English Version

THE ORIGINS

The People of the Nettles came into being in Marone, an abandoned village of the Vigezzo Valley in the Verbania-Cusio-Ossola province (northwest Piedmont), at the time of the homonymous first short film.
 Following is a brief outline of those two days:
Varallo Pombia, August 1999, a beautiful day.
Ex members of the “Mimicry” society and other “pazzi da 90” decide to have a BBQ and spend the night out with beer, cigarettes, films and women in Marone, in the woods of the Vigezzo Valley.

These super-heroes shoot a few scenes without any true logical thread….
They eat and they drink. The situation is confused, but they continue to shoot anyway.
The film editing, with the addition of other scenes, is done a few days later at Gianni’s house.
On that same evening we have the “opening” at Silvia’s house. 1000, 2000, or maybe 50 people are waiting for us at 9:30pm. The headquarters of the “Lamiere Contorte” are also at Gianni’s house and it’s a rave because we shoot scenes of the naked narrator, we play live music to record the soundtrack, we create the credits by filming a rolling paper towel, we do the editing with two messed-up video tape recorders, etc…..


At 1:00am the film “The People of the Nettles” is finished!! (PS: for the storyline and the pictures go to the link “Film”)
We hurry to Silvia’s in Cascinetta, a suburb of Varallo P., people are a bit drunk but they are all there!! Awesome! They like the film, actually…...the actors in particular like it.
The People of the Nettles came into being just like that: for fun. Starting that summer night, we began to make plans: more short films, film festivals, excursions, dinners, tree houses, website, an association, etc. Therefore, it was necessary to give this historical event and this population of eternal children a name.

Aside from a membership card that was distributed among these youngsters as a joke, The People of the Nettles have no rules; there is no order of things and, officially, The People of the Nettles don’t even exist!
When they will have money to pay for a notary public, they will establish a non-profit cultural association, but for the moment, in this respect, these heroes of the “min media” are invisible: in between the lines, as one would say….or better yet, in between the nettles.
However, a member of this elusive group is simply he who, in any way, has contributed something to the group. Even just bringing wine to the film shoots.



Of course, the main activity is the creation of short films, and for the records we have to clarify that:
- All films are shot on location in northeastern Piedmont: (ruined castles, river banks, woods, tree houses, abandoned villages, caves, etc).
- All of the actors’ costumes are made in the family, that is to say that they are made by the actors themselves, by their mothers or by Felice Liuzzi, Luca’s and Loris’ father, Gianni’s brother and Cristian’s uncle…a great tailor without a tailor shop!
- Nobody in Varallo Pombia works professionally in the movie industry.
- All film equipment is amateurish and, in a few cases, artisanal.
- We never had costume designers, producers, scene and sound designers, etc.
- The People of the Nettles are self-produced.
- The People of the Nettles are self-taught.
- The People of the Nettles love to make love.
- The themes of the films cannot be conventionally classified, but generally one talks of “comical mysticism”, of “unreal situations”, of “bullshit”.

THE SECRET SEAT


The Nettle refuge or, to be more exact, the sexy-cultural center of the people of the Nettles, is located in a secret area amidst the woods of Varallo Pombia: an apparently normal, small town of about 4200 inhabitants situated on the owest bank of the Ticino River, 13 km south of Lake Maggiore.
The majority of the members of the people of the Nettles lives in this small town.
(We suggest you visit our other web site at www.varallopop.it, because Varallo Pombia is considered “the town of ideas".)
The architect for the Nettle refuge (vulgarly called "The clinic") is Svanz.
The project was financed with the profits from various festivals and by the G8: Sandro, Sandrino, Cristian, Gianni, Luca, Simone, Cesare, Giuseppe as well ad by other friends belonging to the people of the Nettles. 
Pretty much everybody contributed to the beginning of the project, a lot less bodies to the completion of the project!... 


Now the Nettle refuge is also a destination for family pilgrimages, meaning that many parents come with their children to see this phantom temple. This serves as a wonderful excuse for the members themselves to take a walk in the woods, particularly during chestnut or mushroom season when one cannot avoid going on a binge. 
A few technical specifications: the total platform is 18 square meters, of which about 10 consist of the living space, and the rest comprises a small balcony and a south facing terrace. 
The entire platform is covered by a roof.
The maximum height from the ground is about six meters (the woods are sloped). There are three supporting trees: two chestnut trees and one “rubinia”, from the acacia family. There are also a supporting pole and a reinforcing pole. 


Access to the refuge is from the north, up an innovative rope ladder, which can be rolled up and locked. When it’s released, on the other hand, it can be quickly secured to the ground and stabilized. One then walks down the corridor and, once on the terrace, can enter the house through a door. 
A window on each side brings luminosity to the house at all times. Inside there are a trunk, a sink with an interchangeable 18-liter water tank, a full-size sofa bed, cooking corner with a two-burner gas stove, a small cupboard, a few shelves, a small stereo, a small table, chairs, etc. Up to six people fit comfortably. Below the tree house is a picnic table, which sits 12 people for a meal.
The refuge is equipped with a bicycle, a guitar (a.k.a. “of the Pig”…), a tambourine, a small bongo, a bookshelf, pasta, a tool shed and two armchairs (on the terrace).

In this refuge one exchanges ideas and caresses. One sleeps in piece, barbeques and roasts chestnuts. One reads. One makes love. One plays music. One listens to the rain, to the noise of the woods and the wind, and additionally to the squirrels that run on the roof or to the thump of the falling husks filled with chestnuts. With the full moon everything is much more wonderful because it looks as if the midnight sun is shining. After a storm, on the other hand, it’s like being in the tropics….
Here one creates life, because life is beautiful, and that’s that.

Access to the refuge is from the north, up an innovative rope ladder, which can be rolled up and locked. When it’s released, on the other hand, it can be quickly secured to the ground and stabilized. One then walks down the corridor and, once on the terrace, can enter the house through a door. 
A window on each side brings luminosity to the house at all times. Inside there are a trunk, a sink with an interchangeable 18-liter water tank, a full-size sofa bed, cooking corner with a two-burner gas stove, a small cupboard, a few shelves, a small stereo, a small table, chairs, etc. Up to six people fit comfortably. Below the tree house is a picnic table, which sits 12 people for a meal.
The refuge is equipped with a bicycle, a guitar (a.k.a. “of the Pig”…), a tambourine, a small bongo, a bookshelf, pasta, a tool shed and two armchairs (on the terrace).

The A B C of the People of the Nettle


Project A
: To go to the Costanzo Show and present the epic “The Three Wise Men” and take advantage of that opportunity to ask the world for a sponsor for.

Project B
: A journey around the world with a modified tractor (road tires, 2 seats, radio, etc.) pulling a modified 10-passenger trailer (with a terrace-type roof). 

It entails:

- a Guinness Record journey of one or more years in constant movement.
- some sort of traveling big brother thanks to Internet connection and the cameras inside the trailer. 
- something great to do for our fellow men (such as tilling the fields for the poor). 
- a doable folly.
- a memorable journey.

“..the more ideas, the merrier.”

The itinerary will be discussed with the prospective sponsor and each week the situation will be publicly summarized through news broadcasts or shows on the same topic.

Dangerous countries will be avoided.

We foresee using ferries. 

Departure may coincide with the Carnival in Venice, in Viareggio or in Varallo Pombia! The same applies to the return.

Ps: more explanations with the next updates.


Project C: Upon returning from the long journey, with money and fame, the people of the Nettles will open an “agrinudism” with horses, accommodations on trees, sport activities and all the rest.
The location is supposed to be in Maremma, Tuscany. 

Conclusion of the A B C
“And they lived happily ever after, all naked, creating and giving emotions away.”

Other Projects:

To establish the travel agency “Tours of the Nettle”
…which would cover the territory of the Ticino River Park in particular.
With itineraries on foot, by boat and bicycle. 
Bus transfer to/from the airport.
Groups of 9 people.
(It may be possible to spend one night at the secret seat of the people of the Nettle.)

To offer the competition “Miss Nettle”

Girls must be beautiful and competent.
For example, they must be able to:
- make pizza at home
- partecipate in a swimming competition
- spend two nights in the woods
- build something
- propose something
- know trees and plants
- start a fire
- etc.

To found the “People of the Nettles” party: and to govern Italy.


Conclusion of the A B C
 “And they lived happily ever after, all naked, creating and giving emotions away.”



Other Projects:

 To establish the travel agency “Tours of the Nettle”
…which would cover the territory of the Ticino River Park in particular.
With itineraries on foot, by boat and bicycle. 
Bus transfer to/from the airport.
Groups of 9 people.
 (It may be possible to spend one night at the secret seat of the people of the Nettle.) 

To offer the competition “Miss Nettle”

Girls must be beautiful and competent.
 For example, they must be able to:
- make pizza at home
- partecipate in a swimming competition
- spend two nights in the woods
- build something
- propose something
- know trees and plants
- start a fire
- etc.

To found the “People of the Nettles” party: and to govern Italy.

Proposals:

-to eliminate 50% of the current parliamentary members
- to reduce by 50% the salary of the remaining parliamentary members
- “Senators to life” will be obliterated, while the “case-carriers” will disappear from the universe
- no one will ever enjoy any kind of immunity again. Never!!
- high officials’ automobiles will only be a memory.
- we will follow a socio-political system based on the Dutch model; therefore, we will re-shuffle the papers that deal with abortion, euthanasia, light drugs, gay marriage, etc.
- secondary schools will last 5 years. The fourth year, and only the fourth, will be dedicated to working in a factory or in an artisan’s shop, following the standard eight-hour workday, etc. Businesses will receive subsidies from the state to support these activities. This way, at the end of the fifth year, students will have clearer ideas, a full piggy bank and they will be at an ideal age to decide what they want to study or what job they want. 
- music and cinema will be considered “cultural patrimony” and, therefore, they will be taxed as to a minimum.

Like books, for example (whose tax is 4%).
- a dignified minimum salary will be guaranteed to retired people, and it will never be questioned again.
- the same applies for retirement age. 
- in order for people to dedicate more time to themselves than to their employer, part-time jobs and jobs based on a continuous six-hours day will be guaranteed.
- dentists, gynecologists and other “gold visits” which last only a few minutes will definitively have to cost a lot less. 
- justice will be more consistent and stricter for serious crimes.
- arsonists will be severely punished.
- driving in cities will become more and more inconvenient. But of course, public transportation will be improved and tickets will cost 50 cents, if they will not be completely free. 
- the costs for damages incurred during soccer games will mercilessly be the responsibility of the sports associations.

The same applies to the salaries of security personnel.
- currently charge-free beaches will be free forever. No piece of land on the seaside will ever be sold again to privates
- projects for the construction of public swimming pools in every town will be spurred (i.e. one swimming pool per 5000 inhabitants). 
- Malpensa Airport will pay an annual compensation to each family living in a 30km radius for the inconvenience and pollution it causes. Of course, it will be prohibited for the airport to become a commercial center. The same applies to all other Italian airports.



The vocabulary of the people of the Nettle

- ambalaha! = are you kidding!
- unga = look
- unga bò = look here
- trentamilo o = only thirty thousand
- annacca! = incredible!
- abbaccalla canascica = I feel faint
- abbascinata = I can’t believe it
- abbascicani = I don’t understand
- incalecatene! = it’s a miracle!
- elalabai = ohe la Madonna!
- ambagadanga? = what do you want from us?
- ambagada? = what?
- aiaia! = who does he think he is!
- tanka = tanka
- telefunken = fuck off
- unneia? = where is it?
- ablacana = I’ll help you

About the Nettle

 PS: The people of the Nettles chose this plant as their icon because Marone, the location for the first homonymous short film, was filled with nettles and because the plant is practically miraculous…. 

NETTLE
Family: Urticacee.
Characteristics: Perennial, with trailing rhizome, an almost quadrangular-shaped, straight stalk, which often reaches a height of more than one meter; the Urtica Dioica (a plant with separate sexes, that is) has large leaves with small stalks, opposite one from the other, oval-shaped or lanceolated, with jagged edges of a dark green shade. It buds from May through September, and the flowers are greenish, very small, and clustered in tufted peduncles beneath the leaf axil. 
It may display more or less dense and tough stinging hair depending on the environment; it is rich in chlorophyll, iron and nitrogen, and it is an excellent stimulant of the organism’s defenses. 


Natural habitat: an invasive plant, common everywhere, it also grows near human dwellings.
Harvested for food, nettle can be considered one of the best and most useful edible plants. 
The tender tips are harvested, and to these one can also add the subjacent leaves; however, the lower in the stalk, the tougher the leaves become. Nettle can be used in vegetable soups, in minestrone, as an ingredient for quiche, or in the stuffing for ricotta cheese ravioli. 
In Maremma, Tuscany, the best stuffing for ravioli is made, aside from ricotta, with nettle “tips”, poppy leaves and wild beet leaves.

The tender parts can also be eaten raw with salad, or steamed and dressed, generally mixed with other ingredients, but also in omelettes. 

Additional information: This plant, steeped like cannabis, can be used to make interesting fabrics or beautiful paper. Its root is used to obtain a yellow dye. Abundant nettle consumption, particularly in springtime, has optimal purifying powers, it stimulates the metabolism, and it improves the general condition of anemic people and of the elderly. Nettle juice is used to prevent hair loss.
Caution: when harvesting nettle, beware of the stinging hair on the stalk, on the ribs on the underside of the leaves and on the leaf stalk.


RECIPE:
NETTLE FETTUCCINE WITH MALLOW SAUCE
Ingredients:
- nettle tips
– mallow leaves
- eggs
- flour
- prosciutto
- butter
– vegetable broth
– olive
- oil
– cayenne pepper
– salt

Steam the nettle tips for a few moments, strain them, slice them very thin and mix them with flour and eggs (or you can blend them with the eggs until you obtain a smooth paste and then mix it with the flour) to obtain a consistent dough. Flatten the dough very thin and cut strips of one-quarter inch in width. For the sauce: Steam the mallow leaves for a few moments, strain them well and slice them thin. Sauté some previously thinly sliced onions along with a few slices of prosciutto in oil and butter. Add the mallow and some hot vegetable broth, flavoring the mixture with a pinch of cayenne pepper. Cook the fettuccine and briefly sauté them with the previously prepared sauce.

Ps: The people of the nettle recommends looking up “Nettle” on any search engine to discover how many other things and recipes can be done with this very underestimated plant.