Navelli: a village built on the living rock.

Navelli is one of the villages that for centuries have constituted the vital axis of Abruzzo. This small village, which looks like a pyramid of houses perched on a rocky outcrop, preserves the ancient medieval structure almost intact. The ancient village nowadays appears surprisingly both dead and alive.

A steep and spectacular staircase on which a dense network of streets of extraordinary beauty unravels is embellished with ancient palaces, arches and small uninhabited stone houses.
 
On the highest area of the village are located the most prestigious architectural buildings: the Baronial Palace (Palazzo Santucci), the Church of San Sebastiano and the Church of Madonna delle Grazie. Between narrow streets and winding throughout the village are present  stately buildings and buildings enriched by loggias, portals and windows, as well as the civic doors, the only preserved elements of the ancient city walls.
 
Many elements describe its history through the centuries and its reconstructions followed by the countless earthquakes that have occurred over the centuries.

One of the characteristic of the village that i find most impressive is its houses partially excavated in the rock. And than the arched houses: covered passages with vaulted structures or wooden floors connecting the terraced houses to each other and in the long winter months, being sheltered spaces, constituted external workplaces for the community.

To walk around the village is a dive into the Middle Ages. There are places of community life, such as the old municipal ovens, streets like Via San Pasquale, on which you can see the doors of different noble buildings and architectural details such as the steps cut into the living rock or the hands carved in the stone that seem to indicate the direction to follow.

A few years ago, I moved to Navelli from Belgium. Its houses dug into the living rock have bewitched me. So I decided to buy one and turn it into a B & B. And since then I have never stopped exploring the village and its surroundings.

Our visit will start from the main square (Piazza San Pelino) and than will continue into the village in order to explore the architectural details of its houses and the whimsicality that the centuries left behind.

Arrived at the top of the village, near Palazzo Santucci, a magnificent view of the Plain will welcome us and we'll have a chance to  taste a glass of local wine while relaxing for a little bit.

After visiting the Palazzo Santucci and the Church of San Sebastiano we will descend towards my B & B "Sotto le Volte", an example of a house built by digging directly into the living rock.

There I will have the pleasure of offering you a tasting of typical Navelli products and at the same time showing you the charm of this ancient structure.