Dante’s exile and a James Bond set: Culture without the crowds in Italy’s most beautiful villages
As cities like Venice and Florence battle overtourism, venturing to those quiet, out-of-the-way sights could be a accountable act as a customer.
Italy is peppered with villages from hilltop hamlets topped by medieval castles to coastal resorts with fishing-boat-filled bays.
The affiliation ‘i borghi più belli d’Italia’ – essentially the most lovely villages in Italy – celebrates, promotes and preserves these tiny treasures.
As cities like Venice and Florence battle overtourism, venturing to those quiet, out-of-the-way sights could be a accountable act as a customer.
Every year, extra locations are added to the record, which now numbers 371. Listed here are 2024’s new entries and why it is best to add them to your Italy itinerary.
Go to Rassa for mountain attraction
Excessive within the Sesia valley within the northern area of Piedmont lies the pocket-sized hamlet of Rassa. At 917 metres above sea stage, its stone and picket balconied homes are blanketed in snow in winter.
Rassa’s handful of houses line a rocky stream which is crossed by a medieval stone footbridge. Within the coronary heart of the village is the church of San Giovanni with fairly inside frescoes and a historic bell tower.
Hikers can use the hamlet as a handy base for trekking within the surrounding mountains.
Eat a prized cheese in Bagolino
Located within the mountains of the Sabbia valley, Bagolino is a village for cheese lovers. Dairies within the space produce ‘bagòss’, an aged cheese flavoured with saffron which is barely made at excessive altitudes within the Lombardy area.
There’s one thing for artwork fanatics too. The hamlet’s church of San Giorgio homes masterpieces by the famend Venetian artist Tintoretto.
In February, the slender streets come alive with the annual carnival the place residents parade in historic gown, play music and dance.
Discover an historic tradition of hospitality in Bertinoro
Bertinoro is called the Balcony of Romagna for its lofty views over its two closest cities, Forlì and Cesena, and proper the best way to the ocean.
The village is topped by the Rocca fortress, which is now residence to the Interreligious Museum.
Every year, Bertinoro celebrates its values of hospitality with the Colonna delle Anelle pageant. This historic ceremony sees friends welcomed to the village with musical occasions, parades and non secular companies.
Uncover Dante’s place of exile in Mulazzo
Mendacity within the Lunigiana hills, Mulazzo is famed for internet hosting the Florentine poet Dante when he was in exile.
You possibly can observe the By way of Dantis across the centre, a strolling route with 9 stops that characterize the 9 circles of hell recounted within the Divine Comedy.
The ‘comune’ contains a number of small hamlets together with Lusuolo, with dramatic fortifications, and Montereggio, which is called the ‘village of booksellers’.
Squeeze via the narrowest alley in Italy in Ripatransone
The medieval village of Ripatransone within the Piceno hills is famend for being residence to the narrowest alley in Italy.
After squeezing via the road, you possibly can go to the monumental Cathedral of San Gregorio Magno with its 52-metre-high bell tower.
Referred to as the ‘Belvedere del Piceno’, the village affords sweeping views over the snow-covered peaks of the Gran Sasso massif and the Adriatic sea.
Discover a James Bond filming location in Gravina in Puglia
Gravina in Puglia is known for its karst ravines dotted with caves. Just like the extra well-known (and touristy) Matera, many homes and church buildings are partially hewn from the city’s underlying rock base.
Go to the Eleventh-century cathedral for one of many best examples of Romanesque structure in Puglia and the Chiesa Rupestre di San Michele delle Grotte for a macabre pile of skulls and bones mentioned to belong to martyrs.
The city’s arched bridge over the river iconically featured within the James Bond movie ‘No Time to Die’.
