Have you ever considered taking a few months off from work to try something different? Well, you are not alone, millions of people would take any chance they get to spend their entire summer on holidays, and Airbnb can make this dream come true. Recently, Airbnb announced that it would sponsor four people to live in Grottole, Italy for three months. The city is located on the south of Italy, half an hour from Matera and its said to be at the verge of disappearing.
Grottole city has a population of around 300 inhabitants, and there are more than 600empty houses. For this reason, Airbnb is pairing with local NGO to re-energize and renovate the city.
When You’re There
The four people selected by Airbnb for the sabbatical will be trained for 12 weeks about local culture, discover how to speak and cook the Italian way. They will then act as co-hosts, thus welcoming travellers into the village centres and local life. They will be teaching skills like pasta making, olive production, vegetable farming and many more. According to Airbnb, the proceeds of this experience is invested back to revitalize the town as much as possible.
The volunteer will learn the skills from the local host in Grottole, some of who have spent their entire lives in the town. Once of which includes the town local Beekeeper who has lived in Grottole for most of there life. The selected participants will also learn how to speak the local language, how to farm and to prepare the best local Italian food.
How To Apply
If you feel you are the right candidate to spend the entire summer in the Italian countryside and can make a difference to a community, then this is the right time to talk to your boss. The sabbatical will start from June to August 2019 and will only be participated by those above the age of 18 years and residents of U.S Mexico, Argentina, Italy, Germany, France, Netherlands, Australia, India, Japan, and France.
Apply on Italian sabbatical, but you will have to demonstrate your commitment and ability to Grottole life during the application. The deadline for application is Feb 17, and the lucky participant will be announced on March 29, 2019.