Seventeen years ago, Copsa Mica was the dirtiest village of Europa because of two industrial complexes with soot and zinc. Its story made the front cover of magazines such as National Geographic and I was curious about how it looked like today. People now look back with mixed feelings. On the one hand the factories strongly and visibly polluted the area. On the other hand it provided work for most people in the surrounding villages. As for today, most young people have left, leaving their parents behind.