Italy village with few tourists that looks like it came out of a fairytale | Europe | Travel
Rasiglia is a very small village of 15 residents less than 60 miles from the regional capital of Perugia but is known throughout Italy for being called the Venice of Umbria.
This nickname originates from the many brooks generated by some spring water sources that cross the village, offering some scenarios of rare beauty. The other nickname, the Village of Streams, is more appropriate.
Given the size of the village, the recommended time frame for the visit is half a day and Rasiglia is the ideal destination for a one-day out-of-town visit.
Despite its fame, it is not particularly busy so visitors have the opportunity to admire its streets and historical sites without haste.
The only way to visit Rasiglia is on foot and visitors are advised to leave their car in one of the three car parks outside the centre to continue with a delightful walk.
READ MORE: The beautiful little town in Italy with very few tourists as they’re all in Venice
Locals have made the streams an integral part of the city structure without altering its nature thanks to inventive engineering works.
Among the popular places of the Umbrian village there is the Pescaia or fish market, the point where all the streams that cross Rasiglia meet and then flow towards the Menotre river.
The place was once used to wash sheep before shearing to clean their wool.
Not far away, you can still visit the wash house where local women once used running water from the streams to clean their clothes.
The wash basin was used together with the rooms where the fabrics were produced as the textile sector was once very active in the area.
The ancient textile tradition is still celebrated every year with the Penelope event in Rasiglia.
The annual is dedicated to the art of weaving through the process that starts from the shearing of the sheep, to the colouring of the fabrics up to the creation of the clothes.
The nearest airport to Rasiglia is San Francesco d’Assisi airport in Perugia, which is a 50-minute drive from the village.
Visitors travelling around Italy via train can head to Foligno train station from Rome or Florence and then ride a 19-minute bus directly to Rasiglia.
