Slow travel, integrity and a whole new view on ‘progress’: Santo Stefano in Italy
The restoration project behind a once abandoned Italian village offers the world a unique approach to the meaning of progress. Santo Stefano di Sessanio is all about slow travel, history, integrity, authenticity and local people. And now, in a small but symbolic step, the local government has shown its support for the project’s vision. We speak to Daniele Kihlgren, the ‘maverick’ behind this daring project in the mountains near Rome.
It was the late 1990s when Daniele Kihlgren passed through a village called Santo Stefano di Sessanio, east of Rome, Italy. Kihlgren didn’t just notice historic medieval houses and a church standing silent and empty against the backdrop of the Abruzzo mountains. He also saw potential. A chance for a revival in a village that had been abandoned by people looking for prosperity elsewhere. An opportunity for progress. It has since become a famous slow travel story. Told by many media outlets around the world, it’s about a ‘maverick’ and his unusual approach.
Because it wasn’t just about restoring a place. Kihlgren wanted to do things differently and his approach to development and progress would deviate from the norm. He wanted to prevent the village from being taken over by developers who would transform it into tourist developments, as is often the case with abandoned villages. He wanted to protect the village from overtourism and situations where the history, essence and character of it could be lost, along with local money. He wanted to give the village a real second chance.
Meticulous plan
A meticulous plan followed, supporting the village to come back to life in a future-proof manner. One that would pass on the benefits to the village itself and to the people in the area. And so you could say that Kihlgren took a different route that day in more ways than one. Today, Santo Stefano is all about protecting the history and essence of a place. And about using that as part of the strength of the project. It is about slow travel, authenticity and deep connection with the land. A unique heritage, and a unique type of progress.
The slow travel mix
So, what does Santo Stefano look like today, how has it changed since that day in the late 1990s? For starters, the village is now a slow travel destination. Thanks to the village’s Albergo Diffuso concept, hotel rooms are spread throughout the village. The project behind it is called Sextantio. In line with its ethos the village’s original medieval stone rooms and buildings — all equipped with the necessary modern conveniences — have been kept intact. Or, as the Sextantio website states: “without building a single square meter from scratch.”
There are also a range of small local businesses. Take the one that weaves linen in the local traditional way, which is then used for hotel bedspreads. “Most of the activities created after our [restoration] efforts are family-oriented activities of the local people,” Kihlgren explained. Unlike replicas you can find in tourist developments, here are authentic, local relics made by people from the area.
And so, Santo Stefano has been attracting slow travellers from all over the world for years. “We offer an opportunity to rediscover and improve authentic Italy,” Kihlgren said. “Away from traditional tourist destinations, but rich in history, culture and beauty.”
“Most of the activities created after our [restoration] efforts are family-oriented activities of the local people.”
Ancient food as progress
The vision of the Sextantio project and its unique take on progress is also reflected in the village restaurants. “We found many traces of the traditional, age-old cooking methods of this village,” said Kihlgren. He explained how an anthropologist from the ‘Museo delle Genti d’Abruzzo’ (Museum of the Abruzzo People) recorded the oral history of cooking of the older generation. This turned out to be from the ‘agro-pastoral calendar.’
“An example of such ritual, agro-pastoralism dishes includes all the sweets of Easter,” Kihlgren continued. “They celebrate ‘abundance’ with the return of the new season and the end of winter. Cooking in this way, expresses a cyclical view of the world and of time. It is one that is far removed from that of today,” he said. Adding: “These dishes often transcend their nutritional function and become a means of communication with the supernatural world.”
“These dishes often transcend their nutritional function and become a means of communication with the supernatural world.”
Progress and the future
One of the latest developments involves a small but symbolic step by the local authorities of the Abruzzo region and the municipality of Santo Stefano di Sessanio. In support of the slow travel project, it was decided to demolish a concrete former bank building from the 1970s. This to keep the harmony between the historic buildings of the village and the surrounding landscape. It followed years of debate over the future of such villages, Kihlgren explained. Rural areas like the Abruzzo are home to a high percentage of Italy’s thousands of abandoned or semi-abandoned villages.
“The story of Santo Stefano di Sessanio shows us that protecting historical heritage can stimulate economic development,” said Kihlgren. “It started with a single accommodation facility in the 1990s,” he continued. “The village now boasts twenty-three hospitality businesses, along with restaurants and artisan shops. This growth has reversed demographic decline, attracting young people and families. It also helps stimulate a new local economy. A development that can also contribute to promoting quality and sustainable, conscious, slow travel. The success of this approach is evident,” he concluded.
And so, while the world revolves around ‘the future’ when it comes to progress, here is a project that seems to say something different. To not forget integrity and historical legacy. That they are just as important, if not more so, when it comes to the meaning of development and progress.
“The story of Santo Stefano di Sessanio shows us that protecting historical heritage can stimulate economic development.”
Agro-pastoral calendar
Like the Sextantio project itself, the historic approach of the ‘agro-pastoral calendar’ to crop growth, agriculture and food is about harmony. The main ingredient of this ancient cooking is egg, considered the archetypal symbol of fertility. Eggs were boiled and then painted with natural colours (derived mainly from flowers) and taken to church for a blessing. Later they would be eaten in a ritual way as the first food of the day.
Additionally there are ‘taralli’, ‘pupazze,’ and ‘cavalli,’ which were given as gifts to girls and boys. These food shapes — still used today — originally held not just an aesthetic value but, above all, a symbolic one. The horse represented strength. While the ‘pupa’ (a doll-shaped pastry) with an egg placed at its centre, symbolised fertility for young girls who would one day become women.
The Abruzzese pupa (puppet or doll) is a typical dessert usually served during Easter time in the Abruzzo region. It’s called ‘La Pupa e il cavallo’ (horse). The Abruzzese pupa is a traditional Easter cake deeply rooted in the region’s culture. Beyond its religious meaning, it represents a story of love, exchange, and sharing, passed down through generations.
Since the 1800s, the pupa and the horse were made for engagement ceremonies, as a symbol of good fortune. The pupa was given to the groom’s family, while the horse was gifted to the bride’s family. This tradition is linked to Easter and the Christian symbolism of resurrection and the Last Supper.
Grandmothers used to prepare these cakes on Holy Thursday. They would shape the ‘pupa’ as a curvy woman and the horse as a decorated foal. A key element was the hard-boiled egg, symbolising rebirth and prosperity. The pupa is made with sugar, flour, eggs, baking powder, extra virgin olive oil, and coloured sugar sprinkles.
Source text and images: Sextantio
The Sextantio Perspective
The Sextantio ethos is based on conservative restoration of the history of a place. This approach has brought places and villages, that were in permanent decline, back to life. They were neglected or designated for possible tourist repurposing. The creator of the project, Daniele Kihlgren has added more villages and travel destinations to the slow travel project.
The Santo Stefano model has since been reproduced in Sextantio’s second ancient village of Matera in southern Italy. Built into the caves and stone walls of the site’s historic past, this too offers a unique stay when it comes to slow travel. The latest Sextantio project is in Africa. The Capanne (HUTS) Project in Rwanda not only offers a unique destination for slow travellers. It also provides health insurance support to the local population.
You can find out more about the Sextantio destinations here. What connects them all, is a unique way of thinking when it comes to development. To date, the project has received around 500 village regeneration proposals.
Find out more here: www.sextantio.it/en
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