![Transparent_Background_(2)[1].png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a3c8c9_afcffc5252d34b0c97d7dfcf9efa976b~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_149,h_147,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Transparent_Background_(2)%5B1%5D.png)
Un LabOratorio vivente alla scoperta di una vita sostenibile nei borghi abbandonati della Liguri
Restoring a place. Reconnecting with a way of living.
In Trastanello, a small village in the Ligurian hills, we are bringing new life to an abandoned priest’s house through natural building, creativity, and simple living. But this place is not only about restoration — it is also about daily life.
This is not a project to finish, but a place to live and grow over time.
Trastanello is a place where living, creating, and working meet.
We restore with respect for tradition while exploring sustainable ways of living today.
It is an open space for collaboration, learning, and shared experience.
Daily Life and Activities
Our Mission
Life here combines building, growing, and creating. We restore the house, work with the land, host volunteers, and share everyday moments — cooking, talking, enjoying local nature and learning together.
Everything happens on a small scale, in a natural rhythm. Locals, together with a new arrivals, nicely blended with our friends and volunteers .What shapes this place most, however, is not only the work but the people who are part of it.
The Human Landscape
Despite its size, the village brings together an extraordinary mix of artists, architects, musicians, and independent thinkers alongside Anna, our proxi nonna, who connects the village to its past. It is rare to find such a concentration of creative lives in such a small and remote place. People do not arrive here by accident — they are drawn to something they feel.
Volunteers and Exchange
We regularly host volunteers who are interested in natural building, simple living, and meaningful collaboration. We usually host small groups and prefer longer stays to allow real involvement in the process. We are listening to each other, sharing our knowledge, and giving free passage to bright ideas. Collaboration is the way to evolve.
A living laboratory for restoring and rethinking rural architecture.
Traditional methods meet contemporary needs and sustainable ideas.
Students and collaborators are invited to test and develop solutions in practice.
Land and Nature
We are surrounded by terraces, olive trees, forest, and chestnut groves. We grow vegetables, care for the land, and gradually regenerate neglected areas using ecological principles. We are focused on ideas on how to effectively do water management
Our Philosophy
We came to Trastanello to create a place where living, creating, and working exist in balance with nature and human connection. Our approach respects traditional architecture while carefully integrating what is needed for a sustainable life today.
We work with natural materials, regenerate the land step by step, and learn through doing. We believe in small-scale, meaningful relationships and in sharing knowledge across different backgrounds. Our goal is not to finish something, but to care for and continue the life of this place.
Trastanello is also an open space for collaboration. We welcome students and young professionals to engage with real challenges—restoring historic buildings, managing water in the landscape, and exploring how sustainable life in rural Liguria can be possible today.
We see this as an evolving laboratory where ideas can be tested in practice, and where new ways of living can emerge.
Not a finished project, but a place in progress. Shaped by people, time, and shared effort. An invitation to live, learn, and create together.
How many times in our lives have we have oportunity to rebuild a community? Trastanello is an evolving place.
If something in this place resonates with you, we invite you to reach out.
Write to us and tell us a little about yourself—who you are, how you like to spend your time, and what experiences have shaped your path so far. You don’t need to be formal; just be sincere.
We are especially curious about what calls you here, and what you would hope to explore, learn, or create during your time at Trastanello.
Please include a phone number or a social media contact, so we can speak with you more personally.
