So, after graduating from the Art Institute, Martina chose not to attend university, but, rather, to devote herself to her great passion. Her goal was to enjoy “this wonder and at the same time introduce people, particularly children, to the world of horses,” she explains. Her first work experiences were outside Premilcuore: first in Forlì, in a rehabilitation centre, then in some riding stables between Rimini and Montefeltro, in Novafeltria (Rimini) and in Carpegna (Pesaro-Urbino). In the meantime, through a series of internships and training courses, she learnt more about equestrian vaulting, the gymnastics practiced to prepare to riding and vaulting, as well as ethology, i.e. the science that studies animal behaviour and the most effective ways to communicate with horses. “Meanwhile, my mother had opened a bed & breakfast at our farm, first with two rooms and then with three: she needed my help there, so from Carpegna I moved back home. In doing so, I also brought back my three horses, crossing the Apennines on foot in five days”.

The b&b is called Luna e Stelle and is located a few kilometres from the beautiful historical centre of Premilcuore. Today, it also hosts the headquarters of Liberi e Selvaggi, the amateur sports association that Martina founded with her friend Roberta in 2016, when she chose to find a tangible way of promoting a strong bond with nature and animals through educational and artistic activities based on movement.

The year before, Martina had taken part in ReStartApp, the residential training course for young aspiring entrepreneurs organised in the Apennines by Fondazione Edoardo Garrone: “A dear friend, Massimiliano Cameli, who – together with his family – ran a restaurant and a ‘scattered hotel’ (Al Vecchio Convento) in Portico di Romagna (Forlì-Cesena), phoned me to tell me that he would be hosting this initiative and, since he knew what I was doing in Premilcuore, he suggested I participate. To be honest, I wasn’t so sure I could put a business idea on paper, because all I had, back then, were two horses and a three-room b&b of my own. In the end, however, with the help of Francesca – a friend I had met at the b&b -, I drew up a business plan and submitted it, just a quarter of an hour before the call for proposals closed”. At the time, Martina – who was born in 1984 – had just turned 31years old.

In the project selected by Fondazione Edoardo Garrone, she had described ‘the dream of Magia’, her mare: a bit of land to share with children through the Cavalgiocare method and the Luna e Stelle b&b becoming a meeting place and cultural centre. Indeed, back in 2015, although the cottages were surrounded by greenery, Martina and her mother had no land to rely on – just the small plot that still hosts the family’s vegetable garden. “The horses had very little room available”. At the ‘on-campus’ course, Martina met, among others, Luigi Toledo, the mayor of Portico di Romagna (Forlì-Cesena) – a municipality less than twenty kilometres from Premilcuore, beyond the Valbure pass. Both municipalities are members of Unione della Romagna forlivese, the association gathering several towns and villages in the Forlì area. Thanks to Toledo’s help, Martina was able to obtain a concession for two hectares of land next to the farmhouse that hosts the b&b, which is also public property (she and her mother are renting). Another important acquaintance Martina made at the ReStartApp residential course was with Giuliano Gabrini, now a cheesemaker at Villa Minozzo, in the Reggio Emilia Apennines, and the owner of the Le Cornelle farm.. Giuliano introduced her to Giovanni Lindo Ferretti, the former singer of music band Cccp and, subsequently, Csi, who is originally from Cerreto Alpi (Reggio Emilia). For some time after that, Martina took part in his Teatro barbarico di uomini e cavalla (Barbarian Theatre of Men and Horses) project.