Location: Polizzi Generosa
Polizzi Generosa is one of the 15 municipalities of the Madonie Regional Park in the north of Sicily. Its origin is dated back to the Greek period (4th-3rd century BC). Nowadays around 3000 people live here, mainly in the old town, and most of the population is over 50 years old. Porto di Terra headquarters is located around 9 km from the village.
Porto di Terra association: idea, setting and mission
Porto di Terra’s idea started to take form in the minds and hearts of a group of eight young people almost 10 years ago. From the outset, the shared vision and committment was to build a community and to live and work in the rural mountain area of Sicily. The principles of permaculture, transition, hospitality and the valorisation of local products are some of the pillars underlying the entire project.
The collective was founded in 2012 around the Trapani area, in the northwest side of Sicily. Four couples started living together on a friend’s farm. Four years later, a non-profit organisation was founded, and the following year Porto di Terra was established in the Madonie Regional Park, close to Polizzi Generosa, around 90 km south-east of Palermo. Here is the current location: a big old building surrounded by 7 hectares of land.
From the moment they settled on the site, the group started caring for the land by surveying the surroundings and identifying spaces with development potential, renovating the roof, installing protective measures in some areas to prevent wild animal incursion (especially wild boars), and, lastly, trying to connect and integrate with the local inhabitants. To date, the main building serves as the organisation’s headquarters, and different members have bought and are living in nearby houses, mainly within walking distance from it.
The rural and mountain areas of the Italian (including Sicily) inland have a complex history, and face several challenges such as ageing, depopulation, remoteness, weak communication infrastructure and limited services. This raises the question: given all these factors, what are the reasons that attract young people to this place? When I asked the Porto di Terra members, access to land was the first reason they gave. Secondly, a different rhythm, the quality of the time spent living, working and interacting with others. More broadly speaking, the opportunity to test ideas, and create intergenerational cohesion. All the members agree that an alternative to the current political-economic system lies in experiments, in enacting alternative ways of living and producing using grassroots approaches. For its members, Porto di Terra was and is a place for playing with ideas and putting ways of co-existing with each other and the land into practice. They have several aims: to take care of the land, promote soil health through experiments with agroecology and permaculture techniques, foster community health through non-formal education and learning-by-doing methods, engage in small-scale food production, work as an art space, and develop sustainable ecotourism initiatives that protect the environment and benefit local communities.
“Networking” is the first key principle of Porto di Terra mission, and my traineeship, which was made possible thanks to the community’s established collaboration with Forum Synergies, serves as a good example. Cooperations are created not only on a European scale but also with other organisations in the region and country. “Act local” is the second key principle. Special focus is placed on strengthening the community: after settling in the area, you learn how to live in the place, how to take care of water resources, cultivate the land, and integrate with other inhabitants. You maintain daily relations with local people, ask them to share their knowledge, thus becoming part of this rural area community and acquiring a new role. Porto di Terra is a living example that rural areas can be dynamic, progressive and experimental. Regarding the activities organised through Porto di Terra – to give an example, board members held meetings to discuss adopting non-violent communication principles. Their decision-making methods are approved in accordance with collectively agreed upon Statutes (“Statuto”).
Porto di Terra: protagonists
Carlotta (my tutor in Porto di Terra) explained that board members have changed over time, but the spirit has remained the same. People with very different backgrounds, skills and qualities continue to come together, all of whom share a common vision and a green care approach - simultaneously looking after both people and the land. As of now, the management board consists of nine people aged between 33 and 42, and with a balanced gender distribution: Carlotta Ebbreo, Laura Maniscalco, Teo Caronia and Federico Coppola (all members from day one), Maria Vittoria Battisti (joined in 2018), Elena D’Anna and Franca Marsh (both joined in 2020), Dario Dispenza and Renato Greco (arrived in 2023) (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Current management board members (children included: Nilo and Ada).
Their profile is very diverse due to their educational backgrounds and passions (botany, permaculture design, non-formal education, conflict management, agroecology, sustainable development, cooking), as well as their peculiar personalities. I met other members of Porto di Terra who are actively involved and live in the valley: Caterina Strafalaci, Elisa Galbusera (co-founder of Porto di Terra, but currently not a board member), Kengi Costagliola, Elisa Maran and Emanuele Calderone.
Main activities
During my month-long stay in Porto di Terra, I saw, learned from, and took part in various activities. I have listed and described them in the following sections in greater detail.
“TransPorto” festival – 5th edition
Three days of activities designed for everyone, aimed at fostering knowledge exchange and creating a space that encourages intergenerational convivial moments. Activities included concerts, workshops, camping in the wild, cooking food, several hike trails, and areas for free expression: music, poetry, juggling, etc. (Figure 2). I took part in preparing the camping area, as well as helped out in the kitchen and with general cleaning and organisation tasks.
Figure 2. “TransPorto” festival brochure.
Private and shared vegetable gardens
Several members grow their own vegetables in private and shared gardens (Figure 3).
Figure 3. Shared vegetable garden. Harvest.
In addition to typical varieties, Slow Food Presidium plants are also present in their plots: the white/black bean fagiolo badda and the paprika pipiddu (peperone) di Polizzi. Some of the other vegetable seeds are added to a seed saving collection or get exchanged with other local farmers. I also witnessed community members using a special Sicilian tool called a runcigghiu (“roncola”, in Italian) to whittle the tip of a bamboo cane (Figure 4 and 5).
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Figure 4. Dario uses the Runcigghiu.
Figure 5. Runcigghiu up close.
Bamboo canes are used to build support structures for bean plantlets (Figure 6).
Figure 6. Me adjusting the bamboo cane in the bean field.
I also observed several boundary hedge plant species that enhance soil structure, are drought-resistant, and support pollinators, including Pyracantha sp., Teucrium sp., Eremophila nivea (known as curry plant for its distinctive aroma), Lavandula angustifolia, Elaeagnus sp. (nitrogen-fixing), Myrtus communis, Rosmarinus officinalis, and Salvia ananas. I also helped build a bamboo cane structure for beans to climb, assisted with vegetable gathering and helped harvest summer crops in preparation for winter garden planning.
Water system cleaning and maintenance
The underground hydrogeology of the territory depends on geo-lithological types of substrates and their permeability conditions (clay vs. calcareous and gypsum succession).
In addition to the surface hydrography network (Figure 7), there are numerous springs in the valley where Porto di Terra is located. In 1950, more than 50 springs were counted in the Polizzi Generosa municipality (Figure 8) with a total flow rate of about 384 l/s, of which 70% is used for irrigation and the rest for drinking. Irrigation was carried out through surface flow, with water applied in shifts – a hazelnut cultivation practice unique to the Polizzi region. During the active hazelnut cultivation period, producers built “canali” – narrow stone ducts positioned just above the ground to channel water – or used “gammitte” to simulate the natural flow of the stream. Water springs are still visible, and a locally managed sub-irrigation system is in place, which provides direct access to drinking water from the springs. The traditional agricultural hydraulic systems, including terracing and the use of techniques with low environmental impact, are still used, with Porto di Terra members actively taking care of it in order to preserve the system structure and ensure access to water is not privatised.
Figure 7. Surface hydrography network. Taken from Tudisca Salvatore (1994). Il Noccioleto in Sicilia. Problemi e prospettive della corilicoltura madonita. Universita’ degli Studi di Palermo.
Figure 8. Springs listed in 1950 in the Polizzi Generosa municipality. Source: Tudisca Salvatore (1994). Il Noccioleto in Sicilia. Problemi e prospettive della corilicoltura madonita. Universita’ degli Studi di Palermo.
I took a tour to see the four water springs around Porto di Terra: Noce di Masi, Scippatesta, Cirillo, Cantamatino. One of the members, Teo, is working on a MyMaps file of them. Other members, Dario and Renato, explained the concept behind the system, adding that they have been working on cleaning the old canal passage to bring water back into areas on their properties which lack supply (Figure 9 and 10).
Figures 9 and 10. Dario and Renato are working on cleaning the old canal passage to bring water back into their properties.
Madonie Regional Park
The Park was founded in 1989. It covers 40000 hectares, and it reaches 15 municipalities, including Polizzi Generosa. The highest pick is Pizzo Carbonara (1979 a.s.l.). The park retains a rich diversity of flora, and some rare endemic species are in danger of extinction. One of the most magnificent is the Nebrodi fir tree, or Sicilian fir (Abies nebrodensis), native to the Madonie mountains in this area of Sicily. In fact, due to deforestation (and wildfires) it is now extremely rare, with only 29 mature trees and a few seedlings surviving in situ. A replanting initiative is actively being carried out. I went on a few hikes together with Teo, Laura and Maria Vittoria to explore the Madonie, including the Abies nebrodensis trail (Figure 11 and 12).
Figures 11 and 12. Abies nebrodensis, mature (left) and young (right) sapling.
“Mutuo aiuto”
The concept of “mutuo aiuto” (translated as "mutual assistance") was introduced only recently but it now has now become a common practice in Porto di Terra’s interconnected community. In short, it involves people gathering on one property and assisting with various tasks in a very relaxed and family-like atmosphere. I participated in one “mutuo aiuto”, which took place on a friend’s property located in Cefalu’, 50 km north of Polizzi Generosa. Around 20 people took part – activities included harvesting grapes and placing them in wooden structures for drying, renovating the chicken coop, and constructing an eco-building roof using bamboo canes (Figures 13 and 14).
Figure 13. Harvested grapes placed for drying.
Figure 14. Eco-building roof construction.
Other activities Porto di Terra members take part in include:
Olive harvesting – the most valuable source of income for the association is extra virgin olive oil, which is produced from olives harvested in an olive grove they manage, and then sold through various direct sales networks.
Gardening – a few members maintain a private garden and occasionally care for hazelnut crops. Hazelnuts have a unique history in the region (Nocciola di Polizzi Slow Food). During active production years, they once covered a significant portion of the fields in the municipality of Polizzi Generosa (Figure 15). However, hazelnut cultivation is not economically sustainable, hence it was discontinued.
Figure 15. Hazelnuts cultivation in Polizzi Generosa municipality (1950). Source: Tudisca Salvatore (1994). Il Noccioleto in Sicilia. Problemi e prospettive della corilicoltura madonita. Universita’ degli Studi di Palermo.
Figures 16, 17 and 18. From the first picture on the top left: ongoing training, collaborative outcomes, and group photo of the participants taken in Terra Franca (Palermo).
A few days before departure, I met one of the pioneers of the “mutuo aiuto” concept – Sara Cuscuna, who is also co-founder of the permaculture network Sicily (TuttÉ™ giù per Terra - Permacultura Sicilia). She explained that the idea of “you help me – we help you” started while she was actively involved in a collective food forest permaculture-based project (SAJA), together with Salvatore Giaccone and other friends (project details). She also owns the B&B L’uva e il vento, which is her own permaculture-based project.
Vineyard
During one of my visits, I explored a beautiful vineyard (Figure 19) that was in the process of gradually recovering after a wildfire. The owners grow typical grape varieties there: “nerello mascalesel”, “nerello cappuccino”, “inzolia”, “mascalese e carricante”.
Figure 19. One part of the recovering vineyard. Before the harvest.
Every year, family and friends gather for the harvesting celebration. Unfortunately, I missed the one taking place this year only by a few days. As for practices used to produce wine, grapes are still foot-pressed (Figure 20a), fermented (Figure 20b) and the fermented must gets filtered (Figure 20c) using traditional methods in the “palmento”.
Figure 20. Traditional wine grape processing after the harvest in the “palmento” (structure designed for wine production): grapes are foot-pressed (Figure 20a), fermented (Figure 20b) and the fermented must gets filtered (Figure 20c).
Concluding remarks
The organisation recently finalised the legal arrangements necessary for Porto di Terra to continue accessing the land it occupies, extending their rental agreement for another eight years. I had the opportunity to listen, exchange with and debate different approaches and outline possible future scenarios for the organisation – in terms of governance and activities for boosting intergenerational cooperation (with a special focus on children’s education and experience, e.g., outdoor kindergarten).
Porto di Terra is a hub of creativity and sustainable living, and I feel confident to say that it is a model for rural repopulation. Their presence breathes life into Polizzi Generosa, inspiring hope and fostering knowledge exchange. For example, in the period I have spent in Porto di Terra, I have taken part in one women’s circle. Quite frequently some of the women of the community around Porto di Terra meet up for a moment to connect, share experiences, and support each other. The circle provides a safe and sacred space to share thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment or criticism.
I would like to conclude by sharing an extract taken from the book “Terra di Rapina” by Giuliana Saladino, which I borrowed from Dario and read during my stay. Commenting on the text below, I believe Porto di Terra represents an attempt to reconcile with the past, proposing a new, more holistic and human-centred approach to life and work in a rural area.
The millenarian experience of the Sicilian farmer reveals a thousand-year legacy of errors; his competence is a bluff, his only reliance a fatalistic resignation to greater, uncontrollable forces—drought, sudden frost, the Sirocco, and the generally absent, boastful lord who perpetuates the robbery of the land.
Until the 1950s and beyond, wheat is cultivated as the Arabs taught, vines as the Romans taught, and olive trees as the Greeks taught. Slopes are plowed from top to bottom, causing disastrous soil runoff; rotations waste and deplete the land. Plowing is entrusted to the blindfolded mule and the whims of the wind. The harvest is burdened by unnecessary and avoidable labor that no one dares to change. Olive harvesting, as practiced, irreparably damages the trees. Crop spacing follows no discernible system. Experience does not evolve, and no transition is made from quantity to quality. A false agricultural science, passed unchanging from elder to young, perpetuates outdated practices, leaving Sicily unaltered and unchanging.
From Saladino Giuliana (1972). Terra di Rapina. (translated by blog author)
Altogether, I feel thankful to everyone I met in Porto di Terra and for the time they gifted to me.
*Forum Synergies is a non-profit association of engaged citizens, organisations and active practitioners engaged in sustainable rural development. The network supports the intergenerational community of pioneering actors for positive change.