Cinque Terre, Italy

Experience the historic, colorful villages of the rugged Mediterranean hillsides and jagged coastlines of Cinque Terre, Italy as you help preserve this iconic cultural heritage site on ConservationVIP's Cinque Terre Volunteer Trip. Located within the UNESCO World Heritage designation boundaries of Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre, the area embodies the connectivity between people and nature within an exceptional scenic landscape.

Our Italian guide will lead us through the iconic village of Riomaggiore where we will volunteer and lodge. Gain an appreciation for the environment, history, and local cuisine while helping to preserve this historic cultural and environmental marvel. UNESCO recently added dry stone walls in Italy and much of the Mediterranean to its List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. 

We will engage in a variety of project activities at different sites within the Cinque Terre National Heritage Designation.

Some projects will involve maintenance of the iconic dry stone terraces, some dating back to the year 1000, which embody the area’s heritage of humanity, traditional land uses, and landscape design. These terraces require ongoing care and must be maintained by hand. Without maintenance, failure of these stone walls can cause erosion, landslides, and loss of animals and human livelihoods.

Local experts will guide our activities to restore the ancient dry stone walls and vineyard terraces at Azienda Agricola Possa. Perched above the Ligurian sea, the farm and winery belong to (Samuele) Heydi Bonanini. Heydi has brought back the production of ancient wine and maintains the ancient dry stone wall terraces preventing erosion loss.

We will also provide trail maintenance support on the steep stone steps and trails that traverse the Cinque Terre National Park. Trails connect the small farms to the village of Riomaggiore and the sea below it, and to the main road above that connects the villages to the larger towns outside the park. These trails climb through forests of juniper, chestnut trees, vineyards and olive groves and are the primary means of transporting food and supplies between farm and village because there is no vehicle access. One of these farms belongs to Barbara Olcese of Le Cesarine, an association of cooking schools where women chefs conduct cooking classes from their homes. This park receives four million visitors a year, yet the region only has about 4,000 residents, so maintenance is an ongoing challenge.

No prior experience is required; project training is provided. The projects involve a variety of tasks including trimming unwanted vegetation from the trails and walls, repairing water drains, removing storm debris from steep stone steps, moving soil or rock with a shovel and bucket, and carrying stones weighing approximately 10-20 lbs.

This is a rugged environment, not suitable for those with a fear of heights or unsteady knees or hips. You should be able to hike/walk 1-3 miles per day on steep steps (think Stairmaster or stadium bleachers) both in the village and at the project sites, work on narrow hillside trails and climb narrow and uneven stone steps between terraces. As always, your safety is our priority.

This volunteer trip will start and end in Florence, Italy. The trip activities focus on volunteer projects in Riomaggiore, a village in Cinque Terre. A typical volunteer day will begin with a tasty breakfast at our hotel followed by a walk uphill to the project site starting around 8:30am and returning to the hotel around 5:00 or 5:30pm. We will have picnic lunches on site and dinner in town.

Cultural activities are infused throughout the days to stretch out our legs and capture the true life of this area. The villages in Cinque Terre are located on very steep stone outcrops, so be prepared for lots of uneven steps both in town and at the project site. 

We meet in mid-afternoon for orientation at our hotel. If timing permits, we will later take a pleasant walk from the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore to the Battistero di San Giovanni and the Palazzo della Signoria.  Dinner and lodging included.

After breakfast, the group will embark on a private transfer to Riomaggiore, stopping in Lucca to see the historical city and have lunch. After lunch, we continue our journey to Riomaggiore, the base for our volunteer project. After checking into our hotel, we will meet to discuss the projects, expectations, and safety requirements.  We will take a short walk around Riomaggiore and then go to dinner. (All meals included)

After breakfast, we will walk up the short but steep paved road to our volunteer project site, Azienda Agricola Possa, where we will meet Heydi, our local partner and owner of Possa, and then begin our volunteer projects.  Mid-day, we will break for a lovely picnic lunch overseeing the terraces, vineyards, and sea. At the end of the day, we will walk back to the hotel and have rest time before dinner. (All meals included)

After breakfast, we walk to the Possa winery and spend the day on projects in the vineyard or dry stone wall terrace projects. Late in the afternoon we will return to our hotel and relax or take an optional hike along a stunning trail that goes to the church of the Madonna di Montenero about 1,000 feet above sea level. before having a nice dinner. (All meals included).

After breakfast, we walk to an olive orchard where we will meet the couple who maintain the orchards and the trails as stewards of Cinque Terre National Park. After volunteering in the morning along the trail, terraces and orchard, we will enjoy a cooking class to make basil pesto and fresh pasta which will be the group’s lunch.  After lunch, we will continue our volunteer projects at this site. Late in the afternoon we will return to our hotel and relax before dinner. (All meals included).

Today you can rest and enjoy Riomaggiore or other local villages on your own. Or you can join an optional group hike led by our local guide in Parco Nazionale Delle Cinque Terre, on the Cinque Terre Trail which passes through several beautiful villages. Hiking along, we will focus on the cultural and natural resources that our guide shows us, before taking a train back to Riomaggiore. (Breakfast included)

This will be our last day volunteering in Riomaggiore. We will continue the dry stone walls and the vineyards projects in the morning, enjoy a picnic lunch and then volunteer until late afternoon. After we return to our hotel, we have time to rest before dinner. (All meals included).

After breakfast, we board our private transportation and drive back to Florence. Along the way, we stop in Porto Venere, a surprising village with a thousand pastel colors and the castle Doria where we will have lunch. After lunch, we board our transportation and continue into Florence to check into our hotel. We enjoy a last walk around the city and celebrate at our farewell dinner. (All meals included)

Our trip ends after breakfast. You may transfer to the airport for homeward-bound flights or opt to extend your stay in Italy. (Breakfast included)