Gran Sasso Storytelling Villages Festival

A widespread festival for the Gran Sasso villages

The Gran Sasso Storytelling Villages Festival is a distributed event involving the fifteen municipalities of the Integrated Tourism Destination of the same name, located in the heart of the L'Aquila province. Among these villages is Villa Santa Lucia degli Abruzzi, a small town of just a few dozen inhabitants perched at an altitude of 900 meters at the southern gateway to the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park. The festival is not tied to a single square but treats the entire network of villages as one large, interconnected landscape of stories.

The theme: telling the past to design the future

Launched in 2024 and reaching its third edition in 2026, the festival focuses on the future of inland areas: urban and social regeneration, quality tourism, welcoming new residents, and enhancing cultural heritage. The theme of the 2026 edition, «telling the past to design the future», captures the spirit of the event, which alternates institutional discussions with immersive experiences in the local landscapes and communities.

Forums, trekking, and communal tables

The program combines various formats:

• Forums and round tables with administrators, university professors, and institutional representatives, dedicated to changing and welcoming communities;
• the «Future Workshop for Small Villages» Bootcamp, a residential laboratory bringing together students, young professionals, and researchers to develop concrete proposals;
• narrative trekking along the paths of the Gran Sasso, accompanied by poets, shepherds, and local storytellers;
• communal dining featuring typical village products and storytelling sessions about local history.

Villa Santa Lucia degli Abruzzi and the village network

Villa Santa Lucia degli Abruzzi participates in the festival as an integral part of the destination, alongside villages such as Calascio, Castelvecchio Calvisio, Capestrano, Castel del Monte, Navelli, Ofena, and Santo Stefano di Sessanio. Nestled among oak and beech forests and rich in history—with records dating back to the year 1000—the village perfectly embodies the challenge addressed by the festival: preserving the identity of small mountain centers while imagining a viable future. The event is promoted by the Il Bosso Cooperative with the support of the GAL Gran Sasso Velino and the involved municipal administrations.

An event for the inland areas of Abruzzo

With its participatory and itinerant approach, the Gran Sasso Storytelling Villages Festival has become a benchmark for those who believe in the revival of Apennine villages. It is a festival that does not merely celebrate the past but turns communities into protagonists of their own tomorrow, set against the unique backdrop of the Abruzzo Gran Sasso.