How Italy unintentionally created the ideal hotel for the Covid era

Medieval designs, ghost towns, and remote landscapes – what might seem like the plot of a horror film could actually be the blueprint for the perfect hotel in the post-Covid world.

Since the 1990s, Italy has been leading the way with a tourism concept known as 'albergo diffuso' – or 'scattered hotels.' These involve setting up a full hotel experience across several buildings in a mostly deserted village.

Many of these ancient villages have experienced depopulation as locals move to larger cities for work, a challenge that has prompted some villages to sell homes at rock-bottom prices.

Resourceful hoteliers have revived these abandoned towns, turning them into often luxurious accommodations. Guests stay in individual buildings while enjoying shared amenities like restaurants or spas located elsewhere in the village.

As travel picks up with the hope of a vaccine, it’s expected that many tourists will continue to prefer accommodations that allow for social distancing – which is where scattered hotels shine.

The perfect destination

Back in the 1990s, entrepreneur Daniele Kihlgren found the medieval fortress town of Santo Stefano di Sessanio in the central Italian region of Abruzzo, where the Campo Imperatore mountains, often called 'Little Tibet,' offer breathtaking views.

Kihlgren, who grew up in northern Italy, found himself in the village almost by accident. “I had lost my way on the dirt paths winding around a medieval castle,” he recalls.

“I had spent years looking for places like this, where the landscape remained untouched.”

Once he found the ideal location, he set about bringing his vision to life.

“I sat down with my accountant and shared my vision for the village,” he says. “I told him how ironically, it was the village’s abandonment that saved it. How the mass migration had drained Southern Italy. I explained how I saw these rugged, empty lands being transformed.”

This marked the beginning of Sextantio, a brand of scattered hotels, which, in addition to Santo Stefano di Sessanio, also has a location in Matera, a southern Italian city carved directly into stone.

Space and separation

In Santo Stefano di Sessanio, a village that seems to have stood still in time, Sextantio offers mountain-top picnics with local breads, cheeses, wines, fruits, and cured meats. The village maintains a traditional charm, with a café in the square, locals crafting artisanal goods, and a waiter who, while serving local delicacies, explains the methods behind their production.

Other albergo diffuso have adopted a similar approach, with 150 scattered hotels now opening across Italy.

Following the pandemic’s severe toll on Italy’s tourism industry, which contributes 13% to the nation’s GDP, these scattered hotels are expected to play a crucial role in revitalizing the sector, as traditional hotels continue to face difficulties in adjusting to the new Covid-era realities.

Nunzia Taraschi, director of Sextantio Albergo Diffuso, explains that they “haven’t altered anything during Covid.”

“Since this model isn’t heavily commercialized, we have a limited number of rooms. The rooms are scattered inside small homes, allowing for plenty of space between them. This project started as a restoration rather than a business model, which now gives us the advantage of space and separation,” she says.

The albergo diffuso model’s ability to cater to the needs of Covid-era tourists without major modifications was recently emphasized in a study published by the Canadian Center of Science and Education, authored by Antonietta Cosentino of Sapienza University of Rome and Barbara Iannone of G. D’Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara.

Earlier this month, Abruzzo was officially designated as a Covid “red zone,” which prohibits tourists from entering the region. Taraschi mentions that the hotel was accommodating guests up until the new restrictions were enforced.

“We’ve already received bookings for December,” she says. “Just a few weeks ago, guests who stayed at Sextantio mentioned they felt safer here than they did back home in the city.”

New attractions

Marisa Ragi, owner of Al Vecchio Convento Albergo Diffuso in the small village of Portico di Romagna, located in northern Italy’s Emilia Romagna region, remains positive when discussing the current state of her business.

“We’re in a tough situation right now since Emilia is considered an orange zone, so we’re forced to stay closed,” she explains. “But up until that point, we were keeping very busy.”

“I was pleasantly surprised because, typically, 90% of our guests are international visitors seeking unique, hidden experiences. They want the authentic Italy. But since mid-July, when Italy reopened, we’ve had a surge of Italian visitors who have really helped us stay afloat.”

Ragi adds: “We had guests until just last week when we were forced to shut down. We’ve worked harder these past two months than in the previous two decades.”

Most of Ragi’s guests come from northern Europe. “Italians often ask if we have a pool or a sauna, but we don’t have those amenities. We have a fresh river right outside the albergo diffuso. While those facilities might be considered risky now, having access to a natural river is actually seen as a benefit.”

Ragi and her husband initially opened a restaurant in their hometown, but it wasn’t until 2007, when they launched the albergo diffuso with the help of Giancarlo Dall’Ara, the creator of the scattered hotel concept, that their business truly took off.”

As the town flourished, other businesses began to sprout, inspired by the success of the albergo diffuso model.

Ragi shares, “As a gesture to the community, I decided to create a little free library. I open it early in the morning, and if I remember, I close it at night. Anyone can come by, bring a book, or take a book, with no limit. I cover the electricity costs. Now, the library has grown to house 10,000 books.”

Andrea Ciarroca, the owner of Residence Il Palazzo in Santo Stefano di Sessanio, explains that her business was able to defy the trend of declining bookings seen by traditional hotels during this year’s peak season.

He adds that the outlook for the future is positive.

“This summer, we experienced a rise in tourism. I believe there’s a niche market that will seek to reconnect with nature, exploring villages and hiking in the mountains.”

This article has been revised to include the names of the authors of the academic paper referenced in the text.