Santo Stefano di Sessanio

Member of I Borghi più belli d'Italia

Ra BoeSanto Stefano di Sessanio 2005 by-RaBoe 06 CC BY-SA 2.5
trolvag67020 Santo Stefano di Sessanio AQ, Italy - panoramio - trolvag (1)CC BY-SA 3.0
trolvag67020 Santo Stefano di Sessanio AQ, Italy - panoramio - trolvag (9)CC BY-SA 3.0
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Alessandro Blasi from Rieti, ItalySanto Stefano di Sessanio (8191878302)CC BY 2.0
Ra BoeSanto Stefano di Sessanio 2013 by-RaBoe 009 CC BY-SA 3.0 de
Ra BoeSanto Stefano di Sessanio 2013 by-RaBoe 013 CC BY-SA 3.0 de
PietroSanto Stefano di Sessanio 2020 01 CC BY-SA 4.0
Caravita81Santo Stefano di Sessanio CC BY-SA 3.0
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Ra BoeStefano di Sessanio 2015 by-RaBoe 90 CC BY-SA 3.0 de
Marica MassaroTorre Medicea 2021 CC BY-SA 4.0

Wool made this stone village rich: under the Medici, Santo Stefano was Florence's base for the carfagna wool produced here and sold across Europe. At over 1,200 metres below the Campo Imperatore plain, emigration emptied it until a restoration project turned many houses into a scattered hotel. Its Medici tower, felled by the 2009 earthquake, was restored in 2021.

Highlights

Lenticchia di Santo Stefano di Sessanio, the local lentil, celebrated in early September
The entrance gate bearing the Medici coat of arms
The remarkably narrow lane running past the old watchtower
A small snow-fed lake with reeds just outside the walls
The high plain of Campo Imperatore in the Gran Sasso national park

Text adapted from Wikipedia (Santo Stefano di Sessanio (IT), Santo Stefano di Sessanio (EN)), Wikivoyage (Santo Stefano di Sessanio). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Population: 114

Events through the year

Feast of Saint Stephen Religious · 3 August
Lentil sagra Food and wine · First weekend of SeptemberLocal lentils with typical Abruzzo food

Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.

Adapted from Wikipedia (Santo Stefano di Sessanio). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Local food & wine

Santo Stefano di Sessanio lentils (IT)Local produceCelebrated at a lentil festival held in early September for over fifty years

Adapted from Wikipedia (Santo Stefano di Sessanio). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where to sleep

12 places to stay within 3 km

Hotels 10
B&Bs and guest houses 1
Campsites 1

Nearby member villages

Castel del Monte · 7 km
Navelli · 14 km
Castelli · 17 km
Pietracamela · 21 km
Penne · 25 km