Sustainable living, learning and agriculture in the green heart of Italy
Terni
We started our azienda agricola 1h north of Rome at the beginning of 2021 as our long life dream with the mission to put the Visions of a sustainable food-&farming system into action. After having worked at universities, research institutions and NGOs on the topic of sustainable development and sustainable food systems for over 15 years on all continents but Australia, my husband and I decided to bring the theoretical knowledge and insights into "the field" and move out from the city and into the beautiful Umbrian countryside to start a living lab for sustainable rural development and regenerative agriculture/permaculture. For this we have bought 4 hectares of land on the hillside with olive trees, fruits trees, nut trees and berries. In addition we are revitalizing an old vinyard and other overgrown parts of our land that were not taken care of for years. In the meantime we get our fruit and vegeteable supply from close-by organic/agro-ecological farms. As we still continue on the side with our NGO work on Education for Sustainable Development, we have a lot of synergies and interesting projects to share with our volunteers.
*** Accomodation and Surroundings: We can host volunteers in the village's old town in a rented appartment with extra guest room and guest couch in the living room. The town appartment is a 5-10 min walk away from the actual farm and great for a digital detox as it has no wifi (from the living room you can get reasonable coverage over data/hotspot in case and there is free wifi at the bar arround the corner). At the farm there is the possibility to camp or park a camping bus but limited running water and no electricity. The village has a nice and small old town and all basic ammenities (post, bakery, mini-market, Osteria, bar etc.). There are many hikes and nature walks at the doorstep such as "the solfatara" and the "San Valentino hike" down to the Tiber river. The neighbouring village is beautiful Amelia and reachable by bus. Rome is reachable by train from Orte (neighbouring town) in 40 minutes. Upon request we can arrange transfer for arrival from the Orte trainstation (15 car drive).
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Abbiamo iniziato la nostra azienda agricola all'inizio del 2021 come il sogno di una vita con la missione di mettere in azione le visioni di un sistema alimentare e agricolo sostenibile. Dopo aver lavorato in università, istituti di ricerca e ONG sul tema dello sviluppo sostenibile e dei sistemi alimentari sostenibili per oltre 15 anni in tutti i continenti tranne l'Australia, io e mio marito abbiamo deciso di portare le conoscenze teoriche e le intuizioni sul "campo" e trasferirci fuori dalla città e nella bellissima campagna umbra per avviare un laboratorio vivente per lo sviluppo rurale sostenibile e l'agricoltura rigenerativa/permacultura. Per questo abbiamo comprato 4 ettari di terreno in collina con ulivi, alberi da frutta, noci e bacche. Inoltre stiamo aggiungendo un orto per il nostro consumo e quello dei nostri volontari e stiamo rivitalizzando un vecchio vigneto e altre parti della nostra terra che non sono state curate per anni. Nel frattempo ci riforniamo di frutta e verdura dalle vicine fattorie biologiche/agroecologiche. Dato che continuiamo a lavorare con la nostra ONG sull'educazione allo sviluppo sostenibile, abbiamo molte sinergie e progetti interessanti da condividere con i nostri volontari.
Organic methods: composting, permaculture principles (in the beginning), regenerative agriculture
Certifications: I use organic methods out of conviction and think about getting a certification once the farm is more established
Current projects: Olive harvest, harvesting and drying mediterranian herbs, preparing jams
Wifi access currently not available in the appartment but you can use the free wifi at the coffe bar 1 min away or at our appartment in the parallel street or use the opportunity for digital detox ;)
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Learning opportunities
Fruit or nut farming
Sheep or goat farming
Beekeeping
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Natural cosmetics fabrication
Methods or systems
Holistic management
Regenerative agriculture
Host type
Production farm
Certified organic
4
Hectares
|
9.9
Acres
Valentina
Member since 2021
Languages spoken:
English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 97%
Response time: typically within 8 days
Terni
Smalltown train station: Orte or Attigliano-Bomarzo
Reviews
Mateus
Germany
•
January 2026
I had an amazing stay with Valentina and Matt at Via Verde and honestly couldn’t have asked for a better WWOOF experience.
Every day was different and interesting. We fed the chickens and goats, cleaned the goat shed, cut weeds, built fences, moved the chickens to a new house, and even helped at a Christmas market. The work never felt too hard or overwhelming, and it was always varied and meaningful, which made it really enjoyable to be part of their daily life.
Valentina and Matt are incredibly kind, generous, and welcoming people. They made me feel at home from the very beginning. I also loved meeting their friends and becoming part of their community. They even recommended that I stay with their friends Ale and Fede afterward, which turned out to be another amazing experience.
I’m really grateful for everything I learned and shared there. I already miss you all and hope to see you again soon. I can absolutely recommend Via Verde to anyone looking for a genuine, warm, and inspiring WWOOF stay
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Pearl
United States
•
December 2025
WWOOFing at ViA Verde can only be described as an experience in co-creation—it’s amazing to see the vision of this place through the eyes of Valentina and to be able to help bring it to life in its early years. While the lavender, olive trees, herbs, and goats offer established and routine work, budding projects to construct the future of the farm offer variety in day to day tasks. It’s also a unique experience to have the independence of your own apartment and to be responsible for most of your own meals, a set-up that lends itself well to becoming acquainted with the town of Penna and with fellow WWOOFers. Despite this arrangement, Valentina and Matt welcomed us fully into their home, sharing family recipes and inviting us to their Thanksgiving (italian edition) table.
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Reply from Valentina
Grazie mille Pearl! It was great to have had you with us for a short and busy time pre-christmas market time. I truly hope you can come back so we can have more conversations and I can learn from all the big and small world changing work you will be have done by then I am sure :)
Roos
Belgium
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March 2025
Via Verde was my 9th wwoof farm and one of the best!
Matt and Valentina are super welcoming and do everything to make you feel good. I stayed there for two weeks, enjoying the goats, their cat Vivi, the farm and the beautiful village. Valentina took me several times to villages / towns / nature around the farm, which I really loved. The apartment is just perfect and the food was delicious (Valentina cooks in the afternoon, you cook yourself in the evening).
However, Valentina can sometimes be a bit chaotic, which means you have to wait a lot, so you have to be flexible. And, be prepared, the mountain from the farm to home is a climb ;)
I worked in the lavender field, picked Calendula, dried olive leaves and weeded. We also did yoga together on the mountain, with a beautiful view!
All in all, Via Verde was a really great farm. I met a lot of lovely people and would love to come back soon. Thank you!
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Rebecca
Italy
•
February 2025
Our time in Via Verde was superb. Valentina and Matt have a big farm where we contributed by weeding lavender fields, preparing cuttings for some herb plants, and tending to the goats. I highly recommend woofers to visit their farm if you want to learn about design, aromatics, and plant diversification.
Joe
France
•
November 2024
Via Verde is a wonderful place set next to a cute village with rolling hills and a sunset to die for. There is a vast array of exciting projects happening at the moment and whatt more you can witness in a short amount of time the transformation of the farm. I was there for a while the olive harvest which is a lot of fun and a rewarding activity in itself. The hosts were extremely welcoming and friendly (and cook wonderful food) and make you feel a part of their project!
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Catherine
New Zealand
•
November 2024
What a beautiful and genuine project Valentina and Matt are creating! My time at the Via Verte farm was unforgettable and I learned so much through their wealth of knowledge. It was a sad goodbye and I look forward to returning and seeing the fruits of their labour blossom! Thank you just doesn’t cut it. An absolutely life changing experience surrounded by some much determination and love, working with nature.
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