It’s quite easy to toss around the term “magical” when referring to Italy’s vast number of charming, romantic villages. Some, however, wear the title a bit more earnestly than others.

The tiny Umbrian borgo of Rasiglia is one such place. This hamlet has occupied its Alpine-esque Apennine foothill stronghold since the 13^th century. Rasiglia found life serving as a logistical waypoint on the Via della Spina, a major thoroughfare from Rome to the Adriatic, followed by an industrial rebirth a couple of centuries later after the roadway lost importance.