Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| villaggio | /vilˈlad.d͡ʒo/ | masculine |
| paese | /paˈe.ze/ | |
| borgo | /ˈbor.ɡo/ | masculine |
A village is a rural habitation sized between a hamlet and a town. While villaggio is a direct translation, it is often associated with tourist resorts or organized residential communities rather than traditional villages. To describe a small village, you can use the phrase Piccolo paese. Additionally, the term frazione is used to denote a part of a larger municipality.
Which one should you use?
The choice of word depends on the nuance you wish to convey. Paese is the most common word used by Italians in everyday conversation to refer to a village or a small town. In contrast, borgo specifically refers to a small, often historic or picturesque village, frequently used in the context of tourism or when describing old walled settlements. Villaggio is the most literal translation but carries the connotation of a residential or resort community.
How does it change in a sentence?
Villaggio is a masculine noun. Its plural is villaggi. Borgo is also masculine and its plural is borghi. The word paese is a common noun whose plural is paesi, which can mean both 'villages' and 'countries' depending on the context of the sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of villaggio is /vilˈlad.dʒo/. It has 3 syllables, and the stress is on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- In some Italian regions, the word paese is used colloquially to mean 'home town' regardless of whether the place is a village or a large city.
- In Italy, borghi are often categorized by the government through the I Borghi più belli d'Italia association to preserve their historic architecture.
- The Italian word for village, paese, shares a common ancestor with the Spanish and Portuguese word for 'country', which is 'país'.
Examples in context
- Io amo il villaggio.I love the village.This sentence expresses a personal feeling toward the village.Tatoeba #13297564 by Guybrush88, translation #12568242 by always
- Riki è un villaggio?Is Riki a village?This sentence asks a question about whether a person is a village.Tatoeba #13729853 by Guybrush88, translation #12888720 by Josephlingo
- Tom è nel villaggio.Tom is in the village.This sentence describes a person's location within the village.Tatoeba #13936168 by Guybrush88, translation #11826904 by ddnktr
- 383 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofia and Alessandro are discussing a weekend trip to the countryside.
- SofiaAndiamo in un piccolo villaggio in montagna.Let's go to a small village in the mountains.
- AlessandroIl villaggio è lontano dalla città?Is the village far from the city?
- SofiaSì, ma è un posto molto tranquillo.Yes, but it is a very quiet place.
- AlessandroPerfetto, voglio rilassarmi questo fine settimana.Perfect, I want to relax this weekend.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “village” translations and entries villaggio, paese, borgo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries borgo, paese, villaggio, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
