La Dolce Vita, Internet Style

Meanwhile, underneath the village, a 10-mile network of fiber optics and copper delivers a level of connectivity that the largest Italian cities would envy. Each home in Colletta has an Internet line, an ISDN port that supports videophone and videoconferencing services, a radiophone for use around the village, and cable for video-on-demand and interactive TV.

De Carlo has ensured that Colletta's technology is invisible. Even the antenna for the radiophones is camouflaged to blend in with the gray stone. Whether walking the labyrinth of lanes and pathways or climbing the tangle of stairs and bridges, visitors are plunged back in time. "I like to think back to what Colletta was like in its heyday in the 18th or 19th century, when it was home to 700 or 800 people," says Pampirio.

To be sure, creating a community isn't as easy as laying down fiber. Three-quarters of the apartments are spoken for, bought by professors, financiers, architects, builders, surgeons, entrepreneurs, wine makers, and writers. The new Collettini have more in common with one another than they do with the local farmers who raise flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Most are middle-aged, and the majority are relatively affluent (apartments cost between $140,000 and $330,000). Residents are encouraged to tear themselves away from their computers and TVs and socialize. Massimo Vindrola, the village's procaccia (a combination mayor and caretaker), hosts parties for new home owners, inviting the entire village. Plays are organized for the amphitheater, open-air concerts take place in the piazza, and bathers relax together at the outdoor pool.

Unfortunately, Colletta runs the risk of becoming more of a destination or weekend resort than a genuine community. Many of the Italian owners bought the apartments to use as summer homes. Those who bought them for work tend to come for a month or six weeks to immerse themselves in a project. "Most of the time, we have the place pretty much to ourselves," says O'Donnell. "It's a bit of a disappointment that people haven't really embraced the concept of a village. The Italians come here for a month in August and work, but the majority of the properties are empty for the rest of the year."

But Pampirio insists that the Colletta experiment is a work in progress and that the 800-year-old village is just beginning to establish the new rhythms of life there. "Teleworking in Italy is still in its infancy," says the developer, who is planning a similar project elsewhere in Liguria.

Televillage pioneer Dobbs, who has had his share of setbacks, believes that the reach of global-communications technology will support a return to village life. "Communities like Colletta need at least 10 years before you can judge whether they are a success or not," he says. "But living and working in the same community is a tried-and-tested formula, and televillages are a model for future communities."

Ian Wylie (ian@wylienet.demon.co.uk) is a Fast Company contributing editor based in England. Visit Colletta di Castelbianco on the Web (www.colletta.it).