In 2002, a group of mayors in Italy founded the non-profit association I Borghi più belli d’Italia to promote and revitalize the country’s small, rural towns and their history. The name of the association says it all: “The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy.”

The mission is to enhance and promote the beauty, quality of life, and the historical, artistic, and cultural heritage of some of Italy’s lesser-known villages, or borghi, that have a population of under 15,000 people. And in doing so, attract tourists and new residents to help rejuvenate those borghi.