SAN PATRIGNANO
SAN PATRIGNANO
I have just finished watching the SanPa docu-film, at the beginning it states: "The miracle is not when a flower appears, but when a flower emerges from a dead plant" . Symbol of rebirth.
It is very difficult to make San Patrignano understand to those who have never been there, says those who have been guests; I tried to elaborate…
![Le cose da sapere prima di vedere]()
After the docu-film aired, San Patrignano declared: «We dissociate ourselves from the Netflix series that talks about our community. The story is partial .. a summary story, focused on the detractors»;
Gabardini's reply was: «We didn't want to make a commercial, but a documentary that tells a page of our Italian history».
SAN PATRIGNANO is a therapeutic rehabilitation community for drug addicts, founded in 1978 by VINCENZO MUCCIOLI and took its name from the street where it is located, in the municipality of Coriano (Rn).
Vincenzo Muccioli's niece found dead in her apartment - Sicily
In the mid-1970s (years of the HEROIN BOOM in Italy), Muccioli who worked in the hotel inherited from his wife, was interested in psychotherapy, natural medicine, acupuncture, discovered he had medium skills and moved to a small farm owned in Coriano, to help a drug addicted girl. He is joined by other volunteers and in a short time other kids in need of help begin to arrive.
The San Patrignano cooperative was born on 30 October 1979 with the main objective of providing free assistance to drug addicts and the marginalized.
It is necessary to create a canteen, a kitchen, a laundry, assign managers: the first steps necessary to organize the lives of the children.
The community grew rapidly, in 1984 it already had 500 guests, acquired great visibility in Italy and abroad and a network of voluntary anti-drug associations was born in the area.
Among the guests (from 1984 to 1987) also Piero Villaggio (son of Paolo) after previous attempts at detoxification in Swiss and US clinics which had not given any results. Piero affirms: "Vincenzo was there and in fact he took care of everything, with the pros and cons that this thing dragged on ... there was not much dialogue: if it suited you, that was it, otherwise nothing. And I clearly accepted, otherwise I wouldn't be here, I probably would have died".
Red Ronnie, in 1984 with a journalist friend went for the first time to San Patrignano, on the hills of Rimini, where he met Vincenzo Muccioli, founder of the recovery community for drug addicts and still frequents it today.
In 1986 the guests are about 800.
Vincenzo Muccioli, Don Oreste Benzi, Don Mario Picchi and other community leaders founded the Muvlad (United Movement for Drug Fight Volunteers) which drafted a law in support of drug addicts by collaborating in the drafting of the same law called Jervolino-Vassalli promulgated in 1990.
In 1991 the Muccioli family donated all their real estate assets to the community and San Patrignano was recognized as a foundation and non-profit organization by the Italian state.
In 1994, the guests of the Community numbered around 1400 and the Medical Center was inaugurated, to counter the AIDS epidemic, because 2/3 of the boys were found to be HIV positive, but it was the place where many of the community decided to become doctors or nurses.
The community has been crossed by judicial events and shadows on the judged, not very orthodox methods used to force the boys to give up drugs, such as the "chains" trial and the murder of Roberto Maranzano in the Sanpa pigsty, for which Muccioli he was first indicted for murder and then acquitted.
There has always been something mystical around the figure of the "santone" Vincenzo to whom everything has always been forgiven. in 1995 he died at the age of only 61. The cause of death was never revealed. Corriere della Sera wrote of the aggravation of a hepatitis C. The doubts about a possible AIDS infection from the guests of his community were never clarified.
The management is entrusted to the eldest son Andrea, until August 26, 2011: a graduate, manager of the family business, he married the cause of the business, producing wine and food products of the highest quality, sold all over the world.
Under his leadership, the community opened up more and more to the outside and so in 1996 the first edition of the "Challenge Vincenzo Muccioli" international horse show was held, but at the end of 2019 the final closure of the historic Stable of San Patrignano and of the riding school.
San Patrignano and other international organizations found the international association "Rainbow - International Movement Against Drugs" and annually organize a conference on drug addiction. Even the UNITED NATIONS recognize the community's commitment to the extent that in 1997 it was accredited as an NGO (non-governmental organization) with the status of "special consultant to the UN economic and social council".
Since 2002 the community has begun to carry out its prevention project for Italian middle and high school students through theatrical formats, debates and visits to the community. Since 2009 the prevention activities of San Patrignano have been united under the "WeFree" brand and WeFree Days are organized every year by bringing together Italian and international voluntary organizations, institutions and experts.
Over the years the vineyards have extended to over 100 hectares, the turning point in the mid-1990s:
In these hills, Sangiovese acquires an identity of its own, gaining value and body, under the competent direction of the enologist Riccardo Cotarella, resulting in it being softer and with sweeter tannins, calling it Sangiovese di San Patrignano.
It becomes an excellence of the territory and a professional cellar is organized, the result of skilful work in the vineyard and careful craftsmanship.
The wine production today counts nine reds, two whites and two sparkling wines and the cellar has a space equipped as a living room, in which the dozens of plaques testify to the awards recognized by the major sector magazines.
The self-production continues with the decision to raise cattle and process the milk producing as many as 17 cheeses.
Norcineria has led to the current production of eight sausages.
So when production went beyond the needs of the community, Sanpa decided to sell its products, thus "SP.accio" was born in 2008: a pizzeria and a boutique where products made in Sanpa are sold: bread, cured meats , cheeses, wines, preserves, yarns, T-shirts, handcrafted leather bags and carpentry artifacts, coining the slogan: "Good twice".
The pizzeria marks the greatest success: inaugurated under the guidance of Master pizza maker Beniamino Bilali, it immediately rises to the top among the best pizzerias in Italy.
This opening to the outside world marks a new beginning.
After sixteen years, in August 2011, the management entrusted to Andrea Muccioli ended and management was entrusted to a committee of guarantors with the constant support and help of the Moratti family, Letizia and Gian Marco above all.
![Tutto in un abbraccio, Gandola:]()
The reserved and altruistic oilman together with his wife Letizia was the real architect of success. He decided to rest forever in the place that marked 40 years of his life, the community fascinated him to the point of becoming a reason for living, until his death in 2018.
Gian Marco Moratti, a great friend of Vincenzo Muccioli, was not only a financial supporter of the recovery facility for drug addicts, he was one who opened the doors of strong powers and "supporters" to the mainstream press, which had so much influence in forming the acquittal judgment (even before the courts pronounced) on the famous trial of the chains.
In 2018 the Community celebrated 40 years since its foundation:
from the caravan in the mud with which Vincenzo founded the community, to the wooden houses in the middle of the greenery of his son Andrea, the future of San Patrignano seems completely in the hands of the former mayor of Milan and her oilman husband.
I have just finished watching the SanPa docu-film, at the beginning it states: "The miracle is not when a flower appears, but when a flower emerges from a dead plant" . Symbol of rebirth.
It is very difficult to make San Patrignano understand to those who have never been there, says those who have been guests; I tried to elaborate…
After the docu-film aired, San Patrignano declared: «We dissociate ourselves from the Netflix series that talks about our community. The story is partial .. a summary story, focused on the detractors»;
Gabardini's reply was: «We didn't want to make a commercial, but a documentary that tells a page of our Italian history».
SAN PATRIGNANO is a therapeutic rehabilitation community for drug addicts, founded in 1978 by VINCENZO MUCCIOLI and took its name from the street where it is located, in the municipality of Coriano (Rn).
Vincenzo Muccioli's niece found dead in her apartment - Sicily
In the mid-1970s (years of the HEROIN BOOM in Italy), Muccioli who worked in the hotel inherited from his wife, was interested in psychotherapy, natural medicine, acupuncture, discovered he had medium skills and moved to a small farm owned in Coriano, to help a drug addicted girl. He is joined by other volunteers and in a short time other kids in need of help begin to arrive.
The San Patrignano cooperative was born on 30 October 1979 with the main objective of providing free assistance to drug addicts and the marginalized.
It is necessary to create a canteen, a kitchen, a laundry, assign managers: the first steps necessary to organize the lives of the children.
The community grew rapidly, in 1984 it already had 500 guests, acquired great visibility in Italy and abroad and a network of voluntary anti-drug associations was born in the area.
Among the guests (from 1984 to 1987) also Piero Villaggio (son of Paolo) after previous attempts at detoxification in Swiss and US clinics which had not given any results. Piero affirms: "Vincenzo was there and in fact he took care of everything, with the pros and cons that this thing dragged on ... there was not much dialogue: if it suited you, that was it, otherwise nothing. And I clearly accepted, otherwise I wouldn't be here, I probably would have died".
Red Ronnie, in 1984 with a journalist friend went for the first time to San Patrignano, on the hills of Rimini, where he met Vincenzo Muccioli, founder of the recovery community for drug addicts and still frequents it today.
In 1986 the guests are about 800.
Vincenzo Muccioli, Don Oreste Benzi, Don Mario Picchi and other community leaders founded the Muvlad (United Movement for Drug Fight Volunteers) which drafted a law in support of drug addicts by collaborating in the drafting of the same law called Jervolino-Vassalli promulgated in 1990.
In 1991 the Muccioli family donated all their real estate assets to the community and San Patrignano was recognized as a foundation and non-profit organization by the Italian state.
In 1994, the guests of the Community numbered around 1400 and the Medical Center was inaugurated, to counter the AIDS epidemic, because 2/3 of the boys were found to be HIV positive, but it was the place where many of the community decided to become doctors or nurses.
The community has been crossed by judicial events and shadows on the judged, not very orthodox methods used to force the boys to give up drugs, such as the "chains" trial and the murder of Roberto Maranzano in the Sanpa pigsty, for which Muccioli he was first indicted for murder and then acquitted.
There has always been something mystical around the figure of the "santone" Vincenzo to whom everything has always been forgiven. in 1995 he died at the age of only 61. The cause of death was never revealed. Corriere della Sera wrote of the aggravation of a hepatitis C. The doubts about a possible AIDS infection from the guests of his community were never clarified.
The management is entrusted to the eldest son Andrea, until August 26, 2011: a graduate, manager of the family business, he married the cause of the business, producing wine and food products of the highest quality, sold all over the world.
Under his leadership, the community opened up more and more to the outside and so in 1996 the first edition of the "Challenge Vincenzo Muccioli" international horse show was held, but at the end of 2019 the final closure of the historic Stable of San Patrignano and of the riding school.
San Patrignano and other international organizations found the international association "Rainbow - International Movement Against Drugs" and annually organize a conference on drug addiction. Even the UNITED NATIONS recognize the community's commitment to the extent that in 1997 it was accredited as an NGO (non-governmental organization) with the status of "special consultant to the UN economic and social council".
Since 2002 the community has begun to carry out its prevention project for Italian middle and high school students through theatrical formats, debates and visits to the community. Since 2009 the prevention activities of San Patrignano have been united under the "WeFree" brand and WeFree Days are organized every year by bringing together Italian and international voluntary organizations, institutions and experts.
Over the years the vineyards have extended to over 100 hectares, the turning point in the mid-1990s:
In these hills, Sangiovese acquires an identity of its own, gaining value and body, under the competent direction of the enologist Riccardo Cotarella, resulting in it being softer and with sweeter tannins, calling it Sangiovese di San Patrignano.
It becomes an excellence of the territory and a professional cellar is organized, the result of skilful work in the vineyard and careful craftsmanship.
The wine production today counts nine reds, two whites and two sparkling wines and the cellar has a space equipped as a living room, in which the dozens of plaques testify to the awards recognized by the major sector magazines.
The self-production continues with the decision to raise cattle and process the milk producing as many as 17 cheeses.
Norcineria has led to the current production of eight sausages.
So when production went beyond the needs of the community, Sanpa decided to sell its products, thus "SP.accio" was born in 2008: a pizzeria and a boutique where products made in Sanpa are sold: bread, cured meats , cheeses, wines, preserves, yarns, T-shirts, handcrafted leather bags and carpentry artifacts, coining the slogan: "Good twice".
The pizzeria marks the greatest success: inaugurated under the guidance of Master pizza maker Beniamino Bilali, it immediately rises to the top among the best pizzerias in Italy.
This opening to the outside world marks a new beginning.
After sixteen years, in August 2011, the management entrusted to Andrea Muccioli ended and management was entrusted to a committee of guarantors with the constant support and help of the Moratti family, Letizia and Gian Marco above all.
The reserved and altruistic oilman together with his wife Letizia was the real architect of success. He decided to rest forever in the place that marked 40 years of his life, the community fascinated him to the point of becoming a reason for living, until his death in 2018.
Gian Marco Moratti, a great friend of Vincenzo Muccioli, was not only a financial supporter of the recovery facility for drug addicts, he was one who opened the doors of strong powers and "supporters" to the mainstream press, which had so much influence in forming the acquittal judgment (even before the courts pronounced) on the famous trial of the chains.
In 2018 the Community celebrated 40 years since its foundation:
from the caravan in the mud with which Vincenzo founded the community, to the wooden houses in the middle of the greenery of his son Andrea, the future of San Patrignano seems completely in the hands of the former mayor of Milan and her oilman husband.