Italy Names Six New Beautiful Villages—What To See And Foods To Try

05.09.2023 - 14:45 / forbes.com

Each year, I Borghi Più Belli d’Italia, an association dedicated to preserving and promoting the heritage of the country’s smaller, often rural destinations, announces new villages to add to its list of the most beautiful places in Italy. In August the association named six new borghi, ranging from the regions of Piedmont to Basilicata.

There are now 354 selected villages, with a roster of some 900 other borghi hoping to join the group. (A candidate town must meet 72 requirements to be eligible.) Becoming a member of I Borghi helps raise a village’s profile and contributes to both its economic and social development, the association says. “This is the advantage that our network offers and it is for this reason that we are once again asking the national and regional governments for particular attention,” Fiorello Primo, president of the association said when the new villages were announced in Rome early last month. He also called for a forward-looking strategy “so that the communities can continue to live and to protect the tangible and intangible heritage of which they are custodians.”

Here are the six new entries, what to see when visiting them, and, since a destination’s culinary culture is often so integral to its identity, some of the local specialties to try.

Perhaps best known of the newly listed Borghi Più Belli, Barolo and its surrounding countryside is the epicenter for the production of one of Italy’s most famous wines, dubbed the “wine of kings.” Not surprisingly for a place famous for its “regal” vintages, Barolo, the town (about an hour’s drive from Turin), comes with a castle, plenty of romantic history, and a wine route (Strada del Vino) that will take you to some of the area’s most notable vineyards. Stop by the Wine Museum (WiMu) in the Castle Falletti, where you can learn about this coveted wine’s history and visit the private rooms of the Marchesa Giulia Falletti (known as Giulia di Barolo), a pioneering vintner who was instrumental in the wine’s development. At the end of the tour head to the enoteca in the castle cellar to sample Barolos from the 11 nearby towns where the wine is produced.

What to Eat: Barolo is a robust wine best paired with hearty pastas and entrees. Try Piedmont specialties like agnolotti del Plin or a mushroom or truffle risotto. There are also risottos made with Barolo and a beef stew (brasato al Barolo) simmered with it. And if you still haven’t had enough of the wine, you can order dessert with pears steeped in Barolo.

Stay: To experience a luxe, contemporary version of the castle/palace life, head to the stunning 18th-century Castello di Guarene, a Relais & Chateaux hotel in Guarene, with roots in the Middle Ages. It is about a half-hour’s drive from