Il cibo nella vita dell’uomo. Alimentazione: cultura e storia

Abstract

In this study I intend to document the singular experience lived from the 1970s onwards by Sergio Viti, a primary school teacher of mixed-age classes in the Alta Versilia, in the foothills of the Apuan Alps. Instead of regarding such a context as hostile and diminishing, he set about creating a teaching model based on epistolary exchange, investigation of current affairs and archival research, working in groups and making ample use of debating as a learning tool. The subjects most often treated, apart from general history and culture, were educational history, environmental issues and ecological awareness, and the role of food in human life. Drawing on the original documentation produced in the schools – such as school newsletters – and on numerous testimonies to Viti’s teaching, published by him in books that contain his own thoughts and reflections, but especially on the voices and the questions of the children themselves – talking about important matters such as philosophy, and experimenting with critical thought and creative writing – it is possible to reconstruct a teaching career conducted with skill and passion, and to provide a “grassroots” contribution to the recent history of education.