Lombardia · Pavia
Fortunago
A 368-resident village on a 482-meter ridge, with stone façades, porphyry streets and the production zone of Salame di Varzi at its doorstep.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Fortunago is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia.
Subscribe and you get Fortunago's letter the day it comes out.
Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 24 min from Milan
- Population
- 368
- J7°
- F10°
- M12°
- A15°
- M20°
- J25°
- J28°
- A28°
- S23°
- O17°
- N11°
- D7°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
The name Fortunago comes from the Celtic Fortunacus, a settlement marked above a watercourse. The village sits in the Apennine half of the Oltrepò Pavese, the wedge of Pavia province that crosses the Po and presses south toward Liguria, with Varzi to the south and Pinot Nero vineyards to the east. The centro storico climbs the ridge in a single line: the oratory on the lower slope, the church at the upper end, the tower and wall on the rise just past it, so that walking through the village is walking up through its history in order, watercourse settlement, medieval defense, then parish seat.
Above it all the hills carry oak and chestnut wood and a pasture plateau. What holds the place together is the stone itself: the same exposed façades, wooden shutters and porphyry paving run from the lower oratory to the upper church, restored as one piece rather than as separate monuments, which is why the village reads as a whole settlement rather than a scatter of old buildings.
How to get there
From Genoa (GOA), about 1 h 48 min by car.
Milan Bergamo (BGY) is about 2 h 7 min away.
By car from the center of Parma 1 h 41 min.
Coming by train into Milano Centrale? Fortunago is about 1 h 25 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Genoa airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Chiesa di San Giorgio
Tempera triptych on wood signed Pesina inside, the church dominating the upper end of the village and visible above the rooftops.
Torre del castello
One tower and a run of wall, all that stands of the fortress that once held the rise above the church.
Oratorio di Sant'Antonio Abate
Chapel dedicated to the Virgin of Sorrows, set on the slope below the centro storico, away from the village's main religious building.
Parco a 600 metri
Oak and chestnut cover the plateau above the village, walked in spring for the wildflowers and in autumn for mushrooms.
Living here
Could you live here?
Fortunago is at the end of the road.
- A village of 368. The nearest town of 5,000 people, Casteggio, is 25 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Pavia, a city of 71,610, is 55 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 368, down 7.1% since 2015
- Nearest city Pavia, 55 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Varzi, 11 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €840 to €930 per m² to buy
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Commuter belt
- Pharmacy: none mapped
- Nearest high school over ~30 minutes away
- Full fibre reaches 88% of homes
- No primary school in the comune's register
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Milan Linate airport (LIN), 1 h 28 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Milan, 1 h 24 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
11% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, against 9% across Italy. There are 433 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 52% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Pavia province ranks 56th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Varzi, 11 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Pavia, 32 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Pavia, 32 km away. The nearest IB school is American School of Milan, 54 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Alexandria International School, 44 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Lombardia spends about €2,410 a month, €510 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €415 a year for water, on the Lombardia average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. Under 1% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods. 9% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
SALAME DI VARZI
Production zone of the PDO cured sausage, with an annual festival in the village judging Oltrepò Pavese salumi producers.
STONE RESTORATION
Comprehensive recovery of exposed-stone façades, wooden windows and porphyry paving across the centro storico, the basis for the Borghi più belli badge.
OLTREPÒ PAVESE
Position in the Apennine wine-and-salumi half of the province, between Varzi to the south and the Pinot Nero vineyards to the east.
Common questions
- What is Fortunago known for?
- Fortunago is a 368-resident village on a 482-meter ridge, with stone façades, porphyry streets and the production zone of Salame di Varzi at its doorstep.
- Where is Fortunago?
- Fortunago is a comune in the province of Pavia, in Lombardia, at 482 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Fortunago?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Milan Linate (LIN), about 1 h 28 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Parma to Fortunago?
- About 1 h 41 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Fortunago?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 28 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 16 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Fortunago?
- Vallo di Nera, Serralunga d'Alba and Moresco.
- How many people live in Fortunago?
- 368 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Fortunago a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Fortunago is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, Casteggio, is 25 min away. The nearest city, Pavia, is 55 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Varzi, 11 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 88% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 482 m
- Population: 368
- Surface area: 17.83 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Fortunago appears in
- The best towns that cure their own meat within two hours of BresciaNear Bresciawithin 2 hourscured meat zone7 towns · smallest 244 residents · closest 66 min away
- The best wine towns within 90 minutes of MilanNear Milanwithin 90 minwine zone7 towns · smallest 244 residents · closest 77 min away
- The best hill towns within 90 minutes of PiacenzaNear Piacenzahill townwithin 90 min8 towns · smallest 244 residents · closest 38 min away
- The best hidden hill towns in LombardiaLombardiahill townhidden9 towns · smallest 244 residents
- The best towns that cure their own meat within two hours of ParmaNear Parmawithin 2 hourscured meat zone10 towns · smallest 244 residents · closest 38 min away
Similar
Towns like Fortunago
What all six share with Fortunago: inland, away from the coast · under 1,000 people
The letter
Fortunago is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter: the photo, what is worth eating, and when to turn up. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Fortunago comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Turin.
The nearest town we have written up is Camogli, 62 km away. Read its letter →
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.