Sextantio Albergo Diffuso, Santo Stefano di Sessanio

This hotel is in an old Medieval town fron the 1500's. There is some restoration going on in the town, but it doesn't interfere with any plans. The room is an old wall house. It has stone walls, floors and fireplaces. I chose the room with a small terrace, and a living room. The bedroom and bathroom are upstairs. There is a large soaking tub, in the bathroom, but no shower. Be prepared to use the rinsing pot provided. It brings you back to the day. There is an excellent hair dryer. Not much in amenities, so bring your own, but hey it's the 1500's! The restaurant serves a great breakfast and dinner was outstanding. I loved the whole Medieval neighborhood. I chose a guide, but you can easily walk the town and discover it yourself, but the guide holds the key to the tower, which is the only way in and up to the top for the beautiful view.

It’s not just an hotel, it’s an experience that brings you back to another world as you are staying within an old village and where beauty, respect of art and culture are at the centre of Sextanio’s hospitality. The kindness and passion of the staff are remarkable and we honestly had one of the best experiences ever. The rooms are little gems, with great touches, breathtaking views, and if you get the superior rooms, the fireplace and bath tub are special. Can’t wait to be there again - thanks so much!

Amazing medieval town and rooms in the middle. Keeping the medieval feel and yet modern and comfy. Room we had was great with our own little fire place that was made up for us each day. Breakfast in locando restaurant was Italian with good variety. Cantina for wine and cheese or tea and biscuits in the evening was an extra bonus. Big shout out to Alberto who was great. Highly recommend this place. Hiking around also great. Staff Fantastic and very helpful.

We had an absolutely magnificent two-night stay in early October. It was simply perfect. We did the tour of the village, a truffle hunt and the bread baking class. My only complaint was the multi-course dinner that was included in our package. It was not our favorite meal. If I were to go back, I'd do everything but that meal. The room was so unique and comforting. We loved the ancient feel of the walls, the bed being so high, the lightning, while sometimes challenging, was actually quite romantic! BUT the absolute best part of our stay, hands down, was the truffle hunt followed by the bread baking with Alessandro. We were in Italy for two weeks and that was THE best thing we did by far. I will never forget it.

The place is quite interesting in that all the rooms are in various places around Santo Stefano (that's why it's called "diffuso") which in itself is a very pretty town. We found the concept of sticking to the original "arte povera" ambiance to be very well done: the rooms did in fact feel like out of another time and yet there were extremely clean and well appointed. In particular, we liked the large bathroom and the modern tub. WiFi reception was quite good, and sleeping was great. Breakfast was fantastic. Dinner was very good but a bit less so - my dish, while delicious, came to the table rather cold. The staff is generally very nice. The people at the restaurant are very attentive, and other workers were very helpful at carrying our bags in and out of the room - which was very welcome in this cobble-stoned town. The worst part was the front desk. The receptionist was somewhat unfriendly and not at all trained or inclined to greet new guests warmly and well - she was short, curt and constantly frowning. Upon arrival, guests are provided with a map showing the location of the various rooms, the bar ("cantinone"), the restaurant, and something called the library ("biblioteca"). I asked at the front desk if I could see the library and I might as well have asked if I could see the Pope while he's in the bathroom. I wonder why on earth they include the "library" in the place's map if it's off-limits to guests.