One of David Peat’s initial feelings on arriving in Pari was that the village was a container, a safe haven. In essential ways the rhythms of life had changed very little over a millennium. The same families had been living there for centuries leading a traditional life, tending their vineyards and olive groves and taking care of the land.
He wrote: “When I first visited Pari, in 1994, I was struck by the rather bizarre reflection that I was somehow living in the future. The village itself was at least 800 years old and, in essential ways, the rhythms of life had changed very little over the centuries. When, in 1996, I returned to live permanently in Pari this intuition persisted: that there was something of great value in this community that could be carried into our common future.”
It struck him that the way the village had been constructed centuries ago, felt like a vessel, a round container. There was only one road leading into Pari and one main street that wound around in a complete circle. The village also felt protected by being surrounded by the Tuscan hills.
