A Home in the Village: Co-housing for Seniors in Figino

Anna is 75, and since she became a widow just two years ago, darkness has descended on her life: she has no close relatives, she has lost touch with the friends she shared with her husband, and depression has dampened her interests. Luigi, 78, lost his wife long ago and has never rebuilt his emotional life since. He also feels like a burden to his children, all of whom are independent, and his modest pension is unable to cover expenses, so he prefers to stay home. 

Anna and Luigi, burdened with their life stories, found themselves together in Figino, a neighborhood in the north-western outskirts of Milan, where they managed to have a studio apartment, with many shared spaces, in the cohousing "A house in the village”. In fact, they've become a couple, always together, from the morning when they cook lunch or go tend to the shared garden, until the evening when, with the other cohousing residents, they vote and decide which program to watch on TV. 

The Figino cohousing community is located within a small village defined as "eco-sustainable" due to its energy-efficient characteristics. The heating and cooling system is based on heat pumps which exploit the temperatures of the groundwater and the rainwater recovery systems which are used to water all the green spaces of the eco-sustainable village, including shared gardens which the village residents take care of together.

The accommodations of the Village of Figino There are 323 of them, with shared spaces that include the village shops and almost 3 square meters of services, mostly concentrated in the village square, starting with the shop-houses, or spaces for professional and artisanal activities.

But the true heart of the village is represented by the 10 studio apartments, spread over two floors, intended for self-sufficient seniors (one or two people per room). Each unit is independent, with an entrance, bathroom, and personal space. Then there are the rooms equipped as common areas: on the first floor, a large and comfortable kitchen, with a living room where residents can gather, not only for lunch and dinner, but also to watch television; on the second floor, a shared laundry room and relaxation area; and a co-living space on each floor. 

With the help of the cohousing manager (the social cooperative Open Space Services), the inhabitants of Figino, like Anna and Luigi, do not live closed and alone in a retirement home, but can do gymnastics and physical activity together, cultivate theirshared garden, organize small manual workshops or even card games, celebrate the most important occasions together (Christmas, Easter, birthdays and name days). solitude, for them, it's just a bad memory. 

Cover image source: Fondazione Housing Sociale/Facebook

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