This is the story of an Erdkinder – a child of the earth.

 

Born in the aftermath of World War II in the Central Apennines on the border between Marche and Abruzzo, Silvio left school after elementary education to work as a shepherd. From that moment on, his only teachers were the mountains, forests, and landscapes surrounding the village he and his wife never left.

 

Now in his seventies, Silvio still lives in complete harmony with the land, devoting himself mainly to foraging porcini mushrooms and producing firewood.

 

His life bears witness to Maria Montessori’s theory of Cosmic Education.

 

At the beginning of the 20th century, Montessori developed the concept of Cosmic Education and emphasized the essential role of nature in learning—an alternative to traditional schooling.

 

According to her theory, nature in education should not merely be observed or studied: it must be lived and experienced, nurturing a sense of belonging to a greater whole. From childhood, this awakens a “cosmic” consciousness, which leads the adolescent to actively participate in social life. Formed and shaped in this way, the individual becomes capable, as an adult, of contributing to the elevation of society as a whole.

 

Erdkinder is a German word meaning “child of the earth.” The title draws inspiration from Montessori’s 1939 essay, in which she presented her revolutionary educational reform.

 

This is the tale of one man’s intimate relationship with the rugged nature of a remote region of Central Italy. Of how his life embodies the lessons of harmony, sustainability, and balance passed down by nature to a disappearing generation.

 

It explores the idea of “a whole governed by order”—as Montessori defined it—that links Silvio’s existence in the small village of Pietralta to the universal whole to which we all belong.