My town, Sarnano in Le Marche, has 3,400 souls. That number includes those in the historic center and surrounding area, homes climbing the hills, asphalted streets and fewer steps up than the Centro Storico.

People say it is the Italy of memory, the best the country was, and is. There are less than a dozen North Americans, two or three returning to America on a regular basis. The expats have made Sarnano their address in the tax rolls and are accepted by Italians with courtesy, grace, and appreciation.