Grass Routes - Green Lifestyle Blog

The omens where not too good. A low bridge with a roadsign saying 2.20 max. while our bus counts 2.60 high was a first warning, though we managed to get across. Just behind the bridge we were stopped by a road construction, not allowing cars to pass untill six p.m. After some hours of waiting, we took the mountain road to Torri Superiore, an ecovillage made in an old, abandoned mountain village. Arriving there, thunderstorms welcomed there and we had to wait in the van until the weather allowed us.

The village is built steeply against the mountain rocks and coming from the valley it looks untakable. We had contacted the ecovillage longer in advance and were welcomed to come as volunteers. As we did not succeed phoning them, just left a message to announce our arrival. When we came there, they told us that they did not needed volunteers, but we could stay in their guest room and pay about 100 Euro per night. Allright.
The woman managing these matters had a very unwelcome attitude towards us, totally misplaced and not suiting a beautifull ecovillage like this. We realized how lucky we have been with all projects we visited so far, with all the hospitality, their relaxed way of coordinating their volunteers, all these good, inspiring visits. Now we found ourselves to be on a same kind of place, but with a totally different attitude, where people with fancy new cars could stay a night and eat with the ecocommunity. A strange matter of difference within a community we did not feel right about. A power difference one can trace back to its name?
On the other hand we met nice and friendly people, there was an open and welcoming athmosphere, and it was a beautiful village surrounded by steep mountains. In other circumstances it could have been just perfect.