Ecochiocciola

1978

In Montese I was involved in the creation of a cultural cirele. From the small initial gathering, a group was formed that bought land from the local council to build a campsite. The pIace is called "Eco-chiocciola" -"eco" as in "ecology", "chiocciola" from the ltalian for "snail shell" -, representing a creature that carries its home around with it, in our case in the shape of a tent or a camper van: the perfect symbol of our world.

2010

With its camping pitches, bungalows and apartments, the Chiocciola can now accommodate over three hundred people. It's like a small village.

To see the world, one must travel extensivly.

To know it, all we need is a village.

(Fosco Maraini)

Here I try to follow a biodynamic land management system created last century by an Austrian called Rudolf Steiner. He rationalizecl what he saw old peasant farmers doing. This is the method we use to grow fruit and vegetables and to take what we can from the fields and the woods.

Ottavio Mazzanti