Workshops for schools
June 16–20, 2025

During five days of workshops, we explored five villages in the Natisone and Collio Valleys, guided by the people who live in these places every day. With them, we walked along paths and through woods, visited homes and orchards, listening to stories, memories, and curiosities that allowed us to discover the soul of each village.

June 16 – Topolò e Seuza / Topoluove an Sevce (Grimacco/Grmak) • apples
June 17 – Rodda/Ruonac (Pulfero/Podbonesec) • peaches
June 18 – Dughe/Duge (Stregna/Sriednje) • chestnuts
June 19 – Kojsko (Brda, SLO) • cherries
June 20 – Topolò/Topoluove (Grimacco/Grmak) • orchard

Each exploration became a starting point for workshops where the children were able to explore inspirations, ideas, and sensations, expressing themselves creatively using all the fruits of the trees: leaves, bark, branches, roots, and fruit—unripe or ripe—were transformed into tools for play and research. We observed shapes and colors, smelled scents, touched different surfaces, experimented with signs, prints, and compositions. Nature thus became living material for planting a new orchard.
Every day we explored the characteristics of local fruit, learning about local varieties. Through the stories of the locals and through observation, the children discovered that each fruit carries with it a name, a season, and a story.
On the last day, we collected the "fruits" of our journey: drawings, notes, impressions, and small creations. We collected them in a personal booklet, designed as a seed to take home. A seed from which to grow a new imaginary orchard, made of stories, names, colors, and games, capable of continuing to grow over time and raising awareness among the youngest about caring for the landscape.