On the edge of a secluded Alpine village in northern Italy, we are building a place free of exchange logic for political, social and ecological education, empowerment, regeneration and constructive processes for all. To this end, we have acquired a vacant property that is over a hundred years old and filled it with new life. It is located in a mountain village with around 380 inhabitants in the Valle Cannobina on the edge of the largest wilderness reserve in the Alps, the ‘Val Grande’. The atmosphere is characterised by the timelessness of the surrounding mountains covered in natural forest with their bare peaks and ridges. It is quiet here and the weather becomes noticeable and significant. It is an ideal place to learn, meet, make plans, explore nature and relax. And yet there is a bus service to this village from the nearby and well-connected small town of Cannobio on Lake Maggiore.
The project should be accessible to as many people as possible, without financial barriers. In order to compensate for different financial possibilities and the associated privileges or disadvantages, and to create low-threshold and non-commercial access, this place is designed without the logic of exchange. This means that it is financed by project funds and donations – its use is not linked to any quid pro quo.
To make this possible, we also utilise the potential of self-help to build commons in solidarity and have already accomplished a great deal of work through self-help and with the support of solidarity-minded helpers.
The house is intended to be used by groups and initiatives, families and individuals for educational purposes, among other things, but also for recreation and regeneration. In this way, we want to create a space for empowerment, dialogue, networking, psychosocial support and activities, and socio-political engagement, especially for people affected by discrimination and multiple disadvantages. We focus on the topics of intersectionality and anti-discrimination education, climate justice, sustainability and care. There will also be space for (educational) programmes to promote mindfulness, self-care, awareness, self-change and creativity.
The village also has a small shop for everyday essentials, a post office, a pizzeria and a bar. There are also two small museums, one on ethnography and one on geology. Many of the old houses have been converted into holiday homes and the majority of the residents are of retirement age.
As the name suggests, our house is located on a hillside (in pendenza), like almost all the houses in the village. It consists of a solid natural stone house with five living rooms, a barn attached to the main house, two outbuildings and a large plot of land with very old chestnut trees. In this chestnut forest, there are two small (unfinished) houses above the house, which can be reached from the house via narrow paths through the forest. Several terraces have been created. The house can only be reached via a footpath that is partly narrow, partly steep and rocky, and relatively steep for the last 200 metres or so. To get to the living room and kitchen on the first floor, you have to climb a few steps, and then more steps to get to the bedrooms above.
The house has electricity and water, a small bathroom and a well-equipped kitchen. Currently, only the kitchen and living room can be heated with a wood-burning stove.
There are a total of 10 beds and a pull-out couch (for a total of 13 people), as well as loungers and mattresses for extra beds.