‘Ecovillages are communities of people who strive to lead a sustainable lifestyle in harmony with each other, other living beings, and the Earth. Their purpose is to combine a supportive social-cultural environment with a low-impact lifestyle. As a new social structure, the ecovillage goes beyond today’s dichotomy of urban versus rural settlements: it represents a widely applicable model for the planning and reorganisation of human settlements in the 21st Century.’

Hildur Jackson and Karen Svensson, Ecovillage Living: Restoring the Earth and Her People, UIT Cambridge Ltd.

‘Il Villaggio degli Elfi’ is a community of people leaving in the valley of Bellavalle on the Appennine mountains between Pistoia and Bologna. Cristian is one of the people I met there.