Italian ghost town home to just one man
<p>If you’re someone who doesn’t typically get along well with your neighbours, maybe a move to Sostila, a tiny mountain hamlet in Italy, is on the cards.</p>
<p>The reason? You’d only have one!</p>
<p>65-year-old Fausto Mottalini is the sole inhabitant of Sostila, attracted to the town’s panoramic views, alpine air and glistening snow-capped peaks.</p>
<p>Mr Mottalini made the move to the tiny hamlet at the feet of the Italian Alps in retirement after a career as a doctor, looking for a fresh start after a failed marriage.</p>
<p>And by all accounts he seems to enjoy the secluded surrounds.</p>
<p>Mr Mottalini says, “I was given the chance to start a second life when one day I came to fix the broken roof of our house. The surrounding peace and silence struck me, I realised this was going to be my new home. Now I’m happy and satisfied.”</p>
<p>Mr Mottalini has to leave the village a few times every week for supplies, but spends the rest of his time outside, trekking, shooting photographs and gardening.</p>
<p>Mr Mottalini also enjoys reading, stating, “I underline the best sentences I come across in books and take notes. Brainstorm is healthy. I need to exercise both mind and body. I do what whatever I want, whenever I feel like it. Now am I not a lucky man?”</p>
<p>And while he may spend a lot of time in solitude, Mr Mottalini isn’t entirely alone. On weekends his nephew Franco dresses in medieval clothes takes curious visitors on an 8km trekking route to Sostila that allows them to experience the secluded village.</p>
<p>Italy has nearly 20,000 ghost towns which have been totally or partially abandoned due to harsh living conductions, natural calamities or lack of electricity.</p>
<p>Sostila remains inaccessible by car, and the only way to reach it is by trekking through dense rainforest. Mr Mottalini typically parks his car in the valley where the last bit of road stops, carrying his bags and supplies between the village and the vehicle.</p>
<p>Mr Mottalini says, “Each day for me is new, unexpected. I live it with curiosity and an open heart. I don’t waste my time mulling over the past or waiting for tomorrow. I live the present. I may be alone, but I never feel lonely.”</p>
<p>Scroll through the gallery above to catch a glimpse of Sostila.</p>
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