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Population

Italy's smallest comuni

Ten towns at the top of the list: what each is best for, what a home costs, and the catch. A square meter runs from €300 in Celle di San Vito to €1,550 in Bard.

The smallest comuni in our catalogue, ranked by official ISTAT population. 60 towns shown, each under a thousand residents.

Table no. 1 · Ranked by residents · 60 towns

Portofino, Liguria
Portofino, Liguria

ISTAT counts residents, not visitors, and by that count these are the emptiest comuni we cover. Some are alpine villages that lost their young to the valley factories two generations ago. Some are hill towns that never had more than a few hundred people to begin with.

Small does not mean abandoned. Every town on this list still has a municipal government, a church that opens for the festa, and someone who unlocks the bar in the morning. What it lacks is crowd, and that is the point of coming.

  1. 1.Montelapiano67 residentsChieti · Abruzzo1 h 24 min from Pescara · homes €420 to €630 a m² in the center
  2. 2.Ostana87 residentsCuneo · PiemonteBest for a walk through the old town. It is on the list of Italy's most beautiful villages.1 h 34 min from Turin · homes €660 to €950 a m² in the centerThe catch: January nights average 3 degrees below zero.
  3. 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. 4.Monteferrante103 residentsChieti · Abruzzo1 h 25 min from Pescara · homes €420 to €630 a m² in the centerThe catch: It has lost 25% of its people since 2015.
  5. 5.Santo Stefano di Sessanio105 residentsL'Aquila · AbruzzoBest for a walk through the old town. It is on the list of Italy's most beautiful villages.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.
  6. 6.Calascio122 residentsL'Aquila · AbruzzoBest for walks in a national park. Part of the comune lies in a national park.1 h 16 min from Pescara · homes €580 to €840 a m² in the center
  7. 7.Castelvecchio Calvisio124 residentsL'Aquila · AbruzzoBest for walks in a national park. Part of the comune lies in a national park.1 h 11 min from Pescara · homes €340 to €490 a m² in the centerThe catch: It has lost 21% of its people since 2015.
  8. 8.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.
  9. 9.Celle di San Vito142 residentsFoggia · Puglia55 min from Foggia · homes €300 to €450 a m² in the centerThe catch: It has lost 15% of its people since 2015.
  10. 10.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.

FIVE OF THE TOP TEN ARE IN ABRUZZO

  1. 11.Mombaldone192 residents · ASTI
  2. 12.Pietracamela199 residents · TERAMO
  3. 13.Percile217 residents · ROMA
  4. 14.Pescopennataro231 residents · ISERNIA
  5. 15.Montesegale244 residents · PAVIA
  6. 16.Castellaro Lagusello250 residents · MANTOVA
  7. 17.Luserna266 residents · TRENTO
  8. 18.Castel di Tora273 residents · RIETI
  9. 19.Zuccarello279 residents · SAVONA
  10. 20.Seborga284 residents · IMPERIA
  11. 21.Civitacampomarano298 residents · CAMPOBASSO
  12. 22.Anversa degli Abruzzi300 residents · L'AQUILA
  13. 23.Pizzone300 residents · ISERNIA
  14. 24.Castel del Giudice305 residents · ISERNIA
  15. 25.Monte Rinaldo308 residents · FERMO
  16. 26.Capranica Prenestina325 residents · ROMA
  17. 27.Vallo di Nera334 residents · PERUGIA
  18. 28.Labro346 residents · RIETI
  19. 29.Portofino351 residents · GENOVA
  20. 30.Alessandria del Carretto352 residents · COSENZA
  21. 31.Capraia Isola358 residents · LIVORNO
  22. 32.Fortunago368 residents · PAVIA
  23. 33.Castel del Monte383 residents · L'AQUILA
  24. 34.Collalto Sabino383 residents · RIETI
  25. 35.Ronco Canavese383 residents · TORINO
  26. 36.Orvinio387 residents · RIETI
  27. 37.Triora389 residents · IMPERIA
  28. 38.Sauris390 residents · UDINE
  29. 39.Scheggino426 residents · PERUGIA
  30. 40.Castel San Vincenzo427 residents · ISERNIA
  31. 41.Montresta435 residents · ORISTANO
  32. 42.Ofena440 residents · L'AQUILA
  33. 43.Fontainemore447 residents · AOSTA VALLEY
  34. 44.Belgirate450 residents · VERBANO-CUSIO-OSSOLA
  35. 45.Bova454 residents · REGGIO CALABRIA
  36. 46.Cella Monte454 residents · ALESSANDRIA
  37. 47.Fenestrelle471 residents · TORINO
  38. 48.Etroubles476 residents · AOSTA VALLEY
  39. 49.Isole Tremiti486 residents · FOGGIA
  40. 50.Villalago488 residents · L'AQUILA
  41. 51.Macugnaga496 residents · VERBANO-CUSIO-OSSOLA
  42. 52.Serralunga d'Alba497 residents · CUNEO
  43. 53.Serralunga di Crea506 residents · ALESSANDRIA
  44. 54.Madesimo507 residents · SONDRIO
  45. 55.Guardia Perticara508 residents · POTENZA
  46. 56.Goriano Sicoli512 residents · L'AQUILA
  47. 57.Forni di Sotto520 residents · UDINE
  48. 58.Moresco525 residents · FERMO
  49. 59.Scontrone537 residents · L'AQUILA
  50. 60.Cimbergo538 residents · BRESCIA

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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