Recognitions
10 Borghi più belli d'Italia that stay empty anyway
Ten towns: what each is best for, what a home costs, and the catch. A square meter runs from €410 in Mombaldone to €1,550 in Bard.
Borghi più belli d'Italia comuni under 1,000 residents, recognition without the coach parking. 10 towns shown, smallest first.
Table no. 26 · Ranked by residents · 10 towns
Recognition is supposed to bring visitors. For these Borghi più belli d'Italia members, all under a thousand residents, it mostly brought a plaque.
The reasons vary: a road that ends there, a province off the flight paths, stronger names nearby. The result is the same, certified beauty with room to stand.
- 1.Cornello dei Tasso50 residentsBergamo · LombardiaBest for a day out from Bergamo. It is 39 min by car.39 min from BergamoA car-free medieval frazione of Camerata Cornello in the Val Brembana, reachable only on foot, built around the family that ran Europe's first integrated postal network.
- 2.Ostana87 residentsCuneo · Piemonte1 h 34 min from Turin · homes €660 to €950 a m² in the centerThe catch: January nights average 3 degrees below zero.
- 3.Bard102 residentsAosta Valley · Aosta ValleyBest for a long lunch. A food guide lists Ad Gallias here.1 h 12 min from Turin · homes €1,050 to €1,550 a m² in the center
- 4.Santo Stefano di Sessanio105 residentsL'Aquila · AbruzzoBest for walks in a national park. Part of the comune lies in a national park.1 h 18 min from Pescara · homes €810 to €1,150 a m² in the centerA Medici outpost at 1,250 meters, restored building by building since 1999 into Italy's first scattered hotel.The catch: January nights average 3 degrees below zero.
- 5.Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena126 residentsSavona · LiguriaBest for a slow weekend. The Touring Club gives it its orange flag for small inland towns.1 h 33 min from Genoa · homes €710 to €1,050 a m²The catch: It has lost 20% of its people since 2015.
- 6.Usseaux174 residentsTorino · PiemonteBest for a slow weekend. The Touring Club gives it its orange flag for small inland towns.1 h 32 min from Turin · homes €680 to €1,000 a m² in the centerA Val Chisone village at 1,416 meters with four scattered borgate and more than forty murals painted across the stone facades.The catch: January nights average 7 degrees below zero.
- 7.Mombaldone192 residentsAsti · PiemonteBest for a trip without a car. The train stops in the commune.1 h 24 min from Genoa · homes €410 to €610 a m² in the centerThe catch: It has lost 18% of its people since 2015.
- 8.Pietracamela199 residentsTeramo · AbruzzoBest for a ski week. There is a mapped ski area in the comune.1 h 32 min from Pescara · homes €620 to €920 a m² in the centerThe catch: It has lost 30% of its people since 2015.
- 9.Percile217 residentsRoma · Lazio54 min from Rome · homes €550 to €800 a m² in the centerThe catch: It has lost 23% of its people since 2015.
- 10.Castellaro Lagusello250 residentsMantova · LombardiaBest for a day out from Verona. It is 38 min by car.38 min from VeronaA walled medieval borgo south of Lake Garda, ringed by 13th-century stone walls and overlooking a small heart-shaped natural lake that gives the village its second name and most-photographed silhouette.
THREE OF THE TOP TEN ARE IN PIEMONTE
We write letters from the Italian towns we visit: the town, what is worth eating there, and when to turn up. It is free, and you can leave whenever you like.
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