SCORRANO, Abruzzo — Scorrano, a hamlet of 50 people in Cellino Attanasio, Abruzzo, is staging its sixth Borgo da Favola (Fairytale Village) festival on April 25, filling medieval lanes with muralists, storytellers, and live theatre in a deliberate bid to slow the emptying of rural Italy.

“When you visit the village, you truly feel that time has stopped,” said Elisabetta, a visitor from San Benedetto del Tronto. “The colours of the drawings on the walls accompany you like a fairytale. It is a place that transmits a deep, quiet peace.”