One of the best known peculiarities of Italian life is the spirit of campanilismo of  a lifetime sense of strong attachment to ones place of birth, symbolized by the local church bell-tower or campanile  Italy, in fact, is a land of bell-towers, with a vast number of small and medium-sized communities spread over its entire territory. These are virtually all comunes, with their own mayor and civic council, democratically elected and empowered to handle local affairs. A large number of these communities are small. 5,446 Italian comunes have less than 5,000 inhabitants and many of them have been struggling for years with the problems of shrinking and aging populations and reduced revenues and work opportunities of a situation which has worsened with the current economic recession. However, the spirit of campanilismo dies hard. These little towns and villages are determined to survive and to keep their independence and individuality.

A recent study undertaken by the association of Italian communes (Anci) concludes that times will continue to be difficult for the small comunes over the next two years at least. However, the report is not all gloom. It predicts that villages may in fact see a rise in population, due to high housing costs in the cities and the better quality of life that a small community can offer. There will also be a rising trend, according to Anci predictions, of well-off, well-educated middle-class couples and families choosing to embrace country living. Most Italian villages, in fact, are charming, with unspoiled historic centres, good food and fine landscapes. Small towns, off the beaten track, are also expected to attract more and more tourism over the coming decade as more independent travellers turn to alternative routes from the well-trodden art-and-wine cities circuit.

However, for many comunes the main problem remains lack of work opportunities. This too may change, thanks to the web and business decentralization. In the meantime, many little towns have already rolled up their sleeves and re-invented themselves. A classic example is the erstwhile fishing community of Montisola, near Brescia on Lake Iseo. For centuries, the village lived on fishing, with the fishermens wives making the nets.Montisola is still making nets, but now they are nets for sports fields, which are exported to various European countries, as well as Asia and South America.