Forget the churches and the scenery: the main reason tourists visit this town is a 94-year-old lady

CNN Travel is no stranger to uncovering Italy’s hidden gems, but few have caught my eye quite as much as the enchanting story of Margherita Ciarletta. In Scanno, a medieval village tucked deep in Abruzzo’s mountains, visitors don’t just come for frescoed churches or postcard-perfect vistas. They come searching for a grandmother in a black wool gown.

Who is the grandmother of Scanno?

At 94, Ciarletta is the last woman in Scanno who still dresses every day in the town’s centuries-old costume. Locals call her L’Ultima Regina, the Last Queen. Word has spread far beyond the cobbled lanes, and travelers often knock on doors until they find her. Many ask for selfies but, even so, Ciarletta waves off the idea she’s a star. “I’ve always liked this dress. I am proud to wear it,” she tells CNN.

For most of Scanno’s history, women kept two sets of clothes: richly embroidered finery for festivals, and a darker, plainer outfit for daily work. While a few still don the ornate costume at pageants, only Ciarletta has kept the everyday version alive, rotating between black and navy dresses, as she has since she was 18.

Despite her age, she remains pretty active. She still cooks handmade pasta for her grandchildren and tends to her garden. “I do everything on my own,” she says. And while you may expect that tourists could sometimes be a little overwhelming given her age, she welcomes polite visitors to the stone house she has lived in since 1950 with warmth.

Ciarletta is such a treasure that local officials are hoping she will help UNESCO recognize Scanno’s costumes as intangible cultural heritage. For the woman looking towards a century, however, things feel somewhat simpler. “I enjoy being a grandmother... I’m happy with my life.”

Read the full story of Margherita Ciarletta.

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