ICYMI: The once-ghostly place, Rocca Calascio is one of many small locations in Italy enjoying a revival, fueled by cheap prices, smart working opportunities and a desire for a quieter lifestyle
One such sunrise struck Franco Cagnoli with an almost spiritual calling that led him on a personal mission to revive the medieval village that had been abandoned in 1957.
Depopulation of rural villages or mountain hamlets in Italy began with emigration in the early 20th century, accelerating after World War Two when the country's economic boom lured people to urban jobs. Cagnoli, now 39, first saw the castle when he was 16 and living in the regional capital L'Aquila. He was on road trip to find himself.
"People of the previous generation didn't appreciate, or thought they didn't appreciate, the land they lived on," Befani said.The castle, where the 1985 film "Ladyhawke" starring Michelle Pfeiffer was filmed, began as a tower in a chain of medieval defensive fortifications to control the valleys stretching inwards from the Adriatic Sea.