The hamlet was founded in 1515, when a monk established a retreat before shepherds settled in with their flocks. Houses, shops, stables, a church and the fountain, which was the centrepiece of the large square, were built; donkey tracks wound through the narrow streets, leading to the fields beyond.
But Spagnuolo struggled to find work, and his marriage hit difficulties that were compounded when his father-in-law moved in. He said the home “wasn’t big enough for two grown men”, and so in 1997 he moved into a deserted house, with no electricity or running water, in Roscigno Vecchia. He said the fire, which he uses to cook, is enough to warm the place, and candles make do for light. His wife still lives nearby, and their relationship is amicable.
Still, the fact that Spagnuolo is the only resident has made him a star around the world, helping put Roscigno Vecchia quite literally back on the map , and turning him into a de facto tour guide, supporting Pro Loco, the association behind a museum that recounts Roscigno’s history.Curious tourists often bring food, drink and other gifts. “This hat I’m wearing is from Belize,” he said. “As is the tie.
Just as well. Palmieri was recently left seething after Roscigno Vecchia failed to qualify as a candidate for a slice of a €1bn Covid recovery fund, thaton reviving either abandoned or semi-abandoned towns. Palmieri acknowledges that, by law, it’s not safe to repopulate the old hamlet owing to its unstable conditions, but he would still like it to be recognised as a cultural resource.