Legend has it that a monk, living in the Middle East, heard the daily call to prayers from the mosques. Upon returning to Italy, he pitched the idea that Christians should have something similar, to call the congregations to mass. And thus, the idea of bell towers was born.

On a recent tour I led through the land of my ancestors, the nutshell-sized region of Molise, travelers got to roam far and away from the beaten track to visit a special place: the Campane Marinelli Foundry, which sits at the top of the Molise region, crowning the tiny town of Agnone.