A personal journey through Abruzzo

Greenwingo

Villages, silence, and the stories left behind

A blog about the small places that time forgot — and the ones still quietly alive. Written from the hills of the L'Aquila province, with care.

The Series

Two ways of listening
to a village

Some villages still breathe. Others speak only through ruins. Both have something to say.

Villalago Sfondo Villalago Eremo Buonanotte Dettaglio
Villalago Daini Buonanotte Aielli Belvedere
Aielli Murales Astronauta Aielli Murales Famoso Canistro Fontana con le Maschere
Canistro Panchina nel Bosco Cascata Parco della Sponga Capistrello Vecchio
Pietrasecca Grotta del Cervo Pietrasecca Vicolo Pietrasecca Vista sulla Valle
Village Diaries №1

Villalago

A living village in the Sagittario valley. Deer, gorges, and a Sunday that tasted like slow life.

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Village Diaries №2

Aielli

The astronomy village coated in vibrant street art. Constellations, poetry, and the murals that painted it back to life.

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Village Diaries №3

Valle Roveto & Canistro

A village built around water — fountains everywhere, an emigration story carved into stone, and a Sunday that started at the Parco della Sponga.

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Village Diaries №4

Pietrasecca

A village risen from stone, perched over a cave that took 350,000 years to write its own history. Empty houses, endless steps, and a view over the highway below.

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Ghost Villages №1

Buonanotte

Abandoned, silent, slowly returning to the earth. A village that emptied out and the silence moved in to stay.

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Latest Article

Pietrasecca — A Village Risen From Stone

A visit that started underground, in a cave left deliberately dark, and ended on top of a ruined church with the whole valley — and the highway below — spread out at your feet.

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Notes & Finds

Thoughts, links,
and things worth sharing

A small corner for whatever does not fit an article.

Sep 2026

Fifth article out — Pietrasecca (A Village Risen From Stone), a borgo grown straight out of a rock spur in the Marsica. A guided walk through the Grotta del Cervo, then a slow climb past empty houses to the ruins of Santo Stefano.

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Aug 2026

The villages that empty out — a personal reflection on the depopulation of Abruzzo's inland villages: what gets lost when a borgo slowly empties, and the quiet signs of hope bringing people back — roots tourism, €1 homes, bears returning to Pettorano sul Gizio, and the film crews that keep falling for these places.

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Aug 2026

Avezzano — gateway to the Marsica. A practical guide to using the town as a base: how to get there, what to see in Avezzano itself, and the villages, canyons, and ruins within easy reach — Aielli, Canistro, Villalago, Celano, Alba Fucens, Cocullo, and more.

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July 2026

Fourth article out — Valle Roveto & Canistro (A Generous Land), a village built entirely around its fountains. Starts at the Parco della Sponga and climbs through an emigration exhibit, a chapel in the chestnut woods, and the Liri river.

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June 2026

Third article out — Aielli (Borgo Universo), the astronomy village coated in vibrant street art. A perfect crossroad between constellations, poetry, and slow walking.

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May 2026

The story behind Greenwingo — on photographing with intention, choosing presence over pixels, and why some places deserve more than an algorithm.

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May 2026

Second article out — Villalago, a living village in the Sagittario valley. Deer, gorges, and a Sunday that tasted like slow life.

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Apr 2026

First article out — the story of Buonanotte, an abandoned village in the Val di Sangro that I found almost by accident.

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Apr 2026

The real luxury — slowing down. A reflection on living in a small province, the stress of big cities, and why I wouldn't trade this for anything.

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About this blog

Abruzzo - a land full of villages that most people drive past without stopping. Greenwingo is my way of stopping. Of walking in, looking around, and writing down what I find. No tourism brochures. Just honest curiosity, a camera, and time.

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