Sundays in the Storytelling Villages of Gran Sasso

Sundays in the Storytelling Villages of Gran Sasso

Sundays in the Storytelling Villages of Gran Sasso is a widespread festival that, during the autumn season, transforms fifteen small villages on the L'Aquila side of the massif into stages for slow discovery. Every Sunday, two neighboring villages share their stories with visitors through their alleys, squares, panoramas, and flavors. The municipality of San Benedetto in Perillis, a tiny village in the hinterland of the Province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo, is one of the protagonists of this circuit that celebrates the most authentic Apennines.

The stop in San Benedetto in Perillis

In San Benedetto in Perillis, the day is designed as a multi-stage journey. The morning is dedicated to an orienteering game through the alleys and small squares of the village: equipped with a map and compass, residents and visitors explore hidden glimpses, panoramic corners, and iconic landmarks together in a group activity designed to involve even the youngest participants. The exploration concludes with an aperitif featuring local products, a convivial moment to savor the tastes of the Navelli Plateau and the lands of the Gran Sasso.

In the afternoon, participants move to the twin village of Collepietro for a guided tour among monuments, symbolic places, and community stories, accompanied by qualified guides and a local resident who serves as a guardian of the territory's traditions and memories.

A community project

The festival was born from the commitment of the Il Bosso Cooperative, in collaboration with the GAL Gran Sasso Velino, as part of the ASTRI program (Social Agriculture, Tourism, and Rebirth). The goal is to tell the story of the territory without filters, enhancing its potential and placing the local communities of the fifteen Storytelling Villages at the center: Barisciano, Calascio, Capestrano, Caporciano, Carapelle Calvisio, Castel del Monte, Castelvecchio Calvisio, Collepietro, Navelli, Ofena, Prata d'Ansidonia, San Benedetto in Perillis, San Pio delle Camere, Santo Stefano di Sessanio, and Villa Santa Lucia degli Abruzzi.

Why participate

• Free admission to all the day's activities.
• A format suitable for families, groups of friends, and travelers who love experiential tourism.
• The chance to discover the most authentic inland Abruzzo, far from mass tourism circuits.
• An immersion into folk traditions, local gastronomy, and Gran Sasso landscapes.

The stop in San Benedetto in Perillis is a small yet significant tale of the Apennine Abruzzo: an invitation to slow down, walk among the stones of an ancient village, and let yourself be guided by the voices of those who live there.