Prezzemolo is the alias of Mario Collino, a man who dedicates his life to build ancient popular games, studying and recreating the mechanisms to made them. He builds ancient toys, whistles, trumpets, little animals, puppets, and he teaches how to build them in schools and during public events. He and his wife are also volunteers, helping people in difficulty.
Prezzemolo means parsley, and he chooses this name because of, like parsley, he is everywhere.
He explains complex things with the simplicity of great people: science, philosofy and history all together!
As he usually says, practice worths more that grammar.
Don't throw anything, it can be useful!
He collected many things to build small objects and ancient toys used in past century, when people was very poor and they created games with everything: a piece of branch, an handkerchief, a discarded piece of wood...
I met him in Ollomont (Aosta valley, Italy) during tradition carnival.
He made a show to children (but not only to them), building an animal with a small sheet of paper:
With a red and white placemat simulated an imprisoned mouse!
You can see the ears and the tales of the imaginary mouse, and he moves hands in a particular way so people really believe the mouse is alive!
A little pause and a bit of wine :-)
I think that, in our western society, even more crazy, there is a lack of imagination. We have many things, but we are not happy. Happiness is in small things and evolved soul are not individualist and focused on themselves, but they want to share their knowledge and their passion with other people.
For me, these kind of people are great people.
Pictures taken with Nikon D800.
Ollomont, 09.01.2016
