When Giancarlo dall’Ara first came up with the albergo diffuso model in the 1980s, it was a creative solution born out of a tragic situation. An earthquake had devastated dozens of towns in the northwestern region of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia and Professor Dall’Ara, then a young hospitality marketing consultant, was tasked with finding a way to revive tourism in the area.

Instead of constructing new lodgings to accommodate visitors, he thought, why not use the existing houses? Why stay in a hotel when you can stay in the village? The term albergo diffuso can be roughly translated to mean a “scattered hotel” — that is, a property that features rooms and suites located across numerous buildings within the same town.