There are 308 (including 6 “honorary”) small historical centers, which have a population of less than 15.000 inhabitants, are described in this guide, that is illustrated by about 2.500 graphic illustrations and it is now in its 14th edition. An editorial success that is renewed every year. Indeed, in the volume you will be able to find all the information you need to organize a trip in Italy, or even just a weekend, in one of the numerous and wonderful Italian villages, which have been selected by the Scientific Committee of the Association “I Borghi più belli d’Italia” among the approximately 800 visited.

New entries are 19 this year and other four villages – Tropea, Monte Sant’Angelo, Montechiarugolo and Casoli – have already passed the tough “admission exam”, which is based on nearby seventy quality parameters concerning architecture, culture and landscape. Thanks to this guide (about 430.000 copies have been sold since 2003), to the work of the Association “I Borghi più belli d’Italia“, to the Italian television program RAI “Kilimangiaro” and to the monthly magazine “Borghi Magazine“, the Italian villages have become more and more attractive, coming out the shadow of marginality and insignificance. Those little villages, unknown to many, thanks to this network, attract the interest of tour operators, foreigners (36% of total visitors) and Italian visitors, who are interested in trying the experience of slow tourism, from living with a short pace, on foot, by bike or by train, searching for wrap-around landscapes, the pleasures of culinary experiences, naturalistic walks or cultural routes and a quality of life, difficult to find elsewhere.

This year’s edition is further enriched with the great novelty of the Augmented Reality: the guide, with over 300 documents including videos, images and oral histories, becomes interactive allowing the reader to access multimedia information using a smartphone or a tablet. Furthermore, the volume also suggests the reader approximately 300 places where to eat, where to sleep and what to buy. The guide accompanies the reader for 792 pages into the history and the great variety of landscapes, architecture, handcrafted products, foods, traditions, and events that characterize the most beautiful villages in Italy.

Claudio Bacilieri, journalist, is a member of the Scientific Committee “I Borghi più belli d’Italia” Association, of which he was one of the founders. He is also director of the monthly magazine “Borghi Magazine“.