WATCH OUT FOR WITCHES

Open Abruzzo’s book of legends and flick through its marvellous landscapes on this full-day excursion to two towns located within the Gran Sasso National Park.

Your private chauffeur will meet you at your accommodation and drive you to Castel del Monte. The splendid views of the surrounding scenery to be admired from here add drama to this town, famous for its amazingly well preserved medieval historic centre. Not only does Castel del Monte retain its original layout but long-standing traditions, age old crafts and ancient flavours are also nurtured and still live on, offering visitors the chance to step back into Abruzzo’s days of yore.

As you follow your guide through the town’s maze of streets, past stone houses and churches, you will pick up a sense of its past as well as a glimpse of the customs of its small, but lively, community. Sheep breeding and the seasonal movement of flocks, common practice here for hundreds of years, have profoundly shaped the course of Castel del Monte’s history and lie at the root of the steady increase in prosperity experienced by the town from the 12th through to the 16th centuries. But it was under the rule of the Florentine Medici family, who came into possession of Castel del Monte in 1579 and governed for 164 years, that the town enjoyed its golden age as a thriving wool trading centre. The Renaissance and Baroque treasures housed inside the Church of San Marco and the Church of the Madonna del Suffragio stand as evidence of Castel del Monte’s former prestige.

Beneath the town sporti tunnels add a layer of mystery to the atmosphere. If you listen carefully while ambling along these shadowy passageways, eerie noises, frightful moans and strange laughter might reach your ears. Your guide will provide the explanation: Castel del Monte is well known to have been haunted by witches. Until not long ago the locals were so deeply persuaded that these evil creatures could slip into their homes through keyholes and chimneys causing illness and worse, that bizarre rites and remedies were put in place to ward off their wicked spells. Today, the citizens honour the memory of their ancestors’ beliefs by celebrating the popular “Night of the Witches” held in mid-August, featuring shows and re-enactments of ancient rituals.

You might also be interested to know that the town holds the title of Abruzzo’s capital of Canestrato pecorino. Before moving on, a stop to refuel with this flavoursome cheese is highly recommended.

You will then rejoin your driver and ride to the unspoilt uplands of Campo Imperatore, lying between 1,500 and 1,900 metres above sea level. The area has appeared as a backdrop in a number of movies, including the 1980s The Name of the Rose, and is the ideal setting for a restorative passeggiata. Here visitors may relax and unwind on a stroll through green meadows and enjoy glorious views of the rocky massif of the Gran Sasso.

After some free time for lunch, the last stage on this tour will bring you to another town where time seems to have come to a standstill. Echoes of horses’ hooves and the clang of knights’ swords still resonate across the narrow alleys and quaint piazzette of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, a tiny jewel of a town tucked away in a secluded, stunningly beautiful corner of Abruzzo. Swedish millionaire Daniele Kihlgren stumbled upon this almost-deserted village by chance in 1999 during a solitary motorbike trip which proved to be a revelation and a life-changing experience. Struck by the allure of the site and the surprisingly untouched architecture, he drew up a plan to save Santo Stefano from abandonment and decay. Kihlgren financed a restoration project, purchased a number of houses and converted them into a “diffused hotel”, breathing new life into the town.

The past oozes from every stone in Santo Stefano and, while you weave your way along the streets, up and down steps, under ancient archways, your guide will illuminate key moments in the town’s history, from its 14th century beginnings, through the Medici domination, right up to the present day. Not to be missed are the gateway to the old town bearing the Medici coat of arms, the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo with its elegant loggia and the artisan stores selling woollen goods and gastronomic specialities.

Your private chauffeur will drive you back to your hotel in the afternoon.