grilled lamb with roasted potatoes, red peppers, and a salad on the side. And for dessert, Niko serves sliced strawberries and a saffron-flavored ricotta meringue with a glass of bitter digestivo di genziana, a liquor made from the roots of a local herb.

The menu may change to include other fare as Daniele and Niko learn more about the food of the region. But Daniele stresses that the restaurant will only serve dishes using ingredients that people in the area have survived on for centuries. "The dishes are tied to the most practical needs of a population that had to grow whatever they ate," he says...

[rahbert]

"We taught the world how to eat"

[TexanToTheCore]

Thank you for tis post. This will probably be my next vacation.

[WVKayaker]

"We taught the world how to eat"

I'm WASP, with Brit/Scotch/Irish heritage. I am a pasta fan.

I love watching FoodTV, especially Mario Batali (now that's Italian!). You gotta love his orange shoes! I've learned a ton about Italian cuisine, just from the TV exposure. It encouraged me to try new things. He's a teacher, and spends his time talking about what region of origin and why things are used, not just how. Then he shows you how to put it together.

I'll leave the fish and chips to others. A good steak w/baked potato are first choice for me, every other choice seems to be related to pasta and such! I guess it's the sauce!

[WVKayaker]

This will probably be my next vacation.

Look into a fall trip. My dream trip would set me there for a few days, and a trip around the area. I would culminate with a cruise back across the pond. The crossings include stops in the Med, and Caribbean, and end up mostly in Florida. An inside cabin starts at $800-1200 per, plus air. The typical repositioning cruise (as they are called) is 14-20 days! That works out at about $55-65 per day, including food, etc.

Look at Celebrity, MSC, Costa (they're all Italian), and stay away from Carnival. Those mentioned, especially Celebrity, give a lot of effort to keeping you fat, healthy and well.

Disclaimer: I started my own Travel Agency, so I can get good deals. I am not soliciting clients. I have all I need. I do not book anyone by internet. I do love to travel!

[SunkenCiv]

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[WVKayaker]

Thanks WVKayaker for posting this.

You're certainly welcome. I get a lot of emails for travel opportunities, but this place is so special, I felt it should be shared! I intend to take some friends and visit next year (if I'm still kicking...)

[Renfield]

I’ve wanted to visit the Abruzzi Mountains for some times. As weak as the dollar is now, though, I may wait for some time yet. This looks really tempting, though.