Celebrate the night of shooting stars in one of Italy's most beautiful villages. All themed events

"If I were... I would...": this is the 2025 theme of the Borgo dei Desideri, one of the iconic events of the Association of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy, now in its fifth year and organized simultaneously by over a hundred of the network's member municipalities. This year, travelers are invited to look into their innermost being, imagining a better future. The event will take place on Sunday, August 10th, on the enchanting night of San Lorenzo. From dusk till dawn, the squares, secret gardens, ancient fountains, and silent bridges of 120 of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy will be transformed into enchanted places where residents and visitors can entrust their wishes to the starry sky. In each gem-like village, you can write your own on a piece of paper and leave it in the special place designated by the municipality (a well, a fountain, a garden, etc.), following an invisible thread between memory and territory.

Between wishing wells and aperitifs on the beach

This year's theme represents a reflection on what one would like to achieve in one's life and will be celebrated with guided observations of the sky, theatrical and musical performances, artistic installations, cultural tours, and traditional tastings that will enliven the alleys, squares, and gardens, highlighting the immense heritage of small Italian towns, places that increasingly need to be promoted and recognized.

In Cervo , Liguria, you can make your wish come true by the sea. The enchanting marina will welcome visitors to the beach, in the Pilone area, for an evening under the stars, with a program that includes a sunset aperitif on the beach followed by a charity raffle in support of the Proloco Progetto Cervo. At 9:30 pm, a light show by FioreMatto Asd will be performed, followed by the awards ceremony for the Il Borgo dei Desideri 2025 competition. Palazzuolo sul Senio , in Tuscany, will celebrate the day with street and circus performers in a candlelit village, including concerts and DJ sets, while Castelnuovo di Porto , a medieval village in the province of Rome, will offer a star-themed tour of the village and Rocca Colonna, ending in style with an aperitif on the terrace.

Grottammare Alta , in the Marche region, will welcome visitors and their dreams for the future in the streets and squares of the "vecchio incasato" (old town), featuring a variety of role-playing and board games. Also in the Marche region, Montecassiano will organize a free guided tour of the village at 6 pm, followed at 8:15 pm by an aperitif under the stars hosted by the Proloco (reservations required: 320.7404643). Throughout the evening, visitors can visit the magical cave with its wishing well, write their own wish, and enter a competition. There will also be the chance to observe shooting stars and planets through telescopes, led by amateur astronomer Daniele Principi. The village of San Ginesio , in the heart of the Monti Sibillini National Park, will organize a tour of the ancient village, offering the opportunity to leave a wish at the Well of San Nicola, in the evocative Cloister of Sant'Agostino. Afterwards, guests will have free time for dinner in one of the village's restaurants and enjoy stargazing from the gardens of Colle Ascarano. Many initiatives and a final award ceremony

"The Village of Wishes," explains Fiorello Primi, president of the Most Beautiful Villages of Italy, "is not just contemplation and dreams: each small town will offer a rich program of collateral events that will make the evening even more lively and engaging. Following the success of the Romantic Night, celebrated in June throughout the network of villages, this event represents the second major event of the summer." All the wishes collected will then be reviewed by a jury that will select the three most original and meaningful, awarding them a SmartBox from the Most Beautiful Villages of Italy. To discover the participating villages, the programs, and all the details, visit the website .