Cavemen-Meeting in the Italian Appennines

Last Friday, on 8th August, there was Paleo Day at the b&b ValdericArte in Le Marche, Italy. I’ve been there! And I loved this great idea. It was a great success as people came without knowing anything about Paleo and they got away with so much new ideas. Me included!

It was a lovely day and it started with sunshine and a lot of preparations in ValdericArte. Workshops, dinner, walks and a lot of fun were waiting for us. In any way this was a unique experience.

People arrived around 3 pm. We got a welcome drink, a smoothie made with fresh fruits and some kale. The funny side: we took our drinks in bamboo beakers. We had our first laugh and wondering what will happen next.

And just in that moment he came up the hill: Utuntu. A Prehistoric man wrapped up in skins, walking with a weapon-like stick and giving sounds like… a Prehistoric man? We laughed a lot! But there was a sense of relaxing between us when he left again. Were we afraid of him? I don’t know..

Utuntu in modern life is Matteo. He and his girl-friend Cecilia did the workshops and trekking in the woods on the lands of ValdericArte. They have a kind of small museum in San Severino near Urbino where they give workshops for children and adults all around Paleo, Roman times and middle age period. Doing this in costumes and teaching the lifestyle of these times, they told me. The guys are extremely funny and skilled. They are also working on several castles in a historic ambiance which makes all even more interesting.

We started our Paleolithic experience with a walk in the surrounding woods which are part of the ValdericArte lands.

On the walk we didn’t see only a beautiful landscape with only sounds of birds singing and water bubbling but had also interesting lessons about historical geology and how Paleolithic people lived actually. Our life today is based on their experiences, their skills and their inventions. Nothing we do today is really new. And many things we don’t even know anymore to do. That is the most interesting part of all – or at least for me.

At the beautiful waterfall we discussed about taking a bath… we didn’t. Pity!

Everyone was all ears to the interesting explanations Matteo gave us every now and then. Even the dogs followed us – hey, I had a lot of followers yesterday!

After an hour or so we came back to sit on the lawn in the shadows and listening to more information. Demonstrations about old tools for example. A few I recognized as I have seen them in countries I visited people who are still living like hundred of years ago (Bedouins for example).

Then we had some own experiences to live: painting with earth colors on a piece of leather and doing some clay figures.

Very surprisingly most of the people who participated in the workshop created a typical woman, with round hips and big boobs. The ideal woman once and who was also venerated for her fertility.

The following photo is a detail in the work of creating an arrowhead. So incredible how easy it is on one hand and how accurate one has to work on the other hand. The stone splinter is very hard but also very vulnerable. So it’s important to use the horn in a right way to form the arrowhead.

Even the dog is all interested in what is going on here and what I am doing with my camera.

Later in the evening after all these experiences hunger arrived and dinner came up. All Paleo of course. And as the dark came the steps were illuminated with candles. It looked so beautiful, warm and romantic.

Very beautiful, warm and romantic were also the lamps made from a special kind of pumpkin. Fabio, a young man who has a vegetable and fruit garden, is growing this kind of pumpkins, then dries them and makes lamp out of them by drilling openings in the skin. They look so artistic and great. He sells them and I will get definitely one!

The Paleo dinner and barbecue offered all kinds of dishes: soup, vegetables, meats, sauces, fruits, cakes, sangria and much more. The soup we had in coconut shells and the plates were made of wood.

Look how they line up at the table to try all the foods.

In the end Ubuntu aka Matteo lighted a fire like in Prehistoric times and we had a huge bonfire. Sitting around we were discussing about that ‘old times’, why Paleo diet and much more.

It was a wonderful day. Rich of new things we learnt, rich of inspiring ideas and real wow-moments. It was really a unique event and not comparable to Medieval events. Or maybe yes but in another time? But for sure the first ever in Europe!

Have you ever been to a Prehistoric event? And if yes, where? What did you like most, did it change something in your way of thinking or living? I have at least even more respect against the first people who had really revolutionary ideas that would guide all the upcoming mankind. Also thanks to Matteo and Cecilia who were outstanding! And of course ValdericArte who has always GREAT ideas and doing amazing events!

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b&b ValdericArte, Le Marche/Italy:

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For further information:
b&b ValdericArte
Località Valderica, 8 – Lamoli
Borgo Pace 61040

Tel: +39 – (0)722 – 80.00.10, mobile: +39 – 328 – 338.09.06

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