Saviana Parodi's journey toward an alternative lifestyle started when she was a child, as she tried to understand the behavior of adults and her peers. Saviana saw adults around her as irrational, which often made her doubt her abilities and her place in the world.

Growing up, this early perspective led her to question the social norms she observed and shaped her quest for a life dedicated to understanding, built around her values. So, as an adult, Saviana embraced a life full of simplicity, resourcefulness, and connection to nature in her off-grid home.

The Mandala House: From Waste to Resource

Saviana's house, known as the Mandala House, is proof that it’s possible to live in harmony with the environment almost for free. With 70% of the construction done by herself, Saviana combined natural resources with reclaimed materials that would have otherwise become waste; an incredible example of creative recycling, ingenuity, and determination.

The Mandala House has a unique structure inspired by the mandala shape, a symbol representing the harmony and balance of the Universe and holding deep significance in Saviana's spiritual practice. In fact, the mandala has been used for thousands of years as a meditation tool, a way to center oneself and regain inner balance.

The circular and concentric layout of the spaces reflects this concept: each room and area of the house is interconnected like a harmonious system, allowing one to live and move with greater awareness, respecting natural rhythms, and promoting a state of calm and introspection. Living in the Mandala House for Saviana is a way to immerse herself daily in an environment that nurtures the spirit, fostering serenity, self-connection, and harmony with nature.

Roots of Sustainable Living

For Saviana, the innovation needed now isn’t about inventing something new but reconnecting with ancestral wisdom. In the past, humans always lived sustainably, using natural resources to support the well-being of both people and the Planet. Today, humanity faces a deep crisis because it has forgotten this. By drawing on traditional knowledge and practices, Saviana has created a lifestyle that honors ancestral wisdom daily, adapting it to modern needs and offering a powerful reminder of sustainable strategies that have supported humanity for millennia.

According to Saviana, the widespread unhappiness in modern society is due to a lost connection with our true essence and the essential elements for serene living, which are actually very simple: living close to nature in a healthy structure, breathing, eating nourishing food, resting, and building harmonious relationships. Once a life is built on these foundations, more tools and comforts can be added, but we should never do it the other way around.

Saviana’s Lifestyle

Over the past fifteen years, Saviana has learned to live guided by the principles of minimalism and permaculture, which invite us to create with what we already have in our environment, caring for it, rather than seeking external resources to fulfill unrealistic desires.

Living in a rugged landscape has posed challenges, but it has also taught Saviana the value of adapting to the natural terrain and making the most of what nature offers. With patience and dedication, she has learned to build soil, and today she cultivates an organic garden that meets her family’s food needs year-round. From foraging wild edible plants to repurposing reclaimed materials, it’s amazing to see how, with a bit of ingenuity and respect for resources, Saviana has turned every corner into an example of creativity and harmony!

The Biopool and the Butto

Originally, the Mandala House's garden included a traditional pool, but Saviana soon transformed it into an innovative biopool. In this unique environment, water is purified directly by aquatic plants and microorganisms that, without the use of pumps, provide a natural habitat for aquatic life and a serene, chemical-free space where Saviana and her family can relax.

There’s another special corner of the house that helps Saviana pursue an important mission: minimizing waste. It’s called the "Butto", where she keeps anything that might prove useful in the future. This practice has significantly reduced the amount of waste she produces, showing how limiting unnecessary materials can contribute to a healthier, more eco-friendly environment. But that’s not all! The Butto is also a valuable resource for the local community, providing materials and items to those in need, reducing reliance on new resources, and promoting a virtuous cycle of reuse and sharing.

Zebrafarm and Permaculture as a Way of Life

Saviana Parodi is one of Italy’s foremost experts in permaculture, applying permaculture principles in every aspect of her daily life: from food production to waste management, from spatial organization to energy efficiency, and from soil care to relationship building.

For years, Saviana has enthusiastically shared her theoretical and practical knowledge through books – such as her “Integral Permaculture Manual” (Terra Nuova Edizioni) – and through courses and workshops. To welcome anyone who wants to try a sustainable lifestyle, Saviana also created Zebrafarm, an open-air laboratory set in nature, designed to share practical knowledge and skills related to self-sufficiency and ecology. Here, Saviana organizes workshops and courses in self-production, from organic farming to eco-friendly construction, from crafts to natural cooking.

At Zebrafarm, you can learn to grow vegetables, build with reclaimed materials, and create sustainable everyday solutions through creative recycling. These experiences are for those who want to get serious: learning permaculture not just as a technique, but as a lifestyle to integrate into their daily lives.

In a Nutshell

The protagonist of this story is Saviana Parodi Delfino, one of Italy’s foremost permaculture experts, who built her Mandala House in Umbria using natural and reclaimed materials. Here, Saviana founded Zebrafarm, where she organizes seminars, courses, and events for anyone interested in an ecological, self-sufficient lifestyle. Her story inspires us all to see the abundance around us and to learn to live in harmony with it.