Nestled in a beautiful natural amphitheater in the heart of the Cinque Terre, up a gentle, sloping pathway from the town of Monterosso, is one of the most celebrated boutique vineyards in all Italy. Thisis a uniquely beautiful environment --nine acres of land planted with grape vines, olive trees and citrus, all lovingly and diligently tended by the Grillo family. Buranco is one of the glories of the Cinque Terre, a region that has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Buranco produces wine, grappa (an aromatic brandy), olive oil, lemons, and honey, all in small quantities to ensure the very highest quality. All of these products are rooted in the traditions of a distant past, which have been reclaimed for the present. In order to appreciate the exceptional nature of this estate, one must place it in the context of the environmental treasure-trove that is the Cinque Terre, or Five Lands. These are five villages along the Italian Riviera, connected only by a narrow foot-path and therefore exempt from the traffic, pollution, and pressures of the society around it. Its pristine beaches register some of the lowest pollution levels in all Italy. The quiet of a region without motor vehicles evokes the simpler times of a distant past. The Italian government recognized this when it selected the Cinque Terre for the 1992 celebration of Christopher Columbus, who in fact was born in nearby Genoa.These legendary lands are associated with yet another legend, the wine known as Sciacchetrà (pronounced shah-keh-TRA). It is the product of a unique viticultural landscape --narrow terraces that have been hewn, through tenacious effort, from cliffs that plunge into the sea. Here, as the poet Veronelli once wrote, the workers glide acrobatically between the vines, like “mad angels”