Hi, I'm Dario.
A market gardener, scientist and educator.
I like to work at the interface of different fields, such as ecosystem dynamics, plant physiology, soil microbiology, human wellbeing and nutrition.
I am committed to sharing my experience openly with anyone who is interested in regenerative and simple living, food growing and community resilience.
In my day-to-day, I explore ways to manage thriving and productive gardens and farms by mindfully engaging with natural processes.
This involves running a market garden, teaching courses, training volunteers, giving talks and consulting for private, community and commercial food growing projects.
My journey
I grew up in Sicily, then moved to Rome in 2007 to study Physics. During my university years I lived in Lyon and San Diego, where I specialised in Theoretical Physics and Fluid Dynamics.
In 2013 I moved to Bristol for a Ph.D. on the Nonlinear Dynamics of Active Fluids. That year I also met Flavia and my life took a wild turn for which I am immensely grateful.
In Bristol I also studied as a horticulturist at the University of Bristol Botanic Gardens, obtaining qualifications from the Royal Horticultural Society.
After training as a secondary school teacher, I collaborated on the Woodland Academy - a research project that involved introducing children to outdoor education in a woodland setting.
In 2017 I moved to Exeter, where I taught Physics and Electronics in school, and then worked as researcher at the Living Systems Institute, focusing on the biophysics of swimming microorganisms.
In 2020, I co-founded Living Soil Garden, a 1/2 acre regenerative no-dig market garden in Exeter. There we ran a CSA, taught courses on Regenerative Horticulture, No-Dig gardening, Soil fertility and more.
In 2023 I moved to Florence, to co-found a regenerative syntropic market garden: Ortoforesta.
