Tucked in a valley between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic Sea in central Italy, Piobbico is a handsome medieval town full of grand stone buildings surrounded by lush forests. But despite its picture-perfect setting, Piobbico is renowned for the “ugliness” of its people.
Since 1879, this 2,000-person town has been home to the Club dei Brutti (“The Ugly Club”), an association whose members believe that “a person is what he is and not what he looks like.” Over the generations, what started as a utopian idea has blossomed into a worldwide movement. Today, the so-called “World Association of Ugly People” counts more than 30,000 members across 25 global chapters.
