Subscribe to Guide
No Result
View All Result
Hamptons.com
  • Spotlight Magazine
  • Lifestyle
    • Featured
    • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Community
    • Dining
    • Recreation
    • Trending
  • Events
    • Events Calendar
    • Post an Event
    • Gallery
  • Real Estate
    • Real Estate Features
    • Hamptons Real Estate Market Data
    • Search Real Estate
      • Open Houses
      • Search Sales
      • Search Rentals
    • Title Insurance
    • Happening In The Hamptons Podcast
  • Live Cameras
    • All Live Cameras
    • Live Weather Cams
    • Amagansett, Atlantic Avenue Beach
    • Bridgehampton, West Scott Cameron Beach
    • East Hampton Village, Main Beach
    • East Hampton Village, Main Street
    • East Hampton Village, Newtown Lane
    • Hampton Bays, Ponquogue Beach
    • Hampton Bays, Ponquogue Bridge
    • Hampton Bays, Shinnecock Fishing Dock
    • Hampton Bays, Tiana Beach
    • Long Island Aquarium | Coral Reef
    • Long Island Aquarium | Penguins
    • Long Island Aquarium | Shark Tank
    • Montauk, Downtown Circle
    • Montauk, Lars Simenson Skatepark
    • Montauk, Gin Beach & Inlet
    • Montauk, Sunset Beach & Inlet
    • Sagaponack, Sagg Main Beach
    • Sag Harbor, Foster Memorial Beach
    • Sag Harbor, Long Wharf Marina
    • Sag Harbor, Main Street (South)
    • Sag Harbor, Sag Harbor Bay
    • Sag Harbor, Windmill Beach & Bay
    • Shelter Island, South Ferry
    • Southampton, 39A to Montauk Hwy Merge
    • Southampton, Conscience Point Marina
    • Southampton Village, Coopers Beach
    • Southampton Village, Main Street (North)
    • Southampton Village, Main Street (Hildreths)
    • Westhampton Village, Main Street (East)
    • Westhampton Village, Rogers Beach
  • Public WiFi
    • Public WiFi Map
    • Public Wi-Fi Support
  • Spotlight Magazine
  • Lifestyle
    • Featured
    • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Community
    • Dining
    • Recreation
    • Trending
  • Events
    • Events Calendar
    • Post an Event
    • Gallery
  • Real Estate
    • Real Estate Features
    • Hamptons Real Estate Market Data
    • Search Real Estate
      • Open Houses
      • Search Sales
      • Search Rentals
    • Title Insurance
    • Happening In The Hamptons Podcast
  • Live Cameras
    • All Live Cameras
    • Live Weather Cams
    • Amagansett, Atlantic Avenue Beach
    • Bridgehampton, West Scott Cameron Beach
    • East Hampton Village, Main Beach
    • East Hampton Village, Main Street
    • East Hampton Village, Newtown Lane
    • Hampton Bays, Ponquogue Beach
    • Hampton Bays, Ponquogue Bridge
    • Hampton Bays, Shinnecock Fishing Dock
    • Hampton Bays, Tiana Beach
    • Long Island Aquarium | Coral Reef
    • Long Island Aquarium | Penguins
    • Long Island Aquarium | Shark Tank
    • Montauk, Downtown Circle
    • Montauk, Lars Simenson Skatepark
    • Montauk, Gin Beach & Inlet
    • Montauk, Sunset Beach & Inlet
    • Sagaponack, Sagg Main Beach
    • Sag Harbor, Foster Memorial Beach
    • Sag Harbor, Long Wharf Marina
    • Sag Harbor, Main Street (South)
    • Sag Harbor, Sag Harbor Bay
    • Sag Harbor, Windmill Beach & Bay
    • Shelter Island, South Ferry
    • Southampton, 39A to Montauk Hwy Merge
    • Southampton, Conscience Point Marina
    • Southampton Village, Coopers Beach
    • Southampton Village, Main Street (North)
    • Southampton Village, Main Street (Hildreths)
    • Westhampton Village, Main Street (East)
    • Westhampton Village, Rogers Beach
  • Public WiFi
    • Public WiFi Map
    • Public Wi-Fi Support
No Result
View All Result
Hamptons.com
March 11, 2016

Borghi Italia Tour Network’s Siren’s Call To Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages

Lee Frydby Lee Fryd
in Community
Home Community

They say the inimitable heart and soul of Italy lies here in Borghi, the small villages that dot the country, preserving a timeless lifestyle. In their churches and fortresses, the DNA of European history is distilled as ponds from the raging river of time. These towns, once at war with each other, grew up around the castles and palaces of the noble families who ruled and protected.

Rosa Maria Musco, founder of the Borghi Italia Tour Network. (Photo: Lee Fryd)

Fiorello Primi, President of The Most Beautiful Villages of Italy, and Panicale Culture Assistant Sabrina Caciotto, outside a Panicale town gate. (Photo: Lee Fryd)

Many of these noble descendants still reside in family castles, becoming mayors and councilmen. Now, they protect their villages through the non-profit association, Fiorello Primi, co-founded in 2001: I Borghi più Belli d’Italia (The Most Beautiful Villages of Italy). The Mayor of the Castiglione del Lago Borgho for ten years, Primi turned a dream — modeled after Les Plus Beaux Villages de France — into an internationally renown association comprised of 250 Borghi, which he still spearheads as President. Their battle: to negotiate the line between the kind of tourism which would support their lifestyle and that which would homogenize and destroy it.

A general in this holy war is Rosa Maria Musco, who garners converts as the exclusive marketing arm of the association. The former Art Director of The Italian Opera in the world by the Italian Institute for Opera and Poetry by UNESCO, she received certification to become the official Tour Operator of I Borghi Più Belli d’Italia in 2014. And whether her new life is one long holiday or all work, depends on your vantage. Musco hasn’t taken a day off from sourcing sites and presenting them to the world in the past two years.

Trasimeno Lake in Umbria. (Photo: Lee Fryd)


Luxury without crass commercialism is her cri de coeur. Her tours bring small groups to renovated villas, castles, B&B’s and indigenous fare. “Time slows down here,” she says. “Each Borgo is unique. But, they all have quality of life, clean air, pure food and warm people.”

Caporali Theatre in Panicale. (Photo: Lee Fryd)

To give us a taste of the treasures on her tours, she drove us to the Trasimeno Lake in Umbria. “With its mountains, low light, dark atmosphere, and narrow winding streets, Umbria is a mystical region of wizards and saints,” she whispered, as we drove past olive and cyprus trees punctuating the horizon, and sheep grazing in fields. First stop was Panicale, a town of roughly 6,000, founded by herdsmen in 2,000 BC. The castle and constitution was created in the 9th Century. Its churches and frescoes, built in the Renaissance. Mayor Giulio Cherubini’s Culture Assistant Sabrina Caciotto pointed out the 17th Century portrait of his Cherubini ancestor, who once ruled the town. There was an uncanny resemblance.

The old walled city — its gates, museums and small, cobbled roads — tell the story of a great defeat against Hannibal’s army and a flourishing Renaissance period. A recently restored masterpiece by Raphael’s teacher, Pietro Perugino (born Pietro Vannucci), the “Martyrrdom of San Sebastiao,” is located in the Church of San Sebastiano. The church of San Michele houses a fresco by the famous Renaissance painter Tommaso Fini (later called Masolino da Panicale). A late 17th Century theater — with 180 seats total — remains the stage for the local theater company. Their Lace Museum houses veils of Queens.

Welcome to Da Masolino inside Panicle’s old city walls. (Photo: Lee Fryd)


In the heart of the old city, we had lunch at Da Masolino, where the vintage of the famous Umbrian olive oil served was examined as carefully as the Orvieto wine. Later, Mama Bruna, her broad smile, unadorned face and short stocky frame straight out of central casting, came out of the kitchen, accustomed to daily accolades for her homemade pasta.

Transported back to Renaissance times in the Palazzo della Cogna in Castiglione del Lago. (Photo: Lee Fryd)

Then it was off to Castiglione del Lago, on another side of Lake Trasimeno, bordering Umbria and Tuscany. Its population — a whopping 15,000 — swells in the summer when the lake beckons international travelers to its shores.

Inside the old city walls, we settled into a 13th Century two story palazzo renovated as the Antica Gabella Bed & Breakfast. The charming owners make coffee and breakfast for guests in apartment-sized suites, complete with living rooms, kitchens and antique marble sinks.

There was one more short foray. The 16th Century Palazzo Ducale and its walled fortress overlooking the lake. Once it protected the village. Today, its courtyard hosts summer concerts. In the museum, locals, dressed in period costume, recreated a Renaissance dance, then served indigenous liquors and sweets. Its Hall of Annibale and the Hall of Cesare are still being used for town hall functions. “There is where I sat,” former Mayor Primi pointed out. Standing amongst the Late Renaissance frescoes, then walking the high fortress overlooking the lake, we understood viscerally why Primi was inspired to create the Borghi Più Belli d’Italia brand.

Fortress of the Lion in Castiglione del Lago. (Photo: Lee Fryd)


That night, we chatted with Gloria Tommasini at the Cafè Noir, on the lake. A school teacher as well as a part time guide, Gloria grew up in Castiglione del Lago. She spent ten years working in Germany, only to return, and within a week, meet the man she would marry. “I wanted to raise my children here,” she told us. “It was beautiful growing up in this community and I wanted them to have the same sense of place and roots.”

Mama Bruno comes out of her kitchen in Da Masolino. (Photo: Lee Fryd)


She, as so many before, answered Umbria’s siren call to Saints and Sinners — to sip its wine, enjoy its beauty and find one’s inner soul.

For more information about Borghi Italia Tour Network, visit www.bitn.it.

The timeless Italian Borghi. (Photo: Lee Fryd)

Sign up for our weekly newsletter!

Get the top Hamptons events and latest scoop!

What's Happening in the Hamptons

Related Posts

By Dria X 111Skin at The Surf Lodge
Community

By Dria X 111Skin at The Surf Lodge

September 9, 2025
Third Annual Summer Soirée for Citymeals on Wheels
Gallery

Third Annual Summer Soirée for Citymeals on Wheels

September 9, 2025
Dance The Night Away At Eleanor Whitmore’s Summer Benefit
Community

Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center Launches Infant Program This Fall

September 9, 2025

Search Articles

No Result
View All Result

LOCAL EVENTS

Events

15
Sep
15
Sep
-
15
Sep

ART SOCIAL: ALMOND ZIGMUND

September 15 @ 06:00 PM - September 15 @ 08:00 PM
158 Main Street East Hampton, NY 11937 United States
16
Sep
16
Sep
-
16
Sep

Wine Dinner with Pradorey at R.AIRE

September 16 @ 06:30 PM - September 16 @ 09:30 PM
259 East Montauk Hwy, Hampton Bays, NY, 11946
17
Sep
17
Sep
-
17
Sep

Bring a Friend; Make a Friend

September 17 @ 12:30 PM - September 17 @ 02:00 PM
Sen
18
Sep
18
Sep
-
18
Sep

Classic Albums Live Queen: News of the World

September 18 @ 08:00 PM - September 18 @ 10:00 PM
The Suffolk
18
Sep
18
Sep
-
18
Sep

Perry Bancs at The Stephen Talkhouse

September 18 @ 08:00 PM - September 18 @ 11:00 PM
161 Main St, Amagansett, NY 11930
Load more listings
Next Post
Animal Rescue Fund Of The Hamptons Hosting Inaugural Easter Egg Hunt

Animal Rescue Fund Of The Hamptons Hosting Inaugural Easter Egg Hunt

  • LVIS thrift shops are open Tuesdays through Saturdays 10 AM through 5 PM

donations are accepted Wednesday through Saturday 10 AM through 1 PM by appointment 

located at 95 Main St East Hampton
  • Check out the Top Hamptons Events This Weekend!⁠
⁠
🚗 The Bridge IX⁠
📅 Sat, Sept 13 | 2–7PM⁠
📍 The Bridge, Bridgehampton⁠
Over 300 rare automobiles showcased across stunning landscapes.⁠
⁠
🎬 23rd Annual Surf Movie Night⁠
📅 Fri, Sept 12 | 5:30–9PM⁠
📍 Southampton Arts Center⁠
Surfboard swap, live music & outdoor film screening. 🌊⁠
⁠
🍝 San Gennaro Feast of the Hamptons⁠
📅 Sat, Sept 13 – Sun, Sept 14 | 10AM⁠
📍 Hampton Bays⁠
Italian pastries, live entertainment & fireworks Sat @ 8:15PM 🎆⁠
⁠
🎭 In Process: Roderick George⁠
📅 Sat, Sept 13 | 7PM⁠
📍 Guild Hall, East Hampton⁠
A special in-process presentation of The Missing Fruit (Part I).⁠
⁠
🎤 Sheena Easton at WHBPAC⁠
📅 Sat, Sept 13 | 8PM⁠
📍 Westhampton Beach PAC⁠
Grammy-winning artist live on stage!⁠
⁠
☕ Cars & Coffee⁠
📅 Sun, Sept 14 | 9–11AM⁠
📍 Bridgehampton Museum⁠
Classic & exotic cars, food, drinks & live music.⁠
⁠
🛍 Hampton Vintage⁠
📅 Sun, Sept 14 | 10AM–5PM⁠
📍 Westhampton Beach Village Green⁠
Shop unique vintage finds!⁠
⁠
🎶 Hamptons Festival of Music Finale⁠
📅 Sun, Sept 14 | 4PM⁠
📍 St. Luke’s Church, East Hampton⁠
Featuring Cimarosa, Berlioz & Beethoven.⁠
⁠
🍷 Wine Dinner with Pradorey at R.AIRE⁠
📅 Tues, Sept 16 | 6:30PM⁠
📍 Hampton Bays⁠
Five-course tasting menu with exquisite wine pairings.⁠
⁠
🎥 Toy Story 30th Anniversary Screening⁠
📅 Sept 12–15 | Various Times⁠
📍 Southampton Playhouse⁠
Celebrate Woody & Buzz’s timeless adventure!⁠
⁠
Check out more events at Hamptons.com (Link in Bio)⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#carshow #hamptons #sangennaro #sangennarofeast #winedinner #bridgeIX
  • The Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons (ARF Hamptons) hosted the Bow Wow Meow Ball in East Hampton. The evening’s honorees, Ellen and Chuck Scarborough, were presented with the Champion of Animals Award, recognizing their more than twenty-five years of support to ARF. ⁠
⁠
Over 400 guests celebrated ARF’s remarkable work with cocktails, followed by dinner catered by Olivier Cheng. Peter Marino, accompanied by his daughter and ARF Board Member Isabelle Trapnell Marino, presented the Scarboroughs with their award. ⁠
⁠
📸: Patrick McMullan/PMC⁠
⁠
Check out the full gallery at Hamptons.com (Link in Bio)⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#arf #bowwowmeowball #hamptons #animalrescuefund #animalrescue
  • Make sure to add this event to your list for next summer
#Seafood #localeats #mtk #montaukgreen
  • I recently toured the new Rolex Boutique by London Jewelers in East Hampton, and it’s one of the most beautiful retail spaces I’ve ever stepped into. Located on Newtown Lane, the boutique is set inside a restored historic home that dates back to 1897, originally designed as a summer cottage.⁠
⁠
From the outside, it has that classic East Hampton charm, cedar shingles, white trim, and lush landscaping. But once you step inside, it’s all about quiet sophistication.⁠
⁠
The space is warm and welcoming, with walnut wood paneling, soft neutral tones, and beautiful textures throughout. There’s a fluted marble wall in a rich green Verdi Alpi stone that immediately catches your eye. It’s one of those details that’s understated but unmistakably Rolex.⁠
⁠
Read the full article at Hamptons.com (Link in Bio)⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#rolex #easthampton #hamptons #luxury #watch⁠
  • 🎾 Men’s US Open Final Viewing Party⁠
📅 Sun, Sept 7 • 2–5PM⁠
📍 Canoe Place Inn, Hampton Bays⁠
Watch the riveting Men’s US Open Final with drinks, grilled classics & fellow tennis fanatics in the lush garden.⁠
⁠
🦞 Montauk Seafood Festival⁠
📅 Sat, Sept 6 – Sun, Sept 7 • 12–5PM⁠
📍 On the Green, Montauk⁠
The ultimate seafood event in the Hamptons! Lobster rolls, fish tacos, chowder, oysters & more 🐚🍤⁠
⁠
🩰 Master Class w/ Kat Wildish⁠
📅 Sat, Sept 6⁠
📍 Hamptons Ballet Theatre School, Bridgehampton⁠
Open-level adult ballet class with world-renowned former NYCB & ABT dancer Kat Wildish. One day only!⁠
⁠
🎶 Hamptons Festival of Music⁠
📅 Sat, Sept 6 • 7PM⁠
📍 St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, East Hampton⁠
THFM’s MainStage Festival Orchestra featuring The New American Sinfonietta 🎻✨⁠
⁠
🌾 Outstanding in the Field (Sagaponack)⁠
📅 Sun, Sept 7 • 3PM⁠
Dine where the food is grown! Guest chef Jason Weiner returns for his 19th year 🍽️🌱⁠
⁠
😂 Samantha Bee Live⁠
📅 Sat, Sept 6 • 8PM⁠
📍 WHBPAC, Westhampton Beach⁠
Award-winning comedian Samantha Bee brings her one-woman show to the Hamptons!⁠
⁠
🍴 Stirring The Pot: Andrew Carmellini⁠
📅 Sun, Sept 7 • 11AM⁠
📍 Guild Hall, East Hampton⁠
NYT’s Florence Fabricant interviews star chef Andrew Carmellini about his restaurant empire.⁠
⁠
🌕 Full Harvest Moon Hike⁠
📅 Sun, Sept 7 • 7:30PM⁠
📍 Meet at SOFO Museum, Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor Tpke⁠
Walk under the moonlight with Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt 🌙✨⁠
⁠
🎨 Style Beading Workshop⁠
📅 Fri, Sept 5 • 1PM⁠
📍 Nathaniel Rogers House, Bridgehampton⁠
Join Indigenous artist Savannah LeCornu to learn traditional beading techniques.⁠
⁠
⛳ A Legendary Day at Sebonack!⁠
📅 Tues, Sept 9 • 8:30AM–5PM⁠
📍 Sebonack Golf Club, Southampton⁠
An unforgettable day of golf supporting Westhampton Beach PAC 🌟⁠
⁠
👉 Which event are you going to this weekend?⁠
⁠
Check out more events at Hamptons.com (Link in Bio)⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#community #entertainment #hamptons #usopen #golf #comedy #seafood #montauk
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube
Hamptons.com

Saunders Broadcasting Corp.

Phone: 631-613-8440
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: Facebook.com/HamptonsOnline
Twitter: @Hamptons
Instagram: @HamptonsOnline

About Us | Contact Us

Hamptons.com

  • Lifestyle
  • Events
  • Real Estate
  • Live Cameras
  • Public WiFi

Subscribe

Sign up for our weekly newsletter!

Get the top Hamptons events and latest scoop!

© 2025 Hamptons.com | All rights reserved
Saunders Broadcasting Corp.
Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | About Us | Contact Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Spotlight Magazine
  • Lifestyle
    • Featured
    • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Community
    • Dining
    • Recreation
    • Trending
  • Events
    • Events Calendar
    • Post an Event
    • Gallery
  • Real Estate
    • Real Estate Features
    • Hamptons Real Estate Market Data
    • Search Real Estate
      • Open Houses
      • Search Sales
      • Search Rentals
    • Title Insurance
    • Happening In The Hamptons Podcast
  • Live Cameras
    • All Live Cameras
    • Live Weather Cams
    • Amagansett, Atlantic Avenue Beach
    • Bridgehampton, West Scott Cameron Beach
    • East Hampton Village, Main Beach
    • East Hampton Village, Main Street
    • East Hampton Village, Newtown Lane
    • Hampton Bays, Ponquogue Beach
    • Hampton Bays, Ponquogue Bridge
    • Hampton Bays, Shinnecock Fishing Dock
    • Hampton Bays, Tiana Beach
    • Long Island Aquarium | Coral Reef
    • Long Island Aquarium | Penguins
    • Long Island Aquarium | Shark Tank
    • Montauk, Downtown Circle
    • Montauk, Lars Simenson Skatepark
    • Montauk, Gin Beach & Inlet
    • Montauk, Sunset Beach & Inlet
    • Sagaponack, Sagg Main Beach
    • Sag Harbor, Foster Memorial Beach
    • Sag Harbor, Long Wharf Marina
    • Sag Harbor, Main Street (South)
    • Sag Harbor, Sag Harbor Bay
    • Sag Harbor, Windmill Beach & Bay
    • Shelter Island, South Ferry
    • Southampton, 39A to Montauk Hwy Merge
    • Southampton, Conscience Point Marina
    • Southampton Village, Coopers Beach
    • Southampton Village, Main Street (North)
    • Southampton Village, Main Street (Hildreths)
    • Westhampton Village, Main Street (East)
    • Westhampton Village, Rogers Beach
  • Public WiFi
    • Public WiFi Map
    • Public Wi-Fi Support

© 2025 Hamptons.com | All rights reserved
Saunders Broadcasting Corp.
Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | About Us | Contact Us