Santo Stefano di Sessanio in Winter: The Gran Sasso Village Under Snow

There are villages that in summer become photographs of themselves, and there are villages that wait for winter to reveal who they really are. Santo Stefano di Sessanio, in the heart of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, belongs to the second kind. At 1,251 metres above sea level, in the province of L'Aquila, this small medieval settlement perched on the Apennine ridge becomes in December and January something hard to describe without hyperbole: the honey-coloured stones turn grey under a heavy sky, snow covers the silent alleys, and smoke rises from the chimneys of the Albergo Diffuso, the pioneering project that saved the village from demographic collapse by turning every house into a hotel room.

In the empty village, among stone and silence

In winter visitors can be counted on one hand, and that is the real privilege. You wander freely through the cobbled lanes, look up at the Medici Tower — or what remains of it after the 2009 earthquake, which required a long restoration — and gaze down toward the Navelli plain, where Italy's finest saffron is grown. At the table, in the few open restaurants, you find the village's most iconic dish: the Santo Stefano lentil, a tiny black variety that grows only at this altitude and disappears into the steaming soup alongside a thread of Sabina extra-virgin olive oil.

The snowshoe hike to Rocca Calascio

The real reason to come here in winter, though, is the walk — on snowshoes when the snow is deep — connecting Santo Stefano to Rocca Calascio, the castle at 1,460 metres considered one of the most beautiful in Europe. The trail rises gently through snowy pastures and bare beech woods, and after about an hour you reach the fortress, which without tourists becomes something majestic and almost unsettling. Below it, the octagonal church of Santa Maria della Pietà stands isolated against the sky. No queues, no mass selfies: just wind and a panorama over the Cinque Miglia plateau.

How to plan the visit

Santo Stefano is reached by car from L'Aquila in about 45 minutes, or from Sulmona in an hour. There is no frequent bus service in winter: a car is essential. Many Albergo Diffuso rooms stay open through the cold months; booking ahead is advisable on weekends around Christmas, when a few more adventurous visitors turn up. The rest of the time, the village belongs entirely to those who choose the cold.