Italian medieval mountain hamlet sees rebirth

STORY: Italy's medieval mountain hamlet is seeing a revival

Location: Rocca Calascio, Italy

Franco Cagnoli is on a mission

to bring attention to the Rocca Calascio castle

and the hamlet that had been abandoned in 1957

"Between me and Rocca Calascio, let's say in romantic terms, there is a love story. It is the story of a sixteen-year-old boy who, while searching for his identity, arrived here, in this place he did not know, at the first light of dawn. I arrived here on my motorbike and saw the dawn lighting up the castle. It was for me a powerful scene that literally blew me away. From that day on, something inside me changed...It seems strange to say, but that's exactly what happened because I thought it was the most beautiful place on Earth...I perceived special energies. Later, life brought me back here, to the castle, not just to the village of Calascio."

The castle's foundations date back to about 1,000 years

The village has about 80 residents

Cagnoli moved to Calascio in 2012

He has formed a cooperative with about 20 friends

who guide visitors through the castle and the hamlet

"It takes a lot of passion to take care of this place and to inspire tourists, to make them understand exactly where they are. Many people don't realize that."