It is insured that the technology itself will be altogether completely invisible. Whether walking the labyrinth of lanes and pathways or making way across the black lava amidst the tall Junipers and cacti, visitors are plunged back into eons of time. “I like to think back to when this place was home to thousands of Anestazi Indians, pre-dating the Hopi or the Navaho and think about what these people were doing here, how they lived together,” says Gregg Scott.

To be sure, creating a community isn’t as easy as laying down fiber. In time tested, similar internationally located digs, three-quarters of the retreat suites built were spoken for and bought by professors, financiers, architects, builders, surgeons, entrepreneurs, wine makers and writers. Such new denizens to these ancient restructured villages have more in common with one another than they do with the local farmers in these areas that raise flowers, fruits and vegetables. Demographically, most are middle-aged and the majority are relatively affluent (retreat suites cost between $250,000 to $350,000).

Residents are encouraged to tear themselves away from their computers and digital screens and socialize. In one village in Italy, 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 amphi-theatre, open-air concerts take place in the piazza and bathers relax together at the out door pool. And unfortunately, this particular village runs the risk of becoming more of a destination or weekend resort than a genuine community. Many of the Italian owners bought the original apartments there 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 work project. One resident O’Donnell says, “It’s a bit of a disappointment that people haven’t really embraced the concept of a true 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 developers insist that this 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.

Televillage pioneers, who have had their fair share of setbacks, still believe that the reach of global-communications technology will support a return to village life all over the world. “Communities like these, off the beaten path, such villages need at least 10 years before you can judge whether they are a success or not,”, says Gregg Scott. But living and working in the same community is a tried-and-tested formula, and “Televillages” are a model for future communities.