📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
Val Codera lies among the Retiche Alps, it's shaped by granite stones and is still a wild, natural and unspoilt area despite climate changes and the industrial development of Novate Mezzola town have caused a general soil and rocks erosion at the end of the valley. The association “Amici della Val Codera onlus“ is settled in the little village of Codera, that can be reached only by foot with a 2 hours walk from Novate Mezzola. It's been working for 35 years to promote the valley in an eco-friendly way. It protects and enhances the valley environmental and cultural heritage, through the rediscovering of traditional agricultural activities, in order to respect local inhabitants and to promote an eco-friendly tourism respectful of the mountain.
💼 What the programme involves
During the workcamp volunteers will work for 6-7 hours per day and they'll be involved in the following activities: restoration and cleaning of abandoned fields; growing potatoes, beans and spring cabbage, a very typical plant of the area; renovation of wild and abandoned fields through digging; renovation of scaffholding little drywalls; forest cleaning from wild plants; wood collecting; ancient local footpaths cleaning and restoration. All the activities will be run in Codera nearby.
🏠 Accommodation on site
Rifugio Osteria Alpina has bathrooms with hot water and dorms with bunk beds. Mattresses, pillows and blankets will be provided but volunteers must bring their own sheet bags. There are no shops and facilities in Codera village, which is situated about 2 hours walking from Novate Mezzola. Volunteers of the workcamp will cook together with the local volunteers dinners and take-away lunches.
📍 About the location
The workcamp will be held in Codera, a little village 2 hours walking from Novate Mezzola municipality that is part of Sondrio provincia, in Lombardy (North of Italy). The most important cities nearby are Milano (2 hours by train from Novate Mezzola), Lecco (1 bour y train), Sondrio (about 1 hour and half by train) and Como reachable by bus from Colico in about 2 hours.
⚠️ Requirements
Due to the workcamp background, set in a remote place far from noises and contradictions of cities and consumerist society, but also from modern life facilities, a strong motivation to work in a wild area is required. Simple manual skills in using agricultural tools and a good phisycal strenght are required.
ℹ️ Additional information
The workcamp context is an alpine valley inaccessible by car; Codera is accessible only through a stairs footpath and it's about two hours walking from Novate Mezzola and the nearest car road. There are no shops in the village. The only facility is Rifugio Osteria Alpina where volunteers will sleep and have meals. Moreover in Osteria Alpina Shelter it's possible to buy beverages, local cheese and other kind of food.Volunteers with special food needs ( celiac, vegan or vegeterian).There's a phone in the village you can use since mobile phones don't work very well. Internet connection is impredictable as well.