Sometimes up to 5,000 people a day wander the town, which at its seasonal height sleeps only about 100. The effect of all these people — selfie sticks moving through the air like antennae — gives the place the unfortunate air of a Disney set: a hyper-clean, historically accurate medieval town as realized on a Universal Studios back lot. And each summer the town hosts a daylong festival featuring the traditional food, music and dance of the immigrants. Some of these are apprenticing artisans, learning old skills like embroidery, glass mosaic and pottery that were themselves dying out, and so helping keep Italian culture alive. Even physically, the towns appear like natural outcroppings, terraced along the sides of hills, as if sprouting from the earth beneath them.

Source: New York Times September 08, 2017 03:46 UTC