The first episodes of Help! We Bought a Village dedicated to Sellano were broadcast in the UK.
The Channel 4 programme follows the story of some British citizens who, fascinated by the peace and quiet of small, neglected villages around Europe, decide to move there and bring them back to life. As we had already told you, in the case of Sellano it is Roberto Battista.
The episodes aired in November, document the processes of change taking place in the charming Umbrian village in which Roberto was involved as a town councillor, including the construction of the much-anticipated Tibetan bridge.
The former convent, the Tibetan bridge and looking to the future
After leaving England in 2013, Roberto moved to Sellano to a former medieval convent and undertook its restoration. The building, however, was seriously damaged in 2016 following the strong earthquake that struck Umbria, with epicentre between the towns of Norcia, Preci and Castelsantangelo sul Nera.
Forced to move temporarily to another accommodation, Roberto kicked off a series of reconstruction and restoration efforts that can be followed closely in the programme’s episodes. The footage shows how work around the building continues to reveal the rich history of the former convent through the discovery of valuable architectural artefacts, and, in parallel, it follows the gruelling bureaucratic process required to allow the reconstruction work.
In the background, Help! We Bought a Village documents the construction stages of the Tibetan Bridge, an extraordinary engineering work to which Roberto has dedicated his heart and mind. The idea of building the Tibetan bridge is not new, but it will finally become a reality in 2024 and it will be possible to walk at 175 m above the Vigi Valley to reach Montesanto from Sellano.
However, this is not the only project in which Roberto is involved. In the programme we find the initiatives organised for children and the youth, the public library, the historical archive, the youth centre and the digital lab. With an eye to the future, the promotion of various projects has led to obtaining European funding that will soon give rise to new developments for the area.
A great success story on TV and Web
Every episode of Help! We Bought a Village has been seen by more than half a million viewers, plus those who will watch it online, which immediately translated into a considerable increase in traffic from the UK to the our VisitSellano.info website.
And it has enticed the producers to continue following Roberto’s story in his small Umbrian village of unspoiled beauty.
Yes, there will also be a second series which Channel 4 is currently filming.
The programme will continue to follow the developments and changes that in 2024 the opening of the Tibetan Bridge will bring to our village and the reconstruction work at the former convent until its completion.
See you in the next season!
