Digital wanderers can live free of charge in Sardinia– here’s how to use

Clarese Partis, a 39- year-old software application designer from Los Angeles, has actually constantly wished to work from an unique area far from the crowds.

So when she was provided such a chance, she quickly got it.

Last week, Partis landed in the Sardinian town of Ollolai in Italy for a complimentary stay paid by the regional town. It’s part of a program focused on digital wanderers who wish to briefly transfer to operate in the center of the island, amidst farmers and grazing sheep.

She’s the very first digital wanderer to get here– and currently she stated it seems like a life-changer.

“I have been traveling as a digital nomad since the past two years, last in Zanzibar,” stated Partis, however “when the opportunity for Ollolai came along I was excited to give it a try.”

“I felt I needed a change of place,” she stated, though “not a touristy one, however [instead] surrounded by nature, fresh air, mountains, stunning beaches, where I might discover more solace, peace and a slower-paced way of life.”

Ollolai lies in the wild Barbagia location far from the Sardinia’s VIP-packed shorelines– a location where old customs endure and outlaws when resided in caverns.

Through time, residents left looking for a brighter future somewhere else, clearing the ancient district, now covered in street art illustrating rural life.

In the previous century, Ollolai’s population avoided 2,250 to 1,300, with just a handful of infants born each year.

The town embraced an extremely advertised step in 2018 to restore the old district: offering falling apart houses for 1 euro.

“That was a major success — many foreigners bought and restyled dozens of forsaken dwellings,” stated Mayor Francesco Columbu informed CNBC. “Now, after investing in high-speed internet, with this new project ‘Work from Ollolai’ we want to make our village a digital nomad hub.”

Ollolai’s city center has actually allocated 20,000 euros ($21,460) to host 30 remote employees from all over the world, who can remain in the town, one at a time, over the next 2 years.

Online applications are open throughDecember Those who are selected can remain free of charge for approximately 3 months at a time, which is the optimal duration non-Europeans can stay in Italy without a visa.

For now, Partis prepares to remain simply one month, though she stated she may think about lengthening her Sardinian experience at a later phase.

The next teleworker is showing up from Singapore, stated Veronica Matta, head of regional cultural association Sa Mata, which manages the “Work from Ollolai” program with the mayor’s workplace.

“We expect a lot of Americans,” she stated. “Our objective is to restore Ollolai with brand-new individuals of various cultures and languages that might share their experience [as] digital wanderers with the citizens.”

The budget plan, from the city center’s coffers, will approach leasing houses from regional households for the digital wanderers, at an expense of approximately 350 euros a month for a supplied two-bedroom residence. Utilities, costs and city center service taxes will likewise be covered, stated Matta, however transport and aircraft tickets are not.

The houses, which utilized to come from shepherd and farmer households, who in the previous utilized to sleep on the ground flooring with their animals, featured a workplace and high-speed web connection

Workers will be welcomed to residents fairs and celebrations, according toMatta Partis stated she was welcomed to a celebration on the town’s piazza the night prior to.

“I just had to give my landowner a symbolic one euro for the house rental,” statedPartis “Locals are so warm and welcoming, and it’s not because they want to sell you something, like in touristy places.”

“I love to mingle with the people here,” she stated.

Winners can remain free of charge in Sardinia– if, that is, they accept offer something back to the regional neighborhood prior to they leave, stated Matta.

“This is not a free holiday,” statedMatta “They must have a proven background as a digital nomad and leave a concrete piece of work at the end of their stay — be it a conference, an essay, research paper or documentary.”

Partis prepares to offer a lecture on what it implies to be a digital wanderer, in basic and particularly in Ollolai, she stated.

Matta worried that “professional remote workers from all fields are encouraged to apply: technology, media, finance, real estate, architecture — also artists, writers, musicians, scientists and academics.”

But that’s supplied they leave a “knowledge jolt” that improves the town culture, she stated.

Partis currently likes her brand-new house in the town’s historic district. It has 2 bed rooms and a terrific scenic terrace with views of a beautiful valley and woods, where she discovers motivation while working, she stated.

For now, she stated she’s stabilizing her work and desire to travel throughout Sardinia.

“I’m still settling in. There are days I spend traveling to explore the beautiful places around, and others I shut myself at home catching up on my work,” she stated.

She stated a normal day in Ollolai resembles her life somewhere else: yoga meditation in the early morning, followed by work, then a walk outdoors and a drive to the coast or the mountains to delight in the silence and views.

“I don’t drink so the bar is not my top place to hang out,” she stated. “Instead, I love going to the farmers’ market to pick fresh ingredients such as truffles, making pasta and gnocchi with pesto. The food is amazing.”

She stated that Ollolai is more stunning than she ever anticipated, and the friendliness of its individuals shocked her.

“There is so much to explore in Sardinia. I’m glad I am here with enough time to immerse myself in the island and its culture.”