Italy counts roughly 46,000 protected historic residences – palaces, villas and castles – scattered across every region. Nearly a third of them stand in small towns with fewer than 5,000 residents, often serving as the beating heart of local cultural identity and community life.
Far from being mere relics of the past, these properties play an active role in today’s economy – sustaining jobs, attracting visitors and contributing to rural vitality. More than half of these historic homes (around 60%) generate economic activity.
