A Snapshot of the hilltop town of Bergolo

Bergolo is located on the border of southern Piedmont and Liguria, in the Province of Cuneo. It is about 40 km from Alba and Acqui Terme, and about 45 km from Savona on the coast. This tiny village is said to be the smallest village in Italy, with a population of just 80.

This, however, is a hilltop village with a difference. For almost 900 years this quiet agricultural backwater got on with its daily life relatively untroubled by changes in ownership, be they Marquis, Duke or Count. That is until 1970 when a different sort of revolution overcame Bergolo. The village was gradually dying, its population dwindling, its land lying fallow and the future uncertain.

It was time for change. An enlightened local council and the remaining residents decided there was another way forward -- rural tourism. Today, Bergolo is known as the Paese di Pietra (Village of Stone). The locals, the Bergolesi, reinvented their village by concentrating on stone, even stripping the bell tower and 12th century Romanesque church to reveal the ancient stone work lying beneath the plaster. This church, the Chapel of St. Sebastiano, sits at the highest point of the village and has breathtaking views over the surrounding hillsides and valleys of this area, characterised by numerous walking trails.

The events calendar includes the 'Bergolo Stone Age Festival' in July, which features live music whilst in September you can enjoy a food festival, 'Flavours of Stone', which takes place over two days and features local food and wines. All this backed up by a village that has morphed into an outside gallery of contemporary art where paintings and sculptures feature at every turn and where the poet Ezra Pound has a memorial.

How to get there
The nearest town is Cortemilia which is about 8 km from Bergolo. Nearest Autostrada: A6 Torino to Savona.