Scanno has charm…
Scanno is evocative…
Scanno is a timeless jewel…
Scanno seems artfully nestled among the mountains…
And this is the tourist’s vision which, as paradoxical as it may seem, for us can stop right here.
Because a visit is one thing, but life is quite another.
Mind you, we who live here consider ourselves truly privileged, and we can say it loud and clear: we are in the 21st century…
But let’s take a step back, to a time when living amidst such beauty required having “the strength.” What today appears poetic to visitors was, a couple of centuries ago, the harsh reality of everyday life; the isolated location, the ruggedness of the mountains, the sharply defined—and sometimes violent—seasons.
Now imagine a village developing in harmony with its surroundings, almost merging with the mountains, as if to ask forgiveness for having disturbed them.
As often happens in places like Scanno, the community made daily life easier, human relationships naturally and necessarily tightened through simple rituals and habits.
Some crossroads offered natural living rooms, places to stop at the end of the day for chats, confidences, outbursts, and a bit of well-deserved lightheartedness, becoming spontaneous meeting points. One of the most famous is the Nocella Arch. It doesn’t have a particularly remarkable history, nor can it be placed in a precise historical moment, yet… it is one of the quintessential Scanno icons.
Because on its cimmausa and at that crossroads have passed countless lives, loves, sorrows, secrets, laughter, and who knows how many teluorni… between a cushion to be plucked, a pot to be polished, or legumes to be shelled for the winter.
And if you think all this belongs to times long gone, we challenge you to drop by any evening and find a free step!
