Rural heritage of Southern Italy

The projects of our company generate from an interesting cultural ambition: returning dignity to Italian “Historical Minor Heritage” and to its Landscape.

At this time we have realized the first two Albergo Diffuso hotels: the first one in Santo Stefano di Sessanio, a Middle Ages village, suggestive expression of an historical patrimony but also a seductive “landscape” endangered in its architectural heritage and agricultural landscape integrity.

The second model, in the Sassi di Matera, represents the most extreme expression of an “Historical Minor Heritage” on the verge of misery, with caves and rupestrian churches populated until early fifties, despite the malaria and the poor hygienic conditions. It was discredited as “shame of Italy” during postwar reformism, as the most extreme expression of the underdevelopment of Southern Italy.

Today the conservation of the landscape and historical heritage, together with its cultural value, represents an economic boost in the whole Country. This new model of development, based on an independent cultural project, has achieved great results in many ways: when we started to invest in Santo Stefano, in the late nineties, the hamlet had already experienced a significant decrease of the population, due to the migrations, and the 75% of the dwellings were unused. Today, despite the earthquake of 2009, thanks to the restoration process conducted by Sextantio based on a cement-free method, the tourist accommodations in Santo Stefano have increased from 3 to 20, and the Albergo Diffuso Sextantio occupies the 30% of the rooms.

We have decided to sell one borgo (Frattura Vecchia di Scanno) and one real estate in Santo Stefano di Sessanio:

– “Casa Con L’Arco in Pietra”. This property is located by the tower of Santo Stefano di Sessanio. It is reached via a stone arch, and a door that leads directly into the kitchen – the heart of the mountain family culture. The kitchen, with its reclaimed furniture, mixes traditional fittings with contemporary touches. The house boasts a fascinating grotto, which was once a cellar. The bedroom, with its stone and cobbled floors, is crowned with a ceiling made in rich wood. The house boasts views of the lake and the surrounding landscape. Value: € 320,000.00.