Park Development Projects in Verona

For the 7th year Verona will host international volunteers during the entire year. Verona is a very famous city in the North East of Italy (do you remember Romeo & Juliet by Shakespeare?). It is a very tourist place with a long history and culture; rich of historical monuments, first of all the famous Arena (the ancient Roman theatre). Even though it is a great example of a fortified town, in fact the walls and the surrounding area is going to become a national park. Unfortunately, some parts of the area are still damaged and abandoned.

Villa Buri is a Venetian Villa built at the beginning of the 1600s. It is located about 5 kilometres far from the centre of Verona (20 min by bike). This Villa is surrounded by 4 hectares of park which have a particularly interesting diversity of flora and fauna. The park is attended by an average of 30 000 visitors per year. Local association is in charge of the maintenance and the valorisation of the Villas park since 2005.

The work in Villa Buri is perfect for people who love nature. The main activities are:
- Cleaning and maintenance of the park
- Opening and closing the gates
- Growing medicinal and culinary herbs and biologic vegetables
- Manual work inside the park

The volunteers will work about 30 hours per week, together with Italian volunteers and in collaboration with local people.

The international volunteer project is addressed to anyone who wants to live an unusual experience, willing to adapt their own habits and make them sustainable for the care of the planet. In the project, the volunteers will experiment a different life style: they will have the opportunity to deal with ecological practices such as the production of environmentally friendly detergents, separation of garbage for reuse and recycling, water and electricity saving, food based on local and seasonal products, etc. Volunteers will practice the principles of sustainable mobility using bicycles and public transport; they will discover a different kind of tourism, exploring a territory rich in nature. Life in a community is a key point in the volunteer project, since it is the link which allows the cultural exchange and the discovery of the surroundings.