My name is Marco Mocellin.
I am originally from Padua, in northern Italy, but now live with my wife and our two daughters in a beautiful stone house nestled in the hills around Florence.
More than the house itself, though, my real home is the large garden that surrounds it. That’s where I have my studio, a small wooden cabin, where I work, think, and get distracted by our dog, the chickens, and the vegetable garden.
When I moved here in 2003, I felt that this place was special, but I couldn’t quite grasp its essence. I explored the city, walked through the hills, read guidebooks, but the answers I was searching for weren’t there. Then, I discovered an ancient concept, used by the Etruscans and Romans to describe the soul of places: Genius Loci.
Every place has a unique spirit, made of stones, trees, light, flavors, stories, and myths. Here, everything speaks the same language: traditional songs, the flowers on the hills, a simple dish of pecorino and fava beans.
My work is to bring these connections to light, weaving together art, philosophy, psychology, and landscape to restore to art history its deepest meaning: helping us understand who we are.
Gardens, like art, are not just physical spaces but symbolic territories where myth and nature meet.
For me, gods and myths do not belong solely to the past; they are keys to interpreting the present.
Walking among artworks, gardens, and landscapes, I explore the Genius Loci, trying to convey its meaning to those who have the curiosity and patience to listen.
I have a degree in Art History and work as an independent licensed tour guide throughout Tuscany.
I also teach Art History at the British Institute of Florence and other Florentine institutions.
Additionally, I volunteer as an Art History lecturer for a local cultural association in Monteloro, where I live, offering informal courses to bring people together through art.
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I know of no merit in myself that could in any way make me worthy of this honor, unless one were to call merit the immense and inexpressible love I bear for this dear and blessed Tuscany—homeland of all elegance and every noble custom, and eternal seat of civilization—which I ardently desire to be granted the privilege of calling my second homeland, where, if heaven wills, I may be allowed to spend the rest of my life and take my last breath.
Giacomo Leopardi
geniuslooci 