Population
The 10 smallest Borghi più belli d'Italia
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.
The smallest comuni in the catalogue that hold the Borghi più belli d'Italia recognition. 10 towns shown.
Table no. 19 · Ranked by residents · 10 towns
The Borghi più belli d'Italia list certifies beauty. It does not certify visitors, and its smallest members prove the two are separable: recognized, photographed for the association's calendar, and quiet fifty weekends a year.
These are the smallest holders of the recognition in our catalogue. The certification plaque by the town gate is often the newest thing in the town.
- 1.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.
- 2.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
- 3.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.
- 4.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.
- 5.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.
- 6.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.
- 7.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.
- 8.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.
- 9.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.
- 10.Luserna266 residentsTrento · Trentino-Alto AdigeBest for a long lunch. A food guide lists Lusernarhof here.51 min from TrentoA Cimbrian island at 1,333 meters on the Alpe Cimbra plateau, the last village in Italy where the medieval Bavarian dialect is still spoken at home.The catch: January nights average 6 degrees below zero.
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.