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Description
A few years ago we moved from London to Sicily and fell in love with a beautiful place in the middle of woodlands 400 meters up a mountain in a beautifully unspoilt National Park called The Madonie. Nestled between two medieval villages, Pollina and Castelbuono. It was here that we began our project.
In this ancient location we have one hectare land, filled with wise, ancient olives trees, some which are 1400 years old and many antique varieties of pears from this area.
Left abandoned for many years, there is much work to restore the natural beauty of ancient traditions in this part of wild Sicily. Our dream is to bring love, care and passion for permaculture and nature. With your support and that of friends and family we hope to rejunivate this lost land so that many others today and in the future can continue to enjoy its sacred beauty and peaceful tranquillity.
We are Gareth and & Sam, a queer couple who are very familiar with marginalised communities having fought in many ways to overcome the internalised shame and stigmatisation from the wider society. We are both practicing psychotherapists motivated and impassioned about working within our own communities and beyond borders.
A value for this project connects us to the practice of Mindfulness, in the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. The pace here is slow and quiet with opportunities to meditate, connecting with the present moment.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
General Maintenance
Interests
Vegetarian or vegan
Culture
Farming
Politics / Social justice
LGBTQ
Writing
Performing arts
Drawing & painting
Cooking & food
Photography
Plant care
Music
Books
Art & design
Yoga / Wellness
Dancing
Mountain
Nature
Hiking
Cycling
Beach
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Language exchange -
We both speak Italian and English so if you are learning, interested or would just like to practice, this would be a great exchange for you. We have a group of multinational friends who visit us, and nearby there are many friends who are excited to exchange language, conversation and connections.
Queer abundance -
As non straight CIS people, we live life in ways that challenge the othodoxy of conventional thinking and life. We believe that many people have been harmed and continue to not feel safe in this world by old structures that have informed peoples lives for decades. We are open minded, and enjoying talking and thinking differently about healing ways to live life fully. This can be of interest to your personal growth. By bringing with you your own spirit, your soul and by sharing your ideas, experiences and views will enrich your experience.
Mindfulness practice -
We both maintain a daily meditation practice, following the Mindfulness practice & teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh. It is important for us to come back to our bodies and to continue to practice being in the present moment. You are very welcome to join us for meditation, or an hour of deep relaxation which involves lying on the floor to nourish, relax and slow down. In addition we often attend our Sangha, group meditation in Palermo which you are welcome to come along to. On occasion, we host the Sangha here and spend the day Mindfully together.
Creative expression -
We are both passionate about creative practice, whether this be through art, movement or alternative mediums of expression. We would welcome your input creatively, offering opportunities and materials for you to be able to express yourself creatively.
Help
The work is outdoors, manual and physical. (Mainly because we live 500meters above sea level on a mountain therefore the terrain can be challenging whilst incredibly beautiful!!)
There is just over one hectare of land here which has significant quantities of ancient olive trees and local fruit trees. The land was left abandoned for many years during which nature reclaimed herself and the wild animals that made their way in created havoc!! Slowly, we have been trying to clear, prune and care for the land but given the size and the varying seasons, there are many things which we need help, support and advice with.
If you have any knowledge in this area this would be great, however it is not essential as we ourselves continue to learn for the locals who are teaching us the ancient traditions, we study on courses and put all this to practice. For the bigger tasks we hire professionals but work alongside them so we can learn as we go.If we are hiring someone whilst you are here or have friends or local people coming to assist us with skills you will be able to join in with this exchange.
We feel it is important to respect the local traditions here in Sicily and craftsmanship. We have come to really appreciate the abundance of wisdom these elder people hold who are equally excited to share this knowledge to another generation. You will be able to benefit from what we have been able to learn so far and of course to bring your own knowledge and wisdom to this land.
Collecting local ancient stones from the ground - Across the land there are various local stones that we are collecting into piles. This enable us to cultivate the land better and prevent greater damage to tools. We will use these stones to later create walls with professional help.
Helping with refencing to protect trees and the land from wild boars -
Pruning olives trees and fruit trees - clearing organic waste such as branches & leaves etc -
Collecting and cutting wood -
We hire professionals to undertake the big tasks however we do support them where we can and would ask you to assist with this if there is anythi8ng happening at the time of a visit. Alternatively there will always be something to help out with.
We have many different types of equipment to facilitate this work some of which can be hardworking and would always require you to maintain personal safety.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Italian: FluentThis host offers a language exchange
Gareth is learning Italian and is able to exchange English with mother tongue speakers of Italian
Accommodation
We offer an attic space to sleep, recently renovated, clean and with bedding.
Please note the toilet & shower are separate from this space.
We are not connected to the water mains, therefore water is very precious to us and showers limited to 1 conscious shower per day.
Camping is possible - although please bring your own tent.
We offer an alcohol and drug free place.
We follow a vegetarian diet.
We eat natural wholesome food, produced on our land and sourced locally where possible.
We eat a main meal at lunchtime and soup in the evening
What else ...
To be independent at this location you will need to drive.
There are beautiful beaches 20 minutes from the house by car.
Equally other stunning places, locations and villages of interest within 30-60 minutes by car.
The local rail station is 20 mins by car which can take you to Palermo and Messina and intermediary stations along the northern coast of Sicily.
The is a bus service 3km from the house, reachable by foot. Contact us for more details.
10 Km to Castelbuono
6 km to Pollina
20 km Cefalu
7 km Finale di Pollina
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
One of us, uses part of the sleeping space to work from. During those hours it would need to be free.
Space for parking camper vans
Depending on size of camper, there is sufficient space to house a camper on the road which is not a main road or through road.
Can possibly accept pets
dogs are welcome to sleep and stay outdoors. Although we have cats and grow vegetables.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
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