Comunità Sassifraga

Comunità Sassifraga is a non-profit association based in Valle Soana, in the heart of the Gran Paradiso National Park, created to support the social, cultural and residential regeneration of mountain communities.

Our name comes from the saxifrage, a mountain plant that grows in the cracks of the rock, where life seems almost impossible. For us, it represents the possibility of creating new opportunities in fragile territories, starting from what already exists: people, places, stories, abandoned buildings, local knowledge and collective imagination.

We work to make Valle Soana a place that can be lived throughout the year, not only visited seasonally. Our mission is to counter depopulation by creating cultural, relational and practical conditions that make mountain life more accessible, attractive and contemporary for young people, families, remote workers, artists, researchers and new inhabitants.

Our activities are built around three main areas.

The first is cultural activation. We organise events, workshops, talks, screenings, walks, artistic activities and community gatherings that bring people together and strengthen access to culture in the valley. Our first major project is MontagneOltre, a free and widespread mountain festival taking place in Valle Soana, designed to tell new stories about mountain territories: not as marginal places, but as spaces of experimentation, sustainability, creativity and community.

The second area is community infrastructure. We aim to activate shared spaces for remote work, cultural production and local collaboration. A mountain coworking space can become not only a practical service, but also a meeting point for residents, temporary inhabitants, professionals and local organisations.

The third area is collaborative living. In the long term, Comunità Sassifraga aims to develop accessible cohousing solutions and temporary residency projects, helping people experience the valley not as tourists, but as active inhabitants who contribute to local life.

We believe in cooperation, reciprocity and care for the mountain. We work with local municipalities, associations, cultural actors, residents and territorial partners through participatory processes, listening moments and co-design activities. Our goal is not to bring ready-made solutions from outside, but to grow slowly with the valley, creating projects that are useful, rooted and shared.

Comunità Sassifraga imagines a Valle Soana inhabited all year round: rich in people, ideas, relationships and projects. Through culture, shared spaces and community-based living, we want to help transform a fragile alpine valley into a living laboratory for social innovation, sustainable development and new ways of belonging.