A Guide to Furore

Once upon a time there was a little settlement strung out along a scenic road above the coastline. It had no central piazza and no tight clusters of houses. Travellers would pass down the road admiring the view but overlooking the village, which earned the name of 'the village that doesn't exist'.

Then a go-ahead mayor decided it was time to put his tiny comune on the map. His goal was to give the place an identity. Furore became 'il Paese Dipinto'; the painted village. Every September, artists from around the world are invited to a festival to add to the murals now decorating the local buildings.

These are colourful affairs with Bacchus featuring heavily, cheerful nudes clutching generous bunches of grapes, sea scapes inspired by the beautiful setting. Even the railings and lamp posts are decorated in bizarre and bright colours: lilac, pink, blue, green. Few drivers could now fail to notice that they are driving through a destination with a character all of its own.

Investments by the comune and private bodies, as well as co-operation between local business, has given Furore a well-marketed range of enterprises to welcome the visitor: restaurants, pizzerie, and accommodation ranging from farm-based agriturismo to a five-star hotel and spa. The small settlement also has its own wine, white and red (to learn more visit the winemakers' website in Italian:www.granfuror.it.

The oldest part of Furore is down at sea-level, where the Borgo, a cluster of old fishermen's houses, appears to be glued to the cliffs. The fiord is dramatic, and unusual for Italy; a high gorge cutting inland from the sea. The local authority and the environmental group Legambiente have made the fiord into an appealing tourist spot.

An old lime kiln has been converted into a bar and gift shop, the old houses have been renovated, and a museum tells of the industrial heritage and botanical diversity of the fiord.