The Unusual Italian Village In Wales

Walking into this little village feels as if you've been transported to Italy, but in fact, you're not even close. Tucked away on the coast of northern Wales is the village of Portmeirion, a truly unique town built with a colorful, whimsical design and an eye for conservation. Built between 1925 and 1975 by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, Portmeirion became a home for lost building parts, such as taking the stones of a demolished castle to make a town clock tower. But the most striking part of the town is the integration of nature with the town's colorful architecture, modifying nearly every single building to work with the nearby terrain. Join Bridget Barbara from ‪@TheCuriousWorld‬ and Atlas Obscura as we explore this unusual Welsh town.
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[@bkimbar]

The narrator doesn't mention that everything is smaller scale than normal and that you can purchase Portmeirion pottery there. The company is based in Stoke-on-Trent, England and the pottery designer is Susan Williams-Ellis, daughter of Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, who created the village.

[@evanhughes7609]

My wife and I visited in 2009 while honeymooning in the UK. Cannot recommend it highly enough, well worth a detour!

[@briseyk1]

Visited in the 80's . Basically abandoned, rusty, needing work. Just walked in. They were trying to work out whether it was financially viable or knock it down. Went last year happy to see they made the right choice.

[@brianjohns49]

Absolutely incredible, though Wales is a scenic beauty unto its own. What an incredible work of architecture not to mention, a great video that tickles our curiosity I might add. Portmeirion is like the House of Aberffraw meets Antoni Gaudí meets Michelangelo with a bit of Lewis Caroll thrown in for good measure. It's so much better when the arts and colour are used as sparks for the senses rather than chains for the mind. Thank you for a great video!

[@johnwaldo2731]

'I am not a number; I am a free man,' said Patrick McGoohan in 1969

[@WebertHest]

Be seeing you.

[@foxthx1138]

WebertHest gets it👍

[@hcurtisshannon]

And you...

[@allanmurphy5273]

On my bucket list for many years. Be seeing you.

[@AtalienaFhang]

More from this host please! My favorite so far

[@rolfathan]

The integration of the cliffs is absolutely amazing.

[@hawksgull9911]

"You are number six!" Love this charming village. Lovely reporting, Atlas Obscura!

[@NotSpockToo]

We visited Portmeirion a couple of years ago and stayed in one of the apartments that overlook the plaza and chessboard. We made sure to watch the opening sequence of The Prisoner while there and paused when we saw the apartment we were in. Number 6's apartment is a gift shop and there is a nice bronze bust of Patrick McGoohan in a niche in a wall that you'll see as you walk around. Even though we went because we are fans of The Prisoner you don't need to be one to visit. It's an amazing place, very beautiful with lots of beautiful walks and interesting buildings. The village is ery busy during the day, but at night it's very quiet. It was fun to walk around and really enjoy the architecture. The only thing missing was a white ball rising out of the water! Be seeing you.

[@anonb4632]

Well worth visiting. I felt it was a bit pricey but it was one of the rare occasions I didn't mind coughing up. I was in seventh heaven the whole time I was there.

[@peruprofundodance]

would love to visit this village! thanks atlas, for bringing this wonderful place to light!

[@kymberlyp4056]

I agree, ron s. It is a truly wonderful place and full of beauty.

[@anonb4632]

Erm, it's pretty famous already. One cult TV series and also a hangout of the Beatles.

[@dianekinnicutt784]

Make sure that you visit when the flowers are in bloom. I have gone twice and in late July it seemed like it was already starting to fade for the fall. Late June was perfection.

[@kymberlyp4056]

Diane Kinnicutt ~ Thank you.

[@madaug5101]

Wow, what a beautiful place.

[@MMitchellMarmel]

"WHO IS NUMBER ONE?"

[@strictures]

As long as you're not the new Number 2, you're OK.

[@MMitchellMarmel]

@@strictures Quate. :)

[@veronicaa7040]

You are number six

[@mohammedcohen]

...YOU are No 6!!!

[@MMitchellMarmel]

@@mohammedcohen I am not a number! I am...hm. Maybe I AM a number, after all. ;^.^

[@marklevin330]

Love that video. I so want to visit this village, so thanks for giving me this glimpse into a place I've never heard of.

[@searcher57]

was also where they filmed The Prisoner Tv series in the 60,s

[@susanlee2945]

I recognized it right away. What a wonderful place.

[@ncooty]

@4:05: They explicitly mentioned that.

[@evanhughes7609]

Be seeing you...

[@sabbykaur7773]

This Mini Village looks amazingly beautiful 💖 definitely on my list of places to explore 💃

[@thelastjedi3259]

Wales? I live in Wales! What a beautiful small place! :D

[@crakkbone]

The Muttart in Edmonton, Alberta is a rather curious set of pyramids :) you could check that out.

[@anonb4632]

Culross in Fife, Scotland. (Despite the spelling, it is pronounced "koo-ross"). That is another good contender. Also the Pineapple just across the Forth.

[@lisacecile3080]

I'd love to visit it!

[@anonb4632]

Do! You won't regret it. There are a lot of other things worth visiting near there.

[@kmart1396]

Lowkey almost had me crying about BBC's Merlin again til I heard it was the iteration of many a legends with Sam Neill in it but like dammit if Arthurian Legend doesn't have a special place heart now in general

[@steveshea9448]

Fun look at Portmeirion for a Prisoner fan. Maybe you could track down the Welsh and Cornish sites hinted at in Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series.

[@alanrogers7090]

Didn't they film the 1960's British television program, "The Prisoner" in this place? It sure looks like it. I especially remember the giant chess set.

[@namebrandmason]

They talk about this at minute four.

[@TMJBtv]

The island across from it was also used in Merlin for Merlin's Island. I too watched the same video you did

[@florencecopeland4870]

Loved this. It reminded me a bit of Shimla in Northern India - a British Town built for the Raj for use in the summer.

[@thomasalexander9393]

Very interesting. She is so cute, love her enthusiasm for discovering.

[@hanniffydinn6019]

Best PRISON on planet earth! No prisoner can escape! 🤯🤯🤯🤯

[@AimlessAdventuresVlog]

What a wonderful place!

[@sergeysimonovqwerty]

Очень красиво.

[@ariellemasters954]

Fascinating, and so cool :) What fun!

[@jmm1233]

i remember going here , it beautiful place

[@guidoferri8683]

It looks like an Italian village under a very little dose of LSD

[@shannonsofian1534]

If you ever watched the original show that's very accurate!

[@ricardo_boutique]

It looks like Sintra, Portugal

[@33incognito]

Wanna let me join you? Lol

[@randallimai4895]

I am not a numba! I am a FREE MAN!

[@MMitchellMarmel]

HA HA HA HA HA!!!

[@brendakrieger7000]

Amazing

[@skarrambo1]

Bridget is my favourite host. Perfect balance of neutrality and personality, I think. I loved going to Portmeirion as a kid :)

[@szzukowski]

Great video, but I want to buy that guy a bigger shirt.

[@narelle4868]

Yes. I found his belly peeking out just a bit too distracting. Someone should tell him that it's not a good look. But I did enjoy listening to what he had to say.

[@sarahprunierlaw9147]

what a neat place!

[@sergeysimonovqwerty]

Думаю, кроме замка Дракулы, ето еще одно из мест, в которых я бы побывал.

[@2.7petabytes]

Number 6 would be proud!

[@gowithasad]

nice great work

[@thecatalyst8156]

I'm speechless!

[@mohammedcohen]

...fans of the 60s ITC TV series "the Prisoner" will recognize this immediately as "the Village" where NO6 was taken to be be broken down as a human being. "be Seeing You..."

[@FabioMMMM]

The weird thing is that to Italian eyes it is obvious it is made by non-italians. It is a mix of anglosaxon, far north and north to centre Italian styles. not to mention the clock tower, it looks like a bell tower of an Italian church, but where's the church? interesting experiment. surely on my bucket list!

[@joemoschetta1541]

i agree paison ,but i guess he tried

[@DTyrannosaurus]

Also where The Vapors had their weekend con/show/fest last year, which I'm still sad I missed. :( Next year?

[@gmack930]

The Vapors? As in Turning Japanese?

[@DTyrannosaurus]

G Mack The very same, back together after 30-some years.

[@kopynd1]

number 6 was always nr 1

[@jaisleenkharoud4266]

bellisimo

[@ghrrum]

Tell you what, how about Racoon Mountain Caverns out in Chattanooga TN?

[@jwebstersmithii7459]

When people visit they should have to wear an outfit-like the styles seen in The Prisoner. That would really unify the place. Seeing modern people with their terrible style just doesn't look right in such an amusing setting. Costumes would really help make it even more colorful....and ultimately photo-worthy. Force people to have to wear Portmeirion Garb. Or they get chased by the big white balloon. Thems would be the consequences for not having the correct style. :)

[@TheChugg11]

Thank you for pronouncing ‘scone’ properly!

[@MeAuntieNora]

Yeah, minutes after she got a polite correction when she ordered the "sk-own" gelato.

[@skarrambo1]

Correct if you're Welsh or from the right southern part of England :P Midlands guy like me says 'sk-own' over 'sk-on'

[@annelilianmurphy]

@@skarrambo1 According to Webster, scones originated in Scotland in the 1500s. Scots pronounce it scone as in gone.

[@skarrambo1]

@@annelilianmurphy Well, nice to know I am with the originators :P

[@annelilianmurphy]

@@skarrambo1 Me too!

[@charlie_marrow]

"A different blue" aka green

[@__hjg__2123]

Who is number one? That would be telling!!!

[@alveolate]

omg that guy's gut is hanging out so much...

[@ncooty]

@5:04: I missed the part where you made the case that tourism there is sustainable (whatever that might mean).

[@glenncamp733]

me too

[@AtalienaFhang]

sustainable in terms of the tourism money being for a place built on conserving the natural environment and recycling building parts

[@joemoschetta1541]

very nice ,but just go to italy and you ll never want to leave

[@Funkopopsstorewalkthroughsunbo]

It bloody looks like Lego land lol Diawn

[@sarina5352]

I wish I could swap it with London Chaos life 😢😢😢😢😢

[@Funkopopsstorewalkthroughsunbo]

Diawn

[@user-ez9is7lb9p]

Meanwhile every so often they announce they’re going to build a “garden city” or “garden village” and consistently is a pile of junk and tarmac with a smattering of grass between the identical block houses.

[@madisonbrightwell6812]

I am not a number I am a free man!

[@tomhamilton1562]

Prisoner number 6

[@tatechasers2393]

so he was rich

[@venipedia]

Sorry, but, on which characteristics is based the definition of "italian" village (it's pretty far from it)? Architecture? Colors? A central square? What about it?

[@anonb4632]

Clough Williams Ellis designed a village which was Italian influenced but was not supposed to be Italian.

[@AtalienaFhang]

It says it in the video... did you watch it?

[@venipedia]

@@anonb4632 thanks for the kind reply, we understand it, but it's hard to define it an italian village since, for example, the normality it's not colorful, not central square and the architecture could be really different from South to North. This village is really nice, but it's like eat pasta with pineapple... you can't feel Italy just for the pasta.

[@venipedia]

@@AtalienaFhang sure, in fact our question is precise, since the host claims: "look ma, I'm in Italy!" and seeing the video, from an italian eye, it seems more close to Austria and Edimburgh for the architecture, Venice, Corfù or some Andalusia place for colors, but there is even a touch of other influences from all over the world. So, again, we like this village, it's funny and curious, but it doesn't match an italian village and it's really hard to define it so (even the central square it's not a standard in Italy). That's why we asked for.

[@anonb4632]

@@venipedia I happen to be in Edinburgh right now, and can guarantee Portmeirion is nothing like it either. 😉 In fact Portmeirion isn't much like anywhere and that's the beauty of it. It does look a bit Italianesque, but certainly not Italian. For me, it looks more Balkan or Mittel Europa - Austria, Czech Republic etc... But obviously with some major differences too.

[@Wolfiins]

sorry but this doesnt look like italy at all.. more like alice in wonderland

[@MsSicily86]

bellissimo paese

[@sharong8511]

I like the place, just not the paint colours. Too Disneylandish for me.

[@medusagorgo5146]

You wouldn’t like Europe then

[@anonb4632]

Nothing to with Disney, dear. It's a fascinating place.

[@anonb4632]

Also it's a quiet place. Unlike Disneyland.

[@skarrambo1]

@@medusagorgo5146 Did you not think that Disney looked to Europe for that inspiration?

[@medusagorgo5146]

skarrambo 1 I know he did, what’s the issue? My point being, the OP would not like Europe because they use many many colours on their homes. I lived in Germany for 10 years and traveled extensively around the continent, they love to incorporate colour into their lives.