Mariana Villani

Mariana Villani will present about fungi as fire, medicine, and survival, bringing ethnomycology from the Alps and beyond to this year’s All Things Fungi Festival. We will explore some of the fungal diversity and mycological wisdom of our ancestors through Ötzi the Iceman, including a live fire-making demonstration using mushrooms—just as Ötzi may have done.Found in the Alps carrying two mushrooms, Ötzi—a 5,300-year-old mummy—offers a rare, frozen-in-time glimpse into the deep relationships between humans and fungi. From agriculture and fermentation to medicine and survival, fungi have profoundly shaped human history.Drawing on her expertise in ethnomycology, ecology, and agroecology—and based on her research at the ArcheoParc Schnals, an outdoor archaeological museum near the site where Ötzi was found—Mariana will explore the rich diversity of fungi uses and how they not only shaped the past, but continue to offer sustainable solutions today.About the speaker: Mariana is a researcher and educator specializing in ethnobiology, traditional ecological knowledge, agroecology, and mycology. Her work includes collaborations with Indigenous communities in North America, fieldwork exploring the ecology and diversity of fungi in Brazil, the Touristic Mycotrails Project in Brazil’s Chapada Diamantina National Park, and contributions to the Fungi Foundation’s Elders Project. Since 2016, she has shared her expertise through workshops and research on agroecology and the cultural and ecological significance of fungi. She is currently developing educational materials with Micomedicina, and finishing a Master’s in Agroecology and Food Sovereignty in Pollenzo, Italy. She will be pursuing a PhD at Cardiff University and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where her research will focus on the diversity, ecology, and evolution of mycelial cords and rhizomorphs.