Simple life towards human community in Tuscan Apennines, Italy

Details

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  Description

  Autumn update: from the beginning of October there will be a heavy rain of chestnut from our centenary chestnut trees. Join us to eat and collect them to produce a delicious chestnut flour, our staple food.
  
  About me in English
  
  My name is Giacomo and I was born 35 years ago in the province of Vicenza. I’ve lived most of my life in urban and artificial habitats accumulating tensions, disease and sadness.
  Around ten years ago I started a path to abandon the fake existence in which we, indigenous of capital, are forced to born, “subvive” and die. At the beginning, the detachment was mainly on an emotional, “spiritual” and theoretic level, trying to deeply understand human diseases which are leading us to self-destruction. At the same time I began to be present at plants, animals and insects and exposed myself to the force of natural elements.
  For a few years I have lived in and cultivated a piece of land nearby Florence and there I found the way to transform a negative attitude in a positive one. From a rejecting movement, and understanding what I didn't want, I became able to affirm and to positively say what I do want.
  
  Now I am certain that I want to live in a communitarian way, a simple life with few objects - just essentials, productive processes and a lot of time to joy. Feel joy for the presence of the sun, of water, clouds and the music of crickets. I think that it is essential to learn again how to feel nourished by natural life around us, trying to reach a contact with everything there is inside and outside us. For this reason I put a lot of efforts on cultivating human silence.
  
  After much exploration in the Tuscan Appennino, in 2020 I decided to concentrate my energy in a tiny village inside the Sillico valley in Garfagnana. I have bought a portion of it with land and forest in order to continue towards a simple natural life. This path involves gradually eliminating everything that inhibits human spontaneity.
  
  I live outside any kind of struggle, fight and war even if it is based on a good reason. I desire to live an alternative way to human insatiability and avoid the human tendency to accumulate money, things and consume the planet.
  I collect and cultivate most of the food I eat, and I collect wood from the forest to heat, cook and build.
  I am slowly and relentlessly discarding all kind of machines and simultaneously rediscovering old manual tools and almost-forgotten techniques.
  I meditate everyday and practice bioenergetics exercises to awaken the vital energy with the aim to integrate more and more the body and the spirit.I would be happy if someone is interested in converging in this activity.
  
  In this period I am restoring old stone buildings and constructing small wooden structures. I am also planting trees, spreading seeds, cultivating vegetable gardens and living alongside the forest enjoying every season.
  You will not find any activity related to money. For the few money I need I do some temporary works of one or two days once in a while. For me it is important to keep money out of my life, especially in intimate places.
  
  Since the way of living that you will find here is quite far from the standard one, I prefer to plan visits of no more than 10 days. After this period of reciprocal connection we could decide together to extend the period. I do not want to plan long cohabitation based on superficial virtual contact. I belive that the transition to a wild life should be done very gradually.
  I am not in a dynamic of escaping and amusement, on the contrary what I am pursuing, also with other people, is to contact and accept deep reality. For this reason there are a few rules you should consider before coming here: there is no use of drugs of any kind nor alcohol; the usage of mobile phone should be limited to essential; approaching nighttime it is necessary to reduce drastically spoken words. This last rule is to promote human silence, which is necessary to get in contact with oneself and the surrounding.
  
  
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  Su di me in italiano
  
  Mi chiamo Giacomo e sono nato 35 anni fa in provincia di Vicenza. Ho trascorso molta della mia esistenza in habitat urbani e artificiali accumulando tensioni, disagi e tristezza.
  Circa dieci anni fa ho cominciato un cammino di abbandono della falsa vita in cui noi, indigeni del capitale, siamo costretti a nascere sottovivere e morire. All'inizio il distacco è avvenuto sopratutto su un piano emozionale, spirituale e teorico, cercando di capire e sentire il disagio e la follia umana che ci attraverano e ci stanno conducendo all'autodistruzione. Simultaneamente ho cominciato un cammino di riavvicinamento alla natura frequentando quotidianamente piante, animali e insetti ed esponendomi sempre più alla forza degli elementi.
  Per qualche anno ho vissuto e coltivato una campagna vicino a Firenze e lì sono riuscito a transitare da un movimento negativo ad uno positivo; da una dinamica di rifiuto e negazione, perchè sapevo bene cosa non volevo, sono diventato consapevole di ciò che voglio porre.
  Ora sono certo che voglio vivere in modo comunitario, insieme a tutti gli altri esseri viventi, nell’ascolto e nella conoscenza reciproca. Voglio vivere una vita semplice fatta di pochi oggetti essenziali,pochi processi produttuvi e molto godimento.Godere delle nuvole, dell’acqua, del respiro degli alberi e del canto dei grilli. Penso sia importante imaparere di nuovo a nutrirsi della vita che ci circonda. Cercando in particolare il contatto con forze non umane.
  
  Dopo molto esplorazioni sull'appennino toscano, nel 2020 ho deciso di concentrare le mie energie in un piccolo borghetto disabitato nella valle del Sillico in Garfagnana
  Il mio cammino di vita è fuori dall'inimicizia, dalla lotta e da ogni tipo di scontro e conflitto, anche se agito per un presunto bene o per una causa nobile. Con la lotta si ratifica l'attuale modo di vita folle e suicida. Cerco una via alternativa all'insaziabilità umana, all'esistenza dedicata ad accumulare soldi e oggetti, a consumare e consumare il pianeta.
  Raccolgo e produco una grossa parte del cibo che mi sostiene e ricavo dal bosco l’energia per scaldarmi, cucinare e costruire.
  Pratico quotidianamente la meditazione vipassana e svolgo esercizi di bioenergetica per risvegliare la mia energia vitale ed emotiva con lo scopo di integrare sempre più il corpo, la mente e lo spirito. Sarei felice se qualcuno volesse convergere in questa esplorazione.
  
  Lentamente e inesorabilmente sto pensionando tutti gli utensili a motore anche grazie al recupero di vecchi arnesi manuali e tecniche antiche di lavorazione del legno.
  In questi mesi sto ristrutturando dei vecchi edifici in pietra e costruendo delle altre strutture in legno. Continuo a piantare alberi e piante di tutti i tipi, coltivare giardini e dedicarmi alla vita con il bosco godendo delle stagioni.
  Sono felice di incontrare e ospitare chi sia interessato a conoscermi ed assaggiare un modo di sentire la vita dentro e fuori di sè.
  
  Data la lontananza riapetto alla modalità di vita che ci è stata trasmessa, per non creare diasgi a nessuno, preferisco progettare degli incontri di 7-10 giorni massimo. In seguito a questo periodo, nel caso qualcuno desiderasse prolungare la sua permanenza, possiamo parlarne e decidere insieme come procedere. Questo perchè non voglio progettare lunghe permanenze a partire da un contatto virtuale, senza conoscersi e annusarsi e anche perchè il passaggio ad una vita più selvatica va fatto gradualmente, senza imporsi salti mortali.
  Nono sono in una dinamica di fuga e “divertimento” al contrario quello che cerco, anche insieme agli altri, è di contattare e accettare la realtà profonda. Per questo ci sono alcune regole che è necessario rispettare durante i nostri incontri: non si usano droghe o alchol, l’uso del telefono cellulare va ridotto al minimo, dopo il tramonto le parole vanno limitate drasticamente per coltivare il silenzio umano.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  The main benefit I can offer is the cultivation and expansion of a generalist approach. In a world in which humans tends to be more and more specialist, I think it’s time to come back to the real human potential which is to be generalist - being able to do everything in every situation. This could sound absurd if applied to the insane complexity of cities but in a simple life in contact with Nature, it comes very easily. For example, a simple walk in the wood can turn in a very rich and wide experience; from the woods I take food, I take material for constructing, for weaving baskets, I receive inspiration for expanding or curing myself, and much more.

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  Help

  Every day multiple activities take place at the farm. In general, my approach is not mechanical, and work is conceived and carried out evaluating priorities and resources available. Clocks are not very important to me - I much prefer to base the work rhythm on willpower and positive attitude. It is better to work one hour a day with real passion than eight hours just because it is established in a contract. I am open to any input that will come from volunteers, and activities will be decided day-by-day after a short briefing in the morning.
  
  The activities you should expect are all related to a simple and self-sufficient way of living. A little bit of everything related to human life. In every season, every day, we will collect and prepare herbs and vegetable for our meals.
  All the food that I produce on the farm is for self-consumption. Nothing is being sold.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  I can offer a wooden tiny house which can host two people maximum.
  
  If you have a van there is plenty of space to park and stay in it.
  
  Every day we will prepare our meals according to what is available in the garden or in the storage. Chestnut flour is the main food source in the morning. Above that we eat self produced potatoes, corn flour and many fruits and vegetables. I do not subscribe to any particular food regime, but eating meat and fish is a rarity for me since there are no animals at the farm and I dont want to feed myself from the market.
  Please consider that there is no conventional bathroom. There is a rudimental compost toilet which I am open to develop. Hot water is supplied from a fire boiler (which is not always running) in cold season and from a self-constructed solar panel in summer.
  Last important note: telephone signal is very low, only message and calls (not all providers). For full internet signal you should walk two kilometres away.

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  What else ...

  Please consider that the place is surrounded by forest and the closest village is a 30-minute walk uphill. In this village, there is only one shop, and it is reached by a public bus which runs infrequently. There is a larger village called Pieve Fosciana which is 6km downhill. I can pick you up at the closest train station which is in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana. I do not go to the larger towns frequently but when I go I will be happy to give you a lift if you wish to go there.
  
  As I said before, I don’t often refer to clocks. There is no difference between free time and work time for me. I try to enjoy doing everything that comes as an expression of my inner self, from working hard to sleeping.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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