What the heck is Arcosanti?

Well I haven't heard that word in a long time until this morning when my mom called and asked me to tag along on a road trip in search of the perfect windbell she needed for a gift. Ok, what is a windbell, and where exactly is Arcosanti again? If you travel north on Interstate 17 (exit at 262 Cordes Junction) and turn right, you will see a sign that points to the left called Arcosanti. Travel just a few miles down and you will find it.
The founder and chief architect of Arcosanti is an Italian man known as Paolo Soleri. Paolo was born in Italy in 1919 and moved to the United States to continue with his architectural career. He purchased land in Arizona in 1956, and in 1969, Arcosanti was designed and began construction in 1970. The term Arcosanti comes from the concept of architecture and ecology. Paolo's vision is to create a urban city with little impact on the environment, and in fact using the environment's natural resources rather than man made materials. This created Arcosanti. There are several sites within Arcosanti to see. We stopped at visitors center to purchase the windbells from the gift shop, but I couldn't help but walk up and down the stairs amazed at the beautiful architecture of the five story building. They have a great cafe as well. Some of the other structures you will see on the property are an outdoor amphitheatre, community swimming pool, apartments, greenhouses, gardens, and agricultural fields.Arcosanti is still a work in progress today and is primarily used for education. People from all over the world come here for education each year, and there are workshops almost all year round which helps with funding to keep Arcosanti running just as Paolo envisioned it would. The windells are pretty amazing as well, and can be purchased and shipped right from the gift shop. Don't just take my word for it, Visit this spectacular place for yourself. For more information either visit www.arcosanti.org or call 928-632-7135. Their hours of operation are open 7 days a week from 9am -5pm and tours are scheduled on the hour from 10am -4pm. Get out and explore Arizona.