Villa Fortuna Experimental Biodiverse Agriculture
Villa Fortuna Società Agricola Sperimentale Biodiversa, wholly owned by Fondazione Capellino, is located in San Salvatore Monferrato, in the province of Alessandria, Italy.
When we acquired the estate eight years ago, the land had been farmed using conventional agricultural methods for decades. The soil was severely degraded, with little biological activity, and insects, birds and mammals were almost entirely absent.
Today, vineyards, agroforestry systems, arable crops and other agricultural activities, all managed without synthetic chemicals, coexist with woodlands, meadows, hedgerows, ecological corridors and habitats for insects and other wildlife. The landscape has been transformed.
The farm has undergone a profound transformation and continues to evolve into a living system in which previously lost ecological functions are being restored. Soil, water, plants, animals, microorganisms, climate, landscape and people are all interconnected.
Practising biodiverse agriculture means caring for the entire system that makes food production possible. This includes soil fertility and biological activity, water and air quality, natural habitats and the diversity of species that inhabit them.
For this reason, agricultural production, biodiversity conservation, observation and experimentation are not separate activities, but interconnected parts of the same process. We observe, cultivate, experiment and collect data to understand how to produce healthy food while protecting and progressively improving the natural resources on which agriculture and life itself depend.
We work in collaboration with universities, research institutions and professionals. For us, biodiversity is not something to protect only at the edges of fields. It is the foundation of life and all human activity. Without biodiversity, the foundations of society, agriculture and the economy would be under threat, with potentially devastating consequences for human survival.
Villa Fortuna Società Agricola Sperimentale Biodiversa puts the principles of the Reintegration Economy into practice: producing without irreversibly compromising vital ecological functions, while progressively restoring them.
For humanity, this requires a new way of thinking, one that is essential to preserving the planet as we know it for future generations. We must find fulfilment not in the accumulation of material wealth, but in restoring life wherever it is threatened by human greed.
Conservation of the Built heritage
Work on the buildings follows the principles of bioarchitecture and energy autonomy, without the need to occupy additional land.
The complex comprises a villa and a historic farmhouse, both protected by the heritage authority, together with two additional farmhouses and an accommodation facility. These buildings are being restored in accordance with the principles of faithful conservation and improved energy performance.
The project includes the use of materials compatible with the original structures, structural reinforcement and the installation of thermal insulation systems using natural materials, such as clay, to reduce heat loss.
Work is currently underway and is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
