When a country is not official, just a state of mind

Imagine living somewhere that no one else recognised. Nick Middleton reveals why some nations don’t exist
The head of the local flower growers’ co-operative, Giorgio Carbone, was a placid figure with a big black beard. He grew mimosa flowers and lived in a small hilltop town in northwestern Italy, an ancient jumble of narrow cobbled streets, wooden shutters and wrought-iron balconies.Carbone was very keen on local history. He spent many hours in state and church archives painstakingl