Buonanotte, the village that a landslide froze in time
In Abruzzo, on the ridge of Monte Vecchio, the old village of Buonanotte is a ghost town abandoned to landslides, now known as Montebello sul Sangro.
Foto: Ettore Billai (CC BY-SA 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons
There are places you visit and places you listen to. Buonanotte, the old core of Montebello sul Sangro in the secluded heart of the province of Chieti, belongs to the second category. Perched on the ridge of Monte Vecchio, it is one of the most evocative ghost villages in Abruzzo: gutted houses, arches holding up nothing, alleys overrun by grass and an almost total silence, broken only by the wind and by the birds of prey gliding over the Sangro valley.
The landslide
The story is the painful one, common to many villages of the Apennines, of ground that gives way. The village, medieval in origin, stands on an unstable slope: from the 1950s onwards a series of landslides and subsidence gradually made it uninhabitable, forcing the inhabitants to move further down the valley, where the present town stands. In 1969 the municipality officially changed its name to Montebello sul Sangro, but the old place name, Buonanotte, still conjures up legends and lends a suspended air to these ruins.
The abandoned village
To visit it today means walking inside a village frozen in place. You climb up from the new town along a lane or through the woods, and suddenly you find yourself among roofless walls, thresholds that no longer open onto any door, crumbling plaster where here and there a house number still holds on. From up here your gaze runs free all the way to the Maiella massif: the simple, immense reward for anyone who chooses these forgotten destinations.
Slow travel
Buonanotte is the perfect antithesis of overtourism. No ticket offices, no crowds, no queues: just a fragile place to cross with respect, without forcing your way into dangerous structures and without taking anything away. Trekking shoes, water, caution among the ruins, and the desire to look rather than collect shots.
Those looking for perfectly restored, Instagrammable villages will be caught off guard. But those who love authentic places, marked by time and geology, will find here one of the most intense and silent experiences in all of inland Abruzzo.
Related guides: All Saints' long weekend: villages, foliage and thermal baths without the crowds · Abruzzo in 3 days at a slow pace: the villages of the Gran Sasso away from the crowds.
Getting there
The abandoned village is reached by car from the Val di Sangro: from Pescara or Chieti follow the SS652, exit near Villa Santa Maria and continue towards Montebello sul Sangro, where you leave the car before climbing on foot to the old settlement. The reference airport is Pescara. As there is no convenient stop in the immediate vicinity, the car remains the most practical means of transport.
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Practical info
When is the best time to visit Buonanotte?
The recommended time is April, May, June, September and October, when it is less crowded.
Is Buonanotte crowded?
Buonanotte is a almost deserted destination compared with the more touristy ones.
Where is Buonanotte?
Buonanotte is located in Montebello sul Sangro, Abruzzo, Italy.
Altre alternative a Civita di Bagnoregio
Guide selezionate dalla nostra redazione, tutte alternative alla stessa meta affollata:
How to get there
- 🚆 Nearest station: Villa S. Maria ~5 km as the crow flies
- ✈️ Nearest airport: Aeroporto internazionale d'Abruzzo Pasquale Liberi PSR ~51 km as the crow flies
Nearest points as the crow flies (source OpenStreetMap): actual times depend on the roads, often mountain ones.
