Volunteer stories: Manos in Vrisi

A short story about Manos’ stay at the permaculture farm in Vrisi

This is an interview with Manos from Greece. He is a volunteer in our little permaculture farm Dio Pigadia. He stayed at a permaculture farm in Vrisi in April 2022 for 11 days. This farm does not have a website, only a Workaway profile.

How did you hear about that place in Vrisi?

The same way I found this project. I was looking on workaway for permaculture farms in Greece and found that great place. They had a good description and reviews so I applied. They answered and welcomed me right away.

How did you get there?

If you are abroad you go by plane to Athens and from there with a single 2-hour bus to Vrisi.

The bus leaves you in a nearby village Monodri so they needed to pick me up by car. It was about 10-minute drive.

Tell us a bit about this place

The owner is called Petros. He should be around 35 years and he lives there with his father. Each of them have their own floor so there are no conflicts between them. While I was there the father was helping his son to build a trailer. They really help each other out in their family farm.

Their house was basically a homestead with a few vegetables, animals, olive trees, oranges, almonds and lemons. They also have 2 separate fields in a different remote locations. One of them was olive trees and the other one was a food forest.

A long time ago they used this place as a summer house and at some time they decided to move to the house and live there.

Surrounded by mountains, river and facing the sea this place is a paradise.

river

Petros is also a semi-pro rock climber, so we went for climbing together about 3 times. We went for hiking in the mountains and across the river.

rock climbing

Food Forest?

He bought a field what was not a normal flat field you usually buy as a farmer. Which means there was a high slope, wild area with pine trees and a lot of thorny bushes. They needed to start creating access in order to plant food trees and olive trees there.

They are planting trees in the shade of already existing trees for protection, which is a permaculture technique for building a food forest. This technique is called succession planting.

I forgot to mention he is into bee-keeping with about 20 beeboxes, but wants to expand in the future. The honey he makes is a combination of thyme and lavender, which was very tasty.

beekeeping

Have you been alone there?

Half of my time I was alone with the two and after that another volunteer came to join us. Even though the father couldn’t speak English he helped a lot in the house and the farm. He was going fishing and bringing back fresh fish as well. He was a really kind person and we really bonded together.

How did you live there?

I had a room for myself until the second volunteer came. 2 separate beds and a private bathroom with toilet and shower to wash yourself. We had warm water, energy and internet connection over our cellphones. Unfortunately there was no Wi-Fi but the Greek 4G connection is good. He could host more people.

How was the cooking routine?

There was a rotation between the host and the volunteers. Also, the father was cooking us the fresh fish he caught. Some days we were cooking together which was fun.

Vegetables we took from the garden. On my stay there were spring vegetables available like lettuce, different types of kale (the normal and purple one which is really special), beans and peas.

They were having their own meat with chickens, pigeons, rabbit and also exchanging different type of meat with the neighbours like goat. They tried to not buy industrial meat, rather exchanging it with others in the community.

For vegans I imagine there are plenty of options like own bread, a lot of vegetables and fruits.

What did you enjoy the most in your stay?

I enjoyed the most to be part of the family. It didn’t feel like being a volunteer at all. I was spending a lot of free time with the host and was included in his plans outside of work. I also got to meet a lot of Petros’s friends.

I definitely recommend this place to others. I hope to come back sometime.

Thanks Manos for this great interview! We are happy to have you at Dio Pigadia sharing this information.

If you are into permaculture farming check out our Instagram or apply on Workaway for a great community stay in Greece.

What others think about us

  • Avatar Alyson Coles ★★★★★ 2 months ago
    I stayed at Dio Pagadia for a month as an active volunteer over the olive harvest. It was such a special learning experience, it really helped me to learn … More about myself and opened my eyes to community living. A huge family made from people of the universe 💞 The animals are super cute too and I especially loved skordo and Vouno the donkey. I'm very sad to be leaving now, and miss the farm and the people so much. We share not only meals, but goals, values and connection. If you want an unforgettable, valuable experience then don't hesitate to give Dio Pagadia a visit!
  • Avatar Foteini Vervelidou ★★★★★ a week ago
    What can I say…how to put into word what being with you all has been for me…At various moments I had to pinch myself to convince me I am not dreaming…Surrounded … More by such natural beauty, walking among the olive and orange trees, cuddling with the dogs and cats who add to the serenity and the magic of this place and this community. A community with a clear vision of how life on Earth can be like when we tune into ourselves and realize what feeds our souls. I leave recharged by spending my day in the sunlight, working with my hands and living in community. I leave inspired by the amazing people I had the chance to get to know here. And more importantly I leave hopeful that a better future is not only possible, but it is already being built and offered to the ones who care to choose it.
  • Avatar We learn as we wander ★★★★★ a year ago
    My daughter and I only wanted to visit Dio Pigadia for one afternoon but we ended up staying three weeks. It was a truly great experience for us and we … More both enjoyed taking care of the animals, gardens and veggies on the farm and fell in love with this little paradise. We ate daily together with the other volunteers amazing fresh meals with very tasty vegetables from the garden, helped out at a beach clean up event and even went sailing together.
    Saying goodbye was a hard one here but we both know for sure we want to come back, so it's only bye for now and thank you for everything Jules.
    Lia, Jenny and Tito
  • Avatar Soizic Brun ★★★★★ 11 months ago
    Amazing place where you can explore sustainable practices including composting, mulching, wood work, lacto-fermentation, low-technologies... in an interacting … More community. Jules is very willing to share his knowledge with you and explore shared governance. Don't miss this opportunity to live an off-grid experience.
  • Avatar Monica Vargas ★★★★★ 7 months ago
    Fantastic place and lovely community, it is really nice to have had the experience to join it for a bit and be I touch with nature, organic food and beautiful … More people. cannot recommend it enough :)
  • Avatar Laura H ★★★★★ 2 months ago
    Dio Pigada is a very special place. I spent 8 weeks there during the olive harvest season which is special in itself because the farm works differently, … More there is an olive harvest schedule and there were way more volunteers than usually live at the farm. I really enjoyed the harvesting which is not the easiest work but really satisfiying. Every volunteer also harvested only for 3-5 hours/3 times a week. Apart from the harvesting we were able to work at the house extension and help with other tasks around the farm. There were two meals shared every day and everybody could take care of their own breakfast. I really appreciated the weekly feedback meetings where we would share how our week has been and how farm and community life could possibly improve. Every person could share their thoughts and the feedback was treated with much respect. I really loved my time there and already miss it. I loved the community life, forming connections, being confronted with new ideas and perspectives, taking part in great workshops and presentations, singing, dancing, playing games, going on trips, watching the stars and so much more! Thank you for everything! I will definitely come back.