Is the fate of many unique, virtually abandoned villages in the unknown corner of Abruzzo sealed? Not if Swedish-Italian millionaire Daniele Kihlgren can help it. In 1999, a solitary motorbike trip proved to be a revelation for this modern-day idealist. By chance, he stumbled upon the almost-deserted hilltop village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio in the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park in the Apennines. He was struck speechless, not only by the outstanding beauty of the setting, but also because almost everything was untouched. “Time seemed to have stood perfectly still – no concrete buildings, no factories, no tourist infrastructure like the Swiss chalets you find in so many Abruzzese towns,” says Kihlgren. It wasn’t long before he returned to Santo Stefano – not only with his motorbike, but also with a plan to save this village from extinction. Kihlgren, in his mid-forties, has been described as a maverick, a millionaire with enormous willpower. And where there’s a will, there’s a way. Kihlgren bought a house in Santo Stefano and soon many more. Next step was signing a deal with the local authorities to leave Santo Stefano in its original condition – in other words, an embargo on building new houses and a ban on the use of concrete. In exchange, Kihlgren would spend a substantial sum, up to €4.5 million – a mix of his own and borrowed money – on breathing new life into the village and giving it a second chance. “This has nothing to do with renovation,” Kihlgren insists. “It’s about restoration – restoring honour. I had a unique opportunity to save one of the last authentic places in Italy from the grip of cement.” In 2004, five years after Kihlgren first wandered through Santo Stefano, the village was ready for its second life. Kihlgren received help from some big names, including the renowned British architect David Chipperfield, who also supports the concept of ‘conservative restoration’, or restoring while maintaining original features.The result of the first project here in Santo Stefano di Sessanio is Sextantio Albergo Diffuso. A fairly recent concept in the hotel business, an albergo diffuso is a ‘hotel’ scattered throughout a town in different houses. Guests are assimilated into the village and feel part of the community. Kihlgren’s Sextantio originally had 32 houses, but some have been sold to foreigners. Buying a completely restored house from Kihlgren costs about €1200 to €1500 (from $1470) per square metres. The rest serve as hotel rooms with a central reception area, hotel manager and staff.The rooms usually come with a kitchenette, a table and chairs, a fireplace – Spartan luxury. “We try to retain everything that refers back to village life,” says Kihlgren. “Only local materials are used, and old furniture and artefacts were sourced in the area. Modern technology, such as under-floor heating and light switches, is discreetly hidden. We also conducted research with the National Museum of Abruzzo and talked to the elderly residents of Santo Stefano to discover how people used to live and what materials they used. Even beter, after a couple of days staying here, you feel connected with the place. Probably just how Kihlgren felt the moment he decided to save a part of Italian heritage.

How to get there

Santo Stefano di Sessanio is 150 kilometres (a 1.5-hour drive) from Rome and 100 kilometres from the Adriatic coast and the city of Pescara. The best way to explore the region is by car. Sextantio Albergo Diffuso has 27 rooms dotted throughout several buildings, ranging from double rooms to suites, which are twice as large.
A Classic Room with breakfast for two starts at a bargain €160 ($196) per night in low season. While the setting is perfect, there’s definitely room for improvement on the hospitality side.

WWW.SEXTANTIO.IT/SANTO-STEFANO/

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Slow Food is above all linked with its charismatic founder, Carlo Petrini, but from the very beginning, Vito Puglia equally pulled his weight. Twenty years on, this true pioneer doesn’t reside in a busy head office in northern Italy, but under an olive tree at his exceptional restaurant Perbacco in southern Italy. Only ‘noses’ and insiders know where it is. This restaurant is the playground of Vito Puglia, born and raised in Cilento, a little known region of southern Italy. Vito grew up to become one of the first pioneers and founders of the Slow Food movement. However, Vito is no marketing lad or savvy businessman. On the contrary, despite Slow Food being one of the most important culinary movements of all time, Vito prefers to stay small and keep a low profile. After all, Slow Food is all about going back to basics, back to the essence, with respect for local produce and the environment. Perbacco is not a conventional eating establishment of which there are so many. Foodie snobs who expect to find trained sommeliers and white tablecloths are better off staying away. Perbacco, as a tribute to Bacchus, is something special. A few tables scattered beneath centuries-old olive trees overlooking green hillsides and beyond the shimmering Adriatic Sea. This unknown corner of southern Italy seems to bathe in an impressive light cast over the surface of the sea, the olive trees and the historic villages where time seems to stand still. Which is why Vito has not built an ordinary restaurant here with four walls and a roof. His guests sit outside, under ancient olive trees, or in bad weather, in a kind of covered, furnished barn. Vito makes the view of the Adriatic Sea the protagonist in his decor. In a modest house beside the terrace you find the bar and Vito’s office.

For 23 years Vito has pursued his mission to preserve unadulterated tastes and products in his own restaurant. In combination with a club for Epicurean friends, Perbacco was first a wine bar serving food, then a small tavern where in the 1990s live music was played late into the night and today it is one of the finest restaurants in the region. Vito leads the restaurant with his team of two chefs, Ramon and his wife Cristina, who lovingly translate Vito’s culinary philosophies. The main ingredients on Perbacco’s menu mostly come from Cilento, which forms part of the Campania region, and are always seasonal. The local anchovy is a big favourite and the fish is served here in numerous variations.

Thanks to Slow Food, the alici di Menaica stands on the list of protected products, and a presidium has been set up to ensure this delicacy does not disappear. These small fish are still caught here in the old-fashioned and traditional way. In the past, this technique was used across the whole Mediterranean while now it is only along the Cilentan coast that fishing continues in this small-scale manner. Local fishermen go out in their boats at night to catch the anchovies with nets. Only the larger fish are caught in the nets while the smaller ones escape to continue growing. The fishermen immediately discard the head and viscera of the anchovies and store them in wooden crates, without refrigeration or ice. On arrival back at port, the fish are immediately washed with seawater and then layered with salt in terracotta pots for at least three months. Menaica anchovies are recognizable by their pale pink colour and intense, delicate flavour. They are the perfect accompaniment for many of the fresh pasta dishes on the Perbacco menu. Go for the vermicelli Marina Campagna with wild fennel, sweet little pepperoni verdi, mini tomatoes and of course anchovies. Vermicelli is typical in these parts and often served with wild fennel. The beauty of this dish is that there is no heavy sauce involved. The pasta is pure and remains light. The taste of the fennel and the alici dominate, while the sweet peppers and tomatoes remind you it’s still summer in Cilento.

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The matriarch of the kitchen
The huge, heavy wooden door swings open and Leda, our Cesarina for tonight, is standing in the hallway with a bright smile. She’s a frail appearance with a sleek bobcat hairstyle and of course the obligatory white apron tied around her waist. Her dining room is already set: lace linen, fine crockery, silver cutlery, crystal glasses, ..  Next door there’s the kitchen where Leda is the Cesarina, the matriarch, the empress. Her husband stays wise fully away. Leda’s ricotta cheese ravioli appetizer has cheese from the nearby village of Campo di Giove. These handmade ravioli are lovely delicate squares bathing in a bright red sauce sprinkled with pecorino and finished with basil. Next is the secondi, a delicate lamb simmered for hours in a egg and lemon sauce. A local recipe, what else. Leda, just like all other Cesarine of the Home Food network, cooks only with local products. Just like their mothers and grandmothers did. Food exotism is banned in their kitchen. According to the founder of Home Food, Italian mothers often know more than chefs. The roots, the origins of the Italian cuisine can be found in the family, in the kitchen and in the pots of la mamma.

The Verdict
A Home Food lunch or dinner, can be very easily booked via the website. First, you have to register for free and then you receive a confirmation of membership. You choose location, date and time and check whether your Cesarina is available or not. Payment is via PayPal. Easy. Home Food will immediately send you a confirmation with all details like address and telephone number of the Cesarina. There are Cesarine all over Italy, from the North to the South with a concentration in the cities. The cost for an evening Home Food is about 40 euros per person, wine included. A steal!

WWW.HOMEFOOD.IT

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Terra firma

We visited two of the most famous trabocchi / seafood restaurants. Trabocco Punto Cavalluccio and Trabocco Pesce Palombo near the village of Rocca San Giovanni. While Trabocco Punto Cavalluccio had the best al fresco seating, Trabocco Pesce Palombo clearly stands out for the beautiful and tasty food. Bruno, the owner of Trabocco Pesce Palombo, and his family owned different trabocchi for more than a century. His wife Giluiana is mostly found with some other bella donnas in the kitchen. Reservations are required because full is full. Almost all trabocco work with a fixed menu where wine, water and coffee are included. You pay around 50 euros for an overdose of delicacies from the sea with free-flow local wine. First a parade of anti pasti, calamari, grilled small fish and octopus. Then comes the pasta with fish or shellfish. As a main you will be served a rich seafood soup that has to be eaten with lots of bread. Eating on a trabocchi is a must-do for any seafood aficionado. After another bottle of delightful pecorino wine, you might start to feel even a bit philosophical. Trabocchi are extensions of the land into the sea. No unstable water where you feel the waves, but terra firma, deeply connected with the sea.

HOW TO GO

Fly to Pescara, a half an hour drive from the Trabocchi coast or fly to Rome, which is 2 hours driving from the Adriatic Coast of Abruzzo.
In collaboration with Slow Food Abruzzo an annual event is organized to put the trabocchi in the spotlight. A fantastic opportunity to try local food from Abruzzo like wines, cheeses, olive oil to everything from the sea. There are laboratorio del gusto, workshops, cultural visits in the cities, …

 The trabocchi restaurants are only open during the summer months, the first restaurants open around late May and remain open until around the end of September.

WWW.CALALENTA.COM
WWW.TRABOCCOPESCEPALOMBO.IT
WWW.TRABOCCOPUNTACAVALLUCCIO.IT

WHERE TO STAY

Rifugiomare is the perfect guesthouse on a stone’s throw from the trabocchi, in San Rocco Giovanni – Abruzzo.
A double room with great breakfast (ask for the classetouriste version) from 90 euros per night.

WWW.RIFUGIOMARE.IT

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