Regenerating Villa Fortuna
Regenerating Villa Fortuna is a project by Fondazione Capellino, just like Almo Nature, Companion Animal For Life, Humans & Wildlife and Impact on Biodiversity.
The consumption of the soil’s natural resources, due to intensive farming and concreting, has reduced environmental diversity; the nutritional value of the fruit that gets to our plates is devalued; the beauty and variety of the landscape is jeopardized.
Regenerating Villa Fortuna is an experimental agricultural project that spreads over hilly land of 20 hectares in San Salvatore Monferrato (Piedmont, Italy); its visionary goal is to make agroforestry techniques a cost-effective, scalable, and competitive production model, able to protect the air, soil, and water, as well as the surrounding animal and plant biodiversity.
Added to the agricultural activity is the renovation of the historical buildings on the estate, with the aim of creating a model of anthropic landscape that respects biodiversity.
The project relies on the collaboration with the Università degli Studi di Milano and of the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT).
(updates underway)
How we do it
The Regenerating Villa Fortuna project is for everyone who understands and appreciates the importance of agriculture for our lives and biodiversity.
The project site is based in San Salvatore Monferrato, Italy, which is 100% owned by Fondazione Capellino. Alongside the agricultural activities, the Villa’s historic buildings – protected by the Italian Ministry of Culture – are also being transformed to create a farmstead, guesthouse, auditorium and headquarters of the foundation.
In the course of 2021 the project will be extended to other European areas. The project is being executed by the newly established agricultural company, Villa Fortuna Società Agricola Sperimentale srl (100% owned by the foundation) in collaboration with the University of Milan.
Reports & Achievements to date
In line with the project’s scientific approach, all planning, monitoring and data collection activities carried out at Villa Fortuna will be documented, giving rise to a set of quantitative and qualitative data that will serve to define a replicable model. The data collected will make it possible to compare its performance against different agricultural systems.
All the data obtained will be organised for subsequent analysis and publication in scientific journals and at national and international conferences. Additional brochures, manuals, guidelines and other types of communication materials will be created to share the results.
Regenerating Villa Fortuna captures the essence of the operating idea of rural landscape, intended as a unitary, dynamic system of interacting natural and anthropic components.
The project is grounded on a holistic approach, based on the integration of the principles of landscape ecology, agro-ecology, and architectural recovery, and proposes a new, advanced scenery of the rural environment.
<>br>The scientific research project was launched in 2019 in cooperation with UNIMI through a biennial service contract, with an investment of Euro 143,100.
The project’s operational matters were assigned to Villa Fortuna Società Agricola Sperimentale SRL, 100% owned by Fondazione Capellino. The progress will be monitored, measured and published over a timeframe of at least ten years, in order to prove the economic, ecologic, and social viability of the model we are creating.
The first half of 2020 was dedicated to planning; the other half will be devoted to execution, with the establishment of a first experimental implant in an area of 3.5ha.
The foreseen architectural recovery of the settlement’s historical core (Villa and Northern Farm) and of the other minor buildings (Western Farm, Southern Farm, Shed and Silo) is being planned taking into account the agricultural and landscape requirements. It will be financed using a separate budget, and designed by Tekne S.p.A., the historical Milan engineering office that has been operating for five generations, with the advice of architect Baila, a specialist in historical buildings, and of architect Del Toro, specialised in landscape’s agricultural recovery; with the approval of the Belle Arti, responsible for the site since its donation by Pier Giovanni Capellino.
The project’s 2020 budget (excluding the one-off budget destined to the architectural recovery) amounts to Euro 430,000.
The reports will be available from the beginning of July 2021
How the project is funded
The profits of Almo Nature after tax, investments and expenses, are used to finance the projects of the Fondazione Capellino, whose overall single goal is to act on and support initiatives that demonstrate respect for life in all its forms.
What you can do
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Discover the other projects
Almo Nature produces high quality pet foods for dogs and cats from natural ingredients. Its profits fund Fondazione Capellino’s projects that protect dogs, cats and biodiversity.
Companion Animal for Life is a project of Fondazione Capellino, aimed at recognizing a new status for our companion animals.
The consciousness that natural spaces have been completely submitted to humankind, resulting in a dramatic drop of living species and biodiversity, is at the origin of Impact on Biodiversity.