[4] Founded to contribute to safeguarding, conserving and revitalizing small villages and municipalities, but sometimes even individual hamlets, which, being outside the main tourist circuits, they risk, despite their great value, being forgotten with consequent degradation, depopulation and abandonment.

[6] The criteria for admission to the association meet the following requirements: integrity of the urban fabric, architectural harmony, livability of the village, artistic-historical quality of the public and private building heritage, services to the citizen as well as the payment of an annual membership fee.

[7] The association organizes initiatives within the villages, such as festivals, exhibitions, fetes, conferences and concerts that highlight the cultural, historical, gastronomic and linguistic heritage, involving residents, schools, and local artists.

[9][10][11][12][13][14] In 2016, the association signed a global agreement with ENIT,[15] to promote tourism in the most beautiful villages in the world.

[18] The regional subdivision of the villages members of the association is as follows: 31 in Marche and Umbria, 29 in Tuscany, 27 in Liguria, 26 in Abruzzo and Lombardy, 25 in Lazio, 24 in Sicily, 20 in Piedmont, 16 in Emilia-Romagna and Trentino-Alto Adige, 15 in Calabria, 14 in Apulia, 13 in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, 11 in Veneto and Campania, 9 in Sardinia and Basilicata, 4 in Molise and 3 in Aosta Valley.