"The voyage of discovery is not to search for new lands, but rather to have new eyes." - Marcel Proust. It is this concept which prompted a project set in motion by Ermete Realacci, Presidente of Legambiente. The project entitled "Piccola Grande Italia", is intended to reevaluate Italy's smaller wonders and secret corners, giving them new importance. In plain terms, the initiative will develop latent qualities of outlaying provincial areas, making the best of what they have to offer. According to Mr. Realacci, these areas with their crumbling hillside villages hidden among clumps of trees, or perched on the rocks at the far end of the boot that are rare standards of an disappearing cultural quality of life. Some of the finest examples of these are:

Morterone, in Lombardia, Lecco province: the smallest in Italy, it has a total of 33 inhabitants.

Panzano in Chianti, Toscany: indisputable capital of wine and the best steaks in the land. Most celebrated professions in this town are wine making and beef. The latter is so important that when sale of the famous steaks was suspended in the face of the "mad cow disease" scare, the community held a right and proper funeral for their celebrated specialty.

Villa Santa Maria, in the Marches; a community of cuisine, birthplace of the cooking school which each October organizes a Mega-feast which lasts three days long.

Linosa and Lampedusa, fabulous littleislands off Sicilia, where there's no 7th grade class this year nobody was born in 1989...

Colletta di Castelbianco, Liguria: a village of 100 inhabitants which has been declared the very first multi-media Medieval village. Just 10 years ago, the village had a population of one, who had no electricity or running water. Today, the apartments have all been outfitted with cable, videophones and high-speed Internet connections! How times do change...