Celebrating 'ugliness' for 140 years, Piobbico has become known for being the 'city of the ugly'; now, his utopian idea has blossomed into a worldwide movement.
Tucked away in a valley between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic Sea in central Italy, Piobbico is a beautiful medieval town full of grand stone buildings surrounded by lush forests. But despite the picture-perfect setting, Piobbico is famous for the “ugliness” of its people.
Since 1879, this town of 2.000 people has been home to the Club dei Brutti (“The Ugly Club”), an association whose members believe that “a person is what they are, not what their appearance shows.”
Over the generations, what began as a utopian idea blossomed into a worldwide movement. Today, the World Association of Ugly People has more than 30.000 members in 25 offices in several countries.
Inner beauty
Club Dei Brutti was originally designed as a dating service for single women in the city.
As it evolved, local residents made it their mission to remind society that inner beauty is more important than physical appearance, and in 2007, Piobbico unveiled a statue dedicated to ugly people in the town square.
“'Ugliness is a virtue, beauty is slavery', that's our motto”, says the club's president, Giovanni Aluigi.
Today, it's easy to become part of the club. Older members need only judge and rate the “ugliness” of potential members — which can range from “unspecified” to “extraordinarily ugly.”
However, the group's members aren't necessarily ugly — the club is more focused on celebrating inner beauty and not worrying about what others think.
On the first Sunday in September, people from all over the world gather to participate in Piobbico's annual Ugly Festival, in which members elect the club president, sign up new members, and eat locally sourced truffles, polenta, and pasta.
In a country that places so much emphasis on making a bella figura (“beautiful impression”), this corner of Italy is proving that being authentic and unconventional can make you shine brighter.
Take a virtual tour of Piobbico
By BBC
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