And it is this equilibrium—between respect for the
past, and the vigour of creation—that makes Monteverdi a
template for those facing very similar challenges in the
preservation of past glories everywhere.
From Alpine ski resorts to Greek fishing villages, the
dilemma is the same. First you have rural depopulation, as
jobs became concentrated in the towns, causing physical
and cultural disintegration. (Castiglioncello del Trinoro
had 180 inhabitants at the end of the war, and nine when
Cioffi arrived.) So you turn to tourism—and often find that
the environment survives only on a drip of artifice, end-
ing up as something like a theme park. For preservation to
be sustainable, there has to be a third way: a freshness, a
vitality, an authenticity.
