Peccioli: The stunning Tuscan town even Italians don't know
Peccioli: The stunning Tuscan town even Italian don't know 
Peccioli: The stunning Tuscan town even Italians don't know
2 hours ago
By Lynn Brown,
Features correspondent
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Alamy View of the town of Piccioli (Credit: Alamy)Alamy
From a distance the innovative village of Piccioli looks like many other Tuscan villages (Credit: Alamy)
The winner of this year's national "Borgo dei Borghi" competition blends its medieval past with an eye-catching contemporary art scene and wandering robots.
For the last 11 years, Rai, Italy's state-owned television station, has held a contest to find Il Borgo dei Borghi, or the "Village of Villages". The competition helps to raise the visibility of small but captivating Italian towns that might otherwise go unnoticed. The winner of this year's competition, however, is much more than just a pretty place.
"The purpose of Il Borgo dei Borghi, is identifying these places that I think sometimes even Italians don't know about," Kathy McCabe, the host of the Dream of Italy TV show, tells the BBC.
'paramsat each year, one town or village is nominated from each of Italy's 20 regions. Local residents create videos in which they proudly show off their village's unique history, traditions and artistic heritage. Viewers then vote for their favourite place, and the finalists are chosen by a combination of votes and a three-person "jury of experts," made up of well-known personalities connected to Italy's environment, history and tour
ism industry.
Peccioli: The stunning Tuscan town even Italians don't know
2 hours ago
By Lynn Brown,
Features correspondent
Share
Alamy View of the town of Piccioli (Credit: Alamy)Alamy
From a distance the innovative village of Piccioli looks like many other Tuscan villages (Credit: Alamy)
The winner of this year's national "Borgo dei Borghi" competition blends its medieval past with an eye-catching contemporary art scene and wandering robots.
For the last 11 years, Rai, Italy's state-owned television station, has held a contest to find Il Borgo dei Borghi, or the "Village of Villages". The competition helps to raise the visibility of small but captivating Italian towns that might otherwise go unnoticed. The winner of this year's competition, however, is much more than just a pretty place.
"The purpose of Il Borgo dei Borghi, is identifying these places that I think sometimes even Italians don't know about," Kathy McCabe, the host of the Dream of Italy TV show, tells the BBC.
The way it works is that each year, one town or village is nominated from each of Italy's 20 regions. Local residents create videos in which they proudly show off their village's unique history, traditions and artistic heritage. Viewers then vote for their favourite place, and the finalists are chosen by a combination of votes and a three-person "jury of experts," made up of well-known personalities connected to Italy's environment, history and tourism industry.
Alamy The village’s famous “giants” overlook the landscape (Credit: Alamy)Alamy
The village’s famous “giants” overlook the landscape (Credit: Alamy)
Peccioli, this year's winner, is located just outside of the well-known city of Pisa. Perched atop a Tuscan hill and surrounded by vineyards, wheat fields and olive groves, the 5,000-person town dates back to medieval times. The village itself is a warren of old brick buildings and narrow streets and alleyways located underneath the soaring 12th-Century belltower, San Verano. But while the village is rooted in its medieval past, its modern public art has transformed Peccioli's present.
One of the village's most striking sites, the Palazzo Senza Tempo ("Timeless Palace"), has become a perfect example of this balance between the past and present. The building dates back to the 14th Century and boasts historical details like a beautiful medieval courtyard and stone stairways. However, in 2019, it was renovated to seamlessly incorporate more modern elements like a skylight, floor-to-ceiling windows on the ground floor that let in the light and a panoramic terrace overlooking the landscape below.
