Who we are
Corricelli ecovillage it is also known by the name of the Basilico association, creator of the project. For many years, numerous Basilico partners have contributed to the restructuring and activities of Corricelli. It is a small village, largely renovated, in a wooded environment and surrounded by abandoned agricultural land, in the municipality of Cantagallo - province of Prato. The Corricelli project began in 2003 with the newly founded Basilico Association, whose members set up tents and caravans and built the " Basilica " as the first construction, still today the heart of the village: a large wooden stilt house that houses the kitchen, surrounded by thick vegetation of the woods that have taken possession of the territory, once cultivated with vineyards, olive groves and orchards.
After the first winter the group is drastically reduced and there are four pioneers who choose to self-build huts in straw and wood bales, as homes during the long and demanding renovations. For many years Corricelli remains without electricity and internet connection and allows its inhabitants, short and long-term guests and many volunteers to discover the happiness of such a radical decrease. Thanks to the lack of funds, the renovations are proceeding with unprecedented slowness and Corricelli becomes a symbol of "Slow is beautiful". Meanwhile, the interests and talents of the group focus on self-construction, Permaculture design, Synergistic Agriculture, Empathic Communication, Mindfulness and Biodanza.
In 2022 in Corricelli, which was formed in Aps , 9 residents live in the houses of the Borgo and in the two straw huts. Photovoltaic systems, solar collectors and various sources guarantee energy self-sufficiency. The renovation of the largest cottage which also houses the guesthouse, a large room used to host volunteers and guests in winter, has recently been completed. During the spring and summer period, volunteers and guests pitch the tent on the pitches in the woods, with compost toilet and shower nearby.
In addition to the hectare of property, covered by woods in which small vegetable gardens, fruit trees and a large chicken coop have been inserted, the association has obtained 11 hectares of land under concession, where for now it has created a field for the cultivation of potatoes and wheat, and a synergistic vegetable garden in collaboration with the Free School Emilia Hazelip. Corricelli aims at food self-sufficiency, also counting on the possibility of collaboration and exchanges with other neighboring farmers and with the Borgo di Mezzana where the order of the Reconstructors of Prayer is creating a meditation center.
The diet is mainly vegetarian and organic but we do not exclude the sporadic use of meat raised as it should.​
Corricelli dreams:
- Continue to base relationships within the group on the utmost respect and mutual affection
- Enlarge the group with young people who are passionate about agriculture
- Recover the last ruin
- Preserve the "wild heart" of the place while continuing to offer profound experiences of contact with nature