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“We should be more ‘natural’ than ‘rational’: the Italian landscape will benefit from it, and the appearance of this new village will gain strength and expression through it.” Architect Edoardo Gellner was firmly convinced of this approach, which, more than anywhere else, he applied to his design of the Eni Village in Borca di Cadore. Today, 70 years on, this is more obvious than ever. The project was a summer vacation village created for the children of the approximately six thousand staff employed by Italian energy company Eni. Gellner designed its houses, accommodation, campsite, and church in collaboration with Carlo Scarpa. At the time of its construction, the project gave life to a landscape within a landscape – one that continues to have enormous potential today for shared use by residents and tourists. It was a social, urban planning, and architectural project that truly embodied the vision of Enrico Mattei, then chairman of Eni.
Gellner’s aim wasn’t to “overwhelm” the site. He therefore let the nearby forest and the environment as a whole determine the nature, construction, and position of the buildings. Today, we can see how, possibly in record time, nature quickly returned to its natural lushness after the completion of the project.
In 1954, 200 hectares of land was earmarked for building the village. At the time, all eyes were focused on nearby Cortina d’Ampezzo, which was hosting the Winter Olympics. Gellner chose an area at the foot of Mount Antelao. To most, it seemed to be nothing but an expanse of rocky ground, but the project for the village meant that it was soon covered in lush forest. Gellner’s project was, in fact, all-encompassing: enormous in both size and complexity, and with attention to the smallest details. From landscape to urban planning, the joyful use of color, the height-adjustable showers for kids, furniture designed as toys, right down to the last cup holder, everything was painstakingly designed. Electrical cables were buried.
In other words, Gellner and Mattei designed an environmental and social ecosystem – partially abandoned today, sadly – where the actions of humans actually improved nature. It stands as a historic example of how this is both possible and beneficial.
Since then, the landscape has continued to inspire all renovation work. One of the houses, for example, was refurbished to reflect the (now private) owners’ commitment to the philosophy and forms of the village. Since 2020, they have been sourcing original furniture that restores the integrity of Gellner’s interiors as much as possible, with very few concessions made to modern living. Reflecting the legacy that still survives today, they have, for example, chosen Fiemme Tremila biocompatible timber for the floors. The timber is larch, like the trees that surround the house, marked with knots and flame patterns that enhance the architect’s typically bright domestic interiors.
Besides the renovations, the site remains active with various associations using the village, including the Dolomiti Contemporanee project and a group dedicated to Edoardo Gellner. Talks, events, and meetings mean that the former Eni Village is still a hive of activity.
