The Rul farm belonged to the Allamano family during the last century. It was the family of the Canonical founder of the Consolata Mission, who himself was the cousin of the famous S. Joseph Cafasso priest of all prisoners and death- sentenced people.Thus reflecting the great spirituality of the territory of Asti ,embodied in the persons of Don Bosco, Domenico Savio, and Cardinal Massaia. We like to think of S.Joseph Cafasso celebrating the ancient rite of the Chistian Rogationes ( cycle of prayers ) on these hills, invoking life and fertility on the soil in the traditional christian faith and power of the Ambaravalia romans, old thousands of years.

In the late eighties, the family Meluzzi-Valencia, expressing their love and passion for this land, bought the Rul farm to Enrico and Giovanni, real Albugnesi ,who now lay in peace next to the small church of S. Peter. The Rul farm has become the seat of a small family community with many friends often dropping by and where a cultural association of interior and spiritual research, bearing the name of the farm, was created.There is also a small agricultural enterprise called S. Mary of Vezzolano that produces wine from its vineyards and practices biological farming, along with the activity of guesthouse to "feed"Body and Soul. We are sure Enrico follows our daily work to help the farming activity take off and ,why not, that of the guesthouse and Human Evolution as well.During his lifetime, the farm was called "Ca'dle Lingere ".Pilgrims came by and stayed with the Allamano, thanking them for their hospitality by baking some bread in the old brick oven, still visible. The Rul monastery houses a therapeutical center of medicine and phsychology dedicated to natural and holistic medicine, emotion-psychotherapy ,and Pet- Therapy, the treatment with the help of our "animal-brothers", starting with horses through the famous "Horse -Therapy". At our place , friends and lovers of the live Earth, Nature, Traditions, Mysticism, Sacred things, Mankind , and Animals are welcome with friendliness. Yet, they who do not share these values can join in , if they wish.

Alessandro is a phsychiatrist, phsycologist, and phsychotherapist M.D. A convinced ecologist, he is the authorof several essays about natural medicines, animal therapy, rites, traditions and esoterical science. He teaches at both Universities of Siena and S. Marino, and is promoting the creation of the "Free University of Monferrato" He is married to Maria and is Araceli's daddy .His passions: the books in the big library in the tower, Gregorian chants, writing, horses, dogs, rides in the forest.

Maria is the organizing soul of the community, and after having learned to love this hilly landscape, its scents, flavors, and traditions, has decided to turn it into her own business, running the small farm and guesthouse activity.She is Araceli's mommy and met Alessandro in Bolivia at a feast dedicated to the Copacabana Virgin by the Indios from the Titicaca lake.The same Virgin smiles in a chapel bound to the farm-monastery. Her passions:Festivities, rites, traditions, traditional and popular ethnical music, the countrylife, animals, plants.

Araceli is a very friendly little girl who has a special feeling for all that has to do with "Nature".She enjoys living in the country with her "shepherd maremmani "dogs that always greet her when she goes to school and when she comes back. On Saturdays and Sundays she helps-out feeding the dogs chicken and horses.Her passsions: animals and trees. You can often see her speaking to her cousin Giulia, under a small oak tree, they called the tree of secrets. A tree that is growing with them.

Delly is the grandmother. She has, for many years, run a christian institution to help the needy of the Peruvian Andies in Lima. She shares her time between Lima and Albugnano and nearly handles everything. She's a real granny. Her passions: her grandchildren, baking, reading, poetry, music and sewing.

Lenin is the Uncle. He has been a businessman in Peru for years and then has left the confusion of a big city to come and live in the country.He takes care of the orchard garden, the vineyard and looks after the farmholding.He deals with animals in a special way, as if he spoke to them. His passions: horses, the study of ancient esoterical traditions, poetry,and music.

Why Monastery. Monastery stems from the greak "monos "that is one, unique, but also isolated and somehow essential, basic. As a matter of fact, the first monks living in the "tebaide"( hermitage) of the 2d century A.C. lived like lone hermits in the desert such as S.Antonio Abbot.But in reality, especially in the west, Monasticism was , after Benedetto da Norcia, a lifestyle evolution in the roman agricultural domus, without any social differences or slavery and according to the brotherly principle of "Ora et Labora"( Prayer and Work) The Rul is obviously a non-religious community but it follows and draws inspiration from a lifestyle where the reinvention of the World and the resacralization of the Earth , Nature and Work match an authentic spiritual search. It welcomes the Good news, and is sensitive to the values of ecumenical brotherhood.