Earlier this year, whilst in northern Italy, I heard about a small village called Gurro in the Province of Novara, which has an alleged Scottish connection. The village is known locally as "il paese scozzese".
A book was written about the area and its Scots connections by Lt Col Gayre of Gayre and Nigg, published in 1974, called "The Lost Clan Sant'Andrea degli Scozzesi of Gurro Novara" which looks at the possibility that following the Battle of Pavia in 1525, some Scots Guards settled in the little hamlet of Gurro near the Italo-Swiss frontier, settled down, married Italian women and he suggests that their descendants live in the area to this day.
...and the village has retained its Scots identity. There are apparently many words in the local dialect which are of Scots or celtic origin: e.g. buter for butter, and many of the surnames in the area are suggested to be of Scots origin: Steven, Lenat (suggested as Lamont) Tenent (suggested as Tennent) Also, a fabric which looks like tartan is traditional to the area.
Until recently the only way to reach Gurro was by mule track, but it is now possible to travel there by car and have a coffee in the small "Bar Scotch" before collecting the museum key from the bar owner and visiting the fascinating local museum which is on three floors. It was a large, well maintianed and well stocked museum for what is really just a small village. There is an annual Scots festival held in the village and the photos taken at some of these events were on display; although some of the locals did look Italian, many did not....they would have looked quite at home in Scotland.
Sounds like it has incredible potential for a DNA project!
Best wishes
Lesley
But the northern Italy/Tyrol area does ring a bell in the dark recesses of the brain cells 
Don't know if it was me or Maria who was more surprised! 
, - these and other Scots have been in Poland for over 400 years ....., never mind .................