We are building a Regenerative Agriculture center in the South of Italy
Catanzaro
(Italiano sotto)
Hi, we’re Mario & Chris,
We have been involved in permaculture and regenerative agriculture for several years, gaining experience in different countries and projects worldwide. After having volunteered ourselves many times we've now finally launched our own permaculture project in one of the most beautiful parts of Calabria, Italy :)
Besides creating a livelihood for ourselves through the concepts of self-sufficiency and food sovereignty, our main focus lies on soil regeneration and healing the land.
We have started a soil lab where we can experiment and carry out biological soil assessments to check the soil food web. Our objective is to have healthy soils that help to have healthy plants and therefore healthy people ;)
We love simplicity, to connect with nature and others and we’re looking for like-minded people from all over the world to help us in building up a regenerative agriculture center/soil laboratory in Calabria.
We have two cuddle seekers called Leny and Lotti (our cats), but also Chucho or guardian doggie.
In this project, there is so much to do :)
Below we list the main ones:
Gardening (weeding, seeding, planting, harvesting), compost management & production (hot composting, liquid composting, biofertilizers), tree care (distributing composts / biofertilizers, pruning), earthworks (erosion control, building water retention, swales), olive harvest, woodworking, building, general maintenance, fencing, cooking, housekeeping.
Our passion is regenerative agriculture so the main tasks involve anything to do with this. You will learn about composting, biofertilizers, microbiology, gardening, permaculture, self-sufficiency, medicinal herbs, food conservation, building, among others.
We normally work 5-6 hours per day from Monday to Friday, and we enjoy at least one meal together (normally lunch). Volunteers have different options for accommodation. There is a fully equipped campsite where one can pitch a tent surrounded by olive trees, a cozy caravan with a small porch and an independent apartment which can be made available (depending on the season).
We look for self-responsible individuals who share our vision and who are eager to add value to the project and learn about all these topics.
We believe that Calabria is one of the most underrated regions in Europe in terms of natural beauty, biodiversity, and quality of life. It's a perfect place to discover nature and connect with life and with yourself.
The enchanting town of Badolato (Superiore) is definitely worth a visit or two, not just for its incredibly good gelato or its pizza but also for its charming inhabitants and romantically narrow alleys (20min. by foot). Depending on the season, there is a small selection of shops (a little supermarket, a pharmacy, a bar). There is also a nice community that we will be happy to introduce you to.
We are lucky to have beautiful beaches and endless forests close by, so there are plenty of hiking/biking trails to be found. We can also point you to some beautiful waterfalls that you might want to explore on the weekends.
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Ciao, siamo Mario e Chris,
Ci occupiamo di permacultura e agricoltura rigenerativa da diversi anni, facendo esperienza in diversi Paesi e progetti in tutto il mondo. Dopo aver fatto volontariato molte volte, ora abbiamo finalmente lanciato il nostro progetto di permacultura in una delle zone più belle della Calabria, in Italia :)
Oltre a creare una fonte di sostentamento per noi stessi attraverso i concetti di autosufficienza e sovranità alimentare, il nostro obiettivo principale è la rigenerazione del suolo e la guarigione della terra.
Abbiamo avviato un laboratorio del suolo dove possiamo fare esperimenti e valutazioni biologiche del suolo per controllare la rete alimentare del suolo. Il nostro obiettivo è avere terreni sani che aiutino ad avere piante sane e quindi persone sane ;)
Amiamo la semplicità, la connessione con la natura e con gli altri e stiamo cercando persone che la pensino come noi da tutto il mondo per aiutarci a costruire un centro di agricoltura rigenerativa/laboratorio del suolo in Calabria.
Abbiamo due coccoloni che si chiamano Leny e Lotti (i nostri gatti), ma anche Chucho, il cagnolino guardiano.
In questo progetto ci sono tante cose da fare :)
Di seguito elenchiamo le principali:
Giardinaggio (diserbo, semina, semina, raccolta), gestione e produzione di compost (compostaggio a caldo, compostaggio liquido, biofertilizzanti), cura degli alberi (distribuzione di compost / biofertilizzanti, potatura), lavori di terra (controllo dell'erosione, costruzione di ritenzione idrica, ciglionamenti), raccolta delle olive, lavorazione del legno, costruzione, manutenzione generale, recinzione, cucina, gestione della casa.
La nostra passione è l'agricoltura rigenerativa, quindi i compiti principali riguardano tutto ciò che ha a che fare con questo. Imparerete a conoscere il compostaggio, i biofertilizzanti, la microbiologia, il giardinaggio, la permacultura, l'autosufficienza, le erbe medicinali, la conservazione del cibo, l'edilizia, tra le altre cose.
Di solito lavoriamo 5-6 ore al giorno dal lunedì al venerdì e consumiamo almeno un pasto insieme (di solito il pranzo). I volontari hanno diverse possibilità di alloggio. C'è un campeggio completamente attrezzato dove si può piantare una tenda circondata da ulivi, un'accogliente roulotte con un piccolo portico e un appartamento indipendente che può essere messo a disposizione (a seconda della stagione).
Cerchiamo persone autoresponsabili che condividano la nostra visione e che siano desiderose di aggiungere valore al progetto e di conoscere tutti questi argomenti.
Crediamo che la Calabria sia una delle regioni più sottovalutate d'Europa in termini di bellezza naturale, biodiversità e qualità della vita. È un luogo perfetto per scoprire la natura e connettersi con la vita e con se stessi.
L'incantevole cittadina di Badolato (Superiore) merita sicuramente una visita o due, non solo per il suo gelato incredibilmente buono o la sua pizza, ma anche per i suoi affascinanti abitanti e i suoi vicoli romanticamente stretti (20min. a piedi). A seconda della stagione, c'è una piccola selezione di negozi (un piccolo supermercato, una farmacia, un bar). C'è anche una bella comunità che saremo lieti di farvi conoscere.
Abbiamo la fortuna di avere bellissime spiagge e foreste infinite nelle vicinanze, quindi ci sono molti sentieri per escursioni a piedi o in bicicletta. Possiamo anche indicarvi alcune bellissime cascate che potreste voler esplorare nei fine settimana.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Forestry
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Seed saving or production
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Traditional crafts
Green Building
Renewable energy production
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Holistic management
No-till farming
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
7
Hectares
|
17.3
Acres
Mario
Member since 2017
Languages spoken:
English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 95%
Response time: typically within 7 days
Catanzaro
Badolato Marina / Lamezia Terme
Reviews
Véda Luce
France
•
July 2025
Mario and Chris are very kind and caring people. We learned a lot about the soil and how to take care of it. The life there is great, you are always outside in nature witnessing a lot of the beauty we so often overlooked. The work is quite interesting and it’s great to see the accomplishment of it.
While outside your day will vary depending of the weather but it’s worth it. The mountains, rivers, waterfalls, the food, the sea and everything in between are beautiful and we spend a lot of our free time exploring it.
I’m thankful for what this experience brought me, thank you :)
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Alexane
France
•
December 2024
This autumn we stayed for 5 weeks at Terranima the awesome project of Mario and Chris. The campsite is great with the outdoor kitchen and showers.
We did a lot of different tasks and activities (olive harvest, veggies garden, care of the soil, compost, dry walls...)
We are so grateful about their eagerness to share their knowledge, about their open-mindedness and capacity of caring.
Mario and Chris are amazing and super inspiring human beings.
They also know about creating a team spirit.
We loved our time spent there, so if their presentation calls you we definetely recommend you to contact them !
(Not to mention : their big dog is absolutely adorable)
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Cooper
United States
•
July 2024
I had a wonderful time helping Chris and Mario at Terranima.
Both are easy to communicate with, open to answering questions and providing context for all the small details, and in essence, very bright souls.
Badolato borgo is a charm. Residents—locals and expats alike—are welcoming to genuine curiosity and are open to sharing their experiences/knowledge.
The surrounding area is astounding, the resonance of forest-covered mountains coupled with the tranquility of sand and sea creates a truly profound and grounding harmony.
Even though I was solo most of the time, my experience was immensely rewarding and valuable.
My main task (cleaning/cutting grass/weeds to prevent wildfire damage) was quite intense, especially in the heat, but there were a variety of other small tasks to keep things fresh.
I look forward to seeing Terranima as it continues to progress in the future, especially regarding the new syntropic agriculture systems soon to be implemented.
Thank you Chris and Mario for such a wonderful opportunity and for doing the work you do.
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Christian
Germany
•
December 2023
I spent two wonderful months at Mario’s and Chris’ permaculture project and am really grateful for the opportunity to help at such a magic place, the things I learnt, the healthy and seasonal food and the time we spent together on the farm and on little adventures. For their volunteers they built a great camping area between olive trees with a lovely outdoor kitchen. The tasks for the volunteers were very varied and besides harvesting olives we did a lot of different work like helping in the vegetable garden, different maintenance work in the land or building and filling up a bioreactor. It’s amazing with how much knowledge, love and energy Chris and Mario build up their project.
Thank you for the meaningful and valuable time and experiences at your place!
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Roberta
Germany
•
November 2023
Badolato Permaculture is an amazing project and place, full of lovely people, great energy, harmony and beauty.
My time there has been full of so many extreemly valuable experiences, which I will take back with me in my heart. Climbing to harvest the olive trees, learning a lot about different plants, sharing delicious meals all together, seeing the mill (and smelling it!), being outside all the time, watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets, building a bioreactor and a stairway, going on little hikes, sharing moments at the beach, learning new recipes to cook for plants or humans, meeting wonderful people and feeling my muscles work.
Thank you Mario and Chris!
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