| The most beautiful villages of Italy | |
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Montefioralle, inTuscany, is one of "The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy". | |
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| Formation | 2001 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit association |
| Purpose | promotion and enhancement of history, landscape, culture and tourism |
| Location | |
Region served | Italy |
| Membership | 361 (2023)[1] |
Official language | Italian |
President | Fiorello Primi |
| Affiliations | The Most Beautiful Villages in the World |
| Website | borghipiubelliditalia |
I borghi più belli d'Italia[a] (Italian:[iˈborɡipjubˈbɛllidiˈtaːlja]) is a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest.[2] It was founded in March 2001 on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities, with the aim of preserving and maintaining villages of quality heritage.[3] Itsmotto isIl fascino dell'Italia nascosta ("The charm of hidden Italy").[4]
Participants in the group are small population centres which risk neglect and abandonment because they lie outside the main tourist circuits.[5] Initially they comprised about a hundred villages, but had increased to 361 in 2023.[1]
In 2012, the Italian association was one of the founding members of the international associationThe Most Beautiful Villages in the World, a private organization that brings together various territorial associations promoting small inhabited centres of particular historical and landscape interest.[6]
The criteria for admission to the association are: integrity of the urban fabric, architectural harmony, livability of the village, artistic-historical quality of the public and private building heritage, services to the citizen as well as the payment of an annual membership fee.[7]
The association organizes initiatives within the villages, such as festivals, exhibitions,fetes, conferences and concerts that highlight the cultural, historical, gastronomic and linguistic heritage, involving residents, schools, and local artists.[8] The club promotes numerous initiatives on the international market.[9][10][11][12][13][14] In 2016, the association signed a global agreement withENIT,[15] to promote tourism in the most beautiful villages in the world.[16] In 2017, the club signed an agreement withCosta Cruises[17] for the enhancement of some villages, which are offered to cruise passengers arriving in Italian ports aboard the operator's ships.[18]
Theregional subdivision of the villages members of the association is as follows: 31 inMarche andUmbria, 29 inTuscany, 27 inLiguria, 26 inAbruzzo andLombardy, 25 inLazio, 24 inSicily, 20 inPiedmont, 16 inEmilia-Romagna andTrentino-Alto Adige, 15 inCalabria, 14 inApulia, 13 inFriuli-Venezia Giulia, 11 inVeneto andCampania, 9 inSardinia andBasilicata, 4 inMolise and 3 inAosta Valley.


































