# Villi --- **Villi** (singular **villus**) are the small, finger-like projections that line the surface of both the [[small intestine|small]] and [[large intestine|large]] intestines. Due to their shape, they drastically increase the surface area of the intestines. The walls of the each villus is only one cell thick. The surface of those cells is covered in a [[microvilli|brush boarder]], or sheet of even smaller, *microvilli*. Inside each villus is a network of [[capillaries]] and [[lymphatic vessels|lacteals]]. The villi allow the [[enterocytes|enterocytes]] access to both the bloodstream (for hydrophilic nutrients), and the lymphatic system (for hydrophobic nutrients). ![[small intestine.png]] ![[villi and microvilli.png]] ___