Embark on a journey through an itinerary that follows an invisible thread, made of transforming light, regenerating creativity, culinary traditions that tell love stories, and legends that blend with everyday life. A path that connects four unusual and surprising Italian villages: Viganella (Verbanio-Cusio-Ossola), Bussana Vecchia in the municipality of Sanremo (Genoa), Valeggio sul Mincio (Verona), and Corinaldo (Ancona).
The journey begins in the mountains of Valle Antrona, in Viganella, a small Piedmontese village that turned a lack into an opportunity. For centuries, the residents lived for about three months a year without sunlight, hidden by the mountains during winter. But in 2006, the village’s story changed thanks to an 8 by 5 meter mirror installed on the mountain, reflecting sunlight onto the main square, illuminating Viganella during the darkest months. More than just a technological masterpiece, the mirror is also a symbol of resilience, a perfect metaphor for rebirth.
From Piedmont, we move to Liguria, where art made a new life possible for an abandoned village. Bussana Vecchia was devastated by an earthquake in 1887 and remained a pile of ruins until the 1960s when a group of artists, led by Turin’s Clizia, decided to revive it by rebuilding the dilapidated houses and turning some into studios and workshops, creating a community that continues to thrive to this day.
The thread that connects light and art then intertwines with the culinary tradition of Valeggio sul Mincio, in Veneto, known for its tortellini. Legend has it that a knight and a nymph fell in love here. Before parting forever, she left the knight a golden knot-tied handkerchief as a symbol of their love. This gesture is commemorated in the preparation of tortellini, with the thin pasta resembling the knotted handkerchief. Valeggio celebrates this story every year with the ‘Festa del Nodo d’Amore,’ an event in late June that transforms Ponte Visconteo into a long table where thousands of tortellini are served to visitors.
The itinerary concludes in Corinaldo, a medieval village in the Marche region, with its towering defensive walls dating back to the 14th century. In addition to the architectural charm – one of the most famous points of interest being the legendary 109-step staircase of Via Piaggia leading to the Casa di Scuretto – Corinaldo is also the hub of popular traditions. Every year, the village celebrates the ‘Festa della Polenta,’ and here too, a legend is hidden: it is said that a farmer, while carrying a sack of cornmeal, accidentally dropped it into the village well, filling it with flour and allowing the residents to cook polenta for days. This event is commemorated with a grand festival, uniting the entire community and representing the oldest historical reenactment in the province of Ancona.
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