History of Coldigioco

Coldigioco, whose name literally means “Hill of Play,” is a small village with a unique history. It is scenically positioned on a narrow ridge that extends eastward from the foot of Monte San Vicino, the dominant Apennine mountain in the region. The village consists of 10 separate buildings, most of which are now associated with the Osservatorio Geologico di Coldigioco (OGC).

Alessandro Montanari, director of the OGC and the native of Ancona, Italy, lives with his wife Paula Metallo and their children Fiorenza and Maxwell in the upstairs of the remodeled schoolhouse on the west and of the village. Currently, Sandro and his family are the only permanent residents of Coldigioco. However, other geologists and artists and their friends and families also own houses there and many have been involved with the Osservatorio from the beginning.

Coldigioco is an old village; many of the buildings in Coldigioco contain sections which were constructed 300-400 years ago. At its peak in the 1900s, as many as 50 people, most of them farmers, may have called Coldigioco home. As of 1992, however, the native population of Coldigioco had eventually tapered off to the point that Itala and Giovanni Villani and their members were the only permanent inhabitants of the town.

In 1992, the tiny village experienced the OGC mini-renaissance. Sandro and Paula had been living in Berkeley, California, where Sandro was a post-doctoral fellow and Paula an artist. They returned to Italy with hopes of creating an independent geological observatory in a rural setting. Coldigioco was selected because of its proximity to the Apennine mountains and the presence of an abandoned schoolhouse for sale by the local government.

The Coldigioco schoolhouse has its own history that makes it an especially fitting location for OGC. During the 1960s, the school was operated by the Tamagninis, a husband and wife who were interested in implementing new ways of teaching. Following the work of a famous French pedagogist, Freinet, the Tamagninis emphasized cooperative learning experiences. The Tamagninis specifically recognized the importance of active, experiential learning that developed a sense of community among the students and encouraged them to explore different ways of expressing and methods to other teachers around the region. One of their disciplines was one of Sandro’s teachers in elementary school. In fact, Sandro’s class paid several visits to the school at Coldigicoco and helped plant some of the trees that now form a wind break around the school.

Thanks to the hard work of Sandro and Paula and many others, OGC has become world-renowned (in small circles). Partially or totally ruined buildings have been restored or rebuilt slowly over the past years. OGC now has extensive facilities to host visitors and to host educational programs and research. Geology facilities include a computer and drafting room, a rock-cutting and sample preparation lab, a map library, and variety of field vehicles.

Since 1992, OGC has hosted numerous science programs and conferences. Geologists from all parts of the globe often use OGC as a base from which to do fieldwork. A Carleton geology program has taken place at OGC every other fall since 1993. in addition to science programs, art and culinary courses are hosted in Coldigioco during the summers.