Podere Argo in Maremma

My name is Beatrice and I was born in the late sixties in the pulsating heart of Milan to drink, in the midst of tall buildings, gray skies and fog, in a very original multiethnic family for that time: my father is a Florentine managerial consultant and my mother is a Pakistani artist.

I was born in Milan but even as a child, in my bedroom on the eighth floor of a gray building, I read and reread Marcovaldo di Italo Calvino, one of my favorite books ever, and I dreamed of green fields, trees, woods, cultivated fields, and bees.

I have always followed my heart and my passions, during the years of high school language I was struck by the philosophy, by the search for the meaning of life, things, the world, after maturity I then enrolled in the Faculty of Philosophy at the University State of Milan.

While I was immersed in my philosophical studies, the State University, after many years of absence, has reactivated the chair of Egyptology, and I could not be happier. Since I was a child, Egypt has been a great passion handed down by my Pakistani grandmother and my mother. Passion definitely born on the occasion of my visit to the exhibition of Tutankhamun’s treasure in London. I then began to follow the courses of Egyptology, parallel to my philosophical path, becoming more and more passionate about hieroglyphic writing and its wealth of meanings.

I graduated in theoretical philosophy with Carlo Sini, with a thesis on the philosophical implications of hieroglyphic writing. I was so enthusiastic about the topic that I decided to continue my research in Paris under the guidance of Pascal Vernus, one of the greatest experts in ancient Egyptian language and writing in the world, at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes. I have achieved specialization, the Diplome des Etudes Approfondis on the orientation of hieroglyphic writing and its philosophical implications, and I have also started a doctorate that unfortunately I have never finished.

In Paris, at the same time as I studied in Egyptology, I attended the philosophy courses that Jacques Derrida held at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, the philosopher on whose work I had written my thesis. I also had the incredible opportunity to meet him privately in his studio, give him my thesis, discuss with him on the subject, and talk more about my life and study projects. An encounter with an extraordinary man, of a unique depth and humility that I will never forget.

In the years of the University I had participated in several archaeological excavation campaigns with the Department of Archeology of the University of Milan in Sovana in Maremma. After my studies in Egyptology in Paris I realized one of the greatest dreams of my life: digging in Egypt. In fact, I participated in several excavation campaigns led by the Italian Egyptologist Francesco Tiradritti in Luxor in Harwa’s tomb.

I published articles in scientific journals and exhibition catalogs and I participated as a speaker at an international conference in Turin on Philosophers and Scriptures, an intervention that was published in a book.

In the midst of all this I have also been able to work as a junior business consultant in Italy, Spain and England.

After so long I finally found my place of the heart, the Argo Farm, where to stop and take root.

Podere Argo is the realization of my childhood dream of living in the midst of nature, cultivating the land, raising animals and welcoming people, an art that I learned from my Pakistani mother.
A dream built in small steps, with lots of love and lots of passion, a dream that is constantly evolving, that grows, transforms, enriches itself and takes on new forms.

All this would not have been possible without my two daughters Viola and Ambra, who more than any other showed me the route, which way to follow. My parents who supported and helped me, Ivaldo, my life partner, of projects and dreams, and his two sons Ilaria and Alessio, together we became a wonderful “extended” family. The Maremma and its inhabitants, especially my beloved farm neighbors, true peasants, who welcomed me as one of the family and taught me everything I know about the land, agriculture and life in the countryside. Our many animals also have an important place: dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, and of course the bees.

And you, if you want, I will be very happy to welcome you, meet you, make you feel at home in what has become my little corner of paradise.
I am waiting for you here at the Podere Argo.

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