LEG-MTV01 - Parco Monte Barro Hostel

Location: Galbiate, province of Lecco, Lombardia region

Date: 14/03 – 05/06

Type: ENVI

Number of volunteers: 2

Age: 18+

Description

Project: The Parco Monte Barro Hostel is located next to the Hermitage of Monte Barro. The hostel is run by Legambiente local group with the aim of enhancing the natural and cultural value of the park and to raise awareness about its safeguard. Legambiente with other local associations organizes environmental education activities addressing schools and groups of adults.

Its central position in the park (at 750 meters above sea level, with sweeping views over the Brianza lakes and the Eastern branch of Lake Como) and its proximity to some areas of cultural interest make the Hermitage a perfect venue for accommodation, excursions, educational activities and conferences.

Legambiente local group: Legambiente Lecco Onlus was born in 1978 as Committee for the Protection of the Environment, and since 1987 it has been part of Legambiente.

Legambiente Lecco operates mainly in the context of the district of Lecco, in addition of being the office of the regional coordination of Legambiente voluntary committee. Since 2008, it has been managing four "Houses in the Forest". In March 2013 Legambiente won the call for the management of the Parco Monte Barro Hostel and for environmental education activities within the same Regional Park.

Work: Thevolunteers will be supporting in managing the hostel doing different kind of works such as the custody of the hostel in daytime and nighttime, the maintenance works, cleaning of the structure and of the belonging parts both inside and outside, welcoming of the guests and the preparation and cleaning of the rooms used by them.

Accommodation and food: Volunteers will be hosted in a private apartment in the hostel. There are no public means of transport that connect the hostel with the closest town, which is 5 km far away from the hostel. Volunteers will have to cover this distance on foot or by car sharing if they want to go downtown. The apartment will be shared with other volunteers and employees of the hostel.

Location and leisure: Galbiate, Lecco district, Lombardia region, North of Italy – Monte Barro Regional Park. Monte Barro is the only mountain in a hilly area between Milan and Lecco, close to Como Lake. From their accommodation on the top of the mountain, volunteers will have the chance to admire the beautiful landscapes. Volunteers will have the possibility to visit the archaeological site, the bird-watching point and the ethnographic museum located inside the Monte Barro Park while having relaxing walks.

Specific Requirements: Motivation letter is required.

Volunteers should be prepared and willing to walk and live in a mountain environment.

Language: English will be the official language in the camp; at least a basic knowledge of Italian language is desired.

Terminal: Milan International Airports (Milano Malpensa, Milano Linate) / Bergamo international Airport (Orio al Serio) / Lecco railway station;

LEG-MTV02 - Environmental Education Centre in Prim’Alpe

Location: Canzo, province of Como, Lombardia region

Date: 05/04 – 04/06

Type: Environmental

Number of volunteers: 2

Age: 18-99

Description

Project: Prim' Alpe (First Alp) was a historical farm estate inhabited and managed by two large families. However, the estate was abandoned in the '50s and it was incorporated into the Reserve of Corni di Canzo. The Forestry and Agriculture Regional Public Service, ERSAF, took responsibility of Prim'Alpe and the main building was restored to preserve its original architectural features.

Legambiente currently manages the structure, having established an environmental education centre, a hostel and managing the museum of the Natural History of 'Corni di Canzo'. Samples of the fauna, geology, palaeontology, and botany of the natural reserve are exhibited here.

Legambiente local group: Legambiente Lombardia performs its activities on a regional basis, with more than 100 local groups. It promotes initiatives against the soil consumption and for the conservation of natural resources. The members are involved in activities such as raising awareness, information, education, scientific issues.

Legambiente Lombardia is one of the most known association for its campaigns: Goletta dei Laghi (analysis of the lakes to promote the preservation of the coastlines), Custodia del Territorio (sustainable soil use, environment and biodiversity protection with land stewardship activities). Legambiente invests several resources in understanding and forecasting the possible environmental impacts of new technologies, in educating and promoting the adoption of responsible behaviour, and in lobbying for environmentally correct political decisions. For these purposes Legambiente has created several Environment Education Centres

Work: Work will be mainly to welcome and spread information to the guests of Prim’alpe, the daily management of the centre, to take care of the vegetable garden, support in the educational activities with schools, help in preparation of food, participate in the organisation of events.

Study part: Volunteers will have the possibility to participate in workshops and trainings on environment and sustainability. Main subject of the program will be the conservation of forests, soil and biodiversity.

Accommodation and food: Volunteers will be hosted legambiente staff house. A little mountain house next to the Environmental Education Centre guest house, with one bedroom and a self-managed kitchen. Please note that the house is isolated in the wood, about 30 minutes walking from Canzo village.

Location and leisure: The regional forest of Corni di Canzo covers approximately 450 ha in the territory of the Larian Triangle, the area between the two branches of Lake Como.

The forest extends from the source of Ravella to the 'Corni di Canzo' in the North to the Ridge Sasso Malascarpa - Monte Cornizzolo in the South.

The Horns of Canzo refers to the two peaks that tower above the Ravella Valley, North East of Canzo. The Summit of the Western Horn is 1,372 m.

The Natural Reserve of Sasso Malascarpa lies within the state's rural territory. In the Reserve, we have important environmental features such as the Sasso Malascarpa, that is enriched with fossils and Conchodon, the ploughed fields and Petrifying springs. Here, numerous studies on the evolution of natural vegetation and bats have been conducted.

The Forest is a popular natural attraction and receives around 100,000 visitors per year.

Specific Requirements: Motivation letter is required.

Volunteers should be prepared and willing to walk and live in a mountain environment.

Language:

English will be the official language in the camp. Italian speakers are welcome.

Terminal: Milan’s airports. Canzo train station (last train from Milano Cadorna station at 21.00).

 

LEG-MTV03 - The river circuit

Location: Malnate, province of Varese, Lombardia region

Date: 31/05 – 23/07

Type: Environmental/Renovation

Number of volunteers: 2

Min – max age: 18-99

Project summary: Volunteers will help Legambiente staff on a project about protection end maintenance of the area involving the participation of citizens. The Olona is the main river of the area, it’s polluted and source of hydrogeological risk for the inhabitants. The aim of the project is to bring back people to live in balance with the river.

Description

Project: Volunteers will help Legambiente staff on a project about protection end maintenance of the area involving the participation of citizens. The Olona is the main river of the area, it’s polluted and source of hydrogeological risk for the inhabitants. The aim of the project is to bring back people to live in balance with the river.

Legambiente local group: Legambiente Varese Onlus, besides giving contributions to main Legambiente national campaigns, cares about the environment of the district of Varese since the eighties. Legambiente Varese coordinates 14 local groups of Legambiente volunteers and is the connection between local, regional and national offices of the association. It carries out several activities such as the management of natural areas, the organization of workcamps, environmental education addressed to youngest generations and promotion of environmentally friendly lifestyles.

Legambiente Lombardia performs its activities on a regional basis, with more than 100 local groups. It promotes initiatives against the soil consumption and for the conservation of natural resources. The members are involved in activities such as raising awareness, information, education, scientific issues.

Work: Volunteers will support the local community in the restoration of an historical building, in cleanings of woods etc. They will take care of the vegetable garden.

They will participate as co-leader in the teenager workcamps and will support in the organization of events as the “Big jump”, international campaign for living rivers.

Study part: Volunteers will have the possibility to participate in workshops and trainings on environment and sustainability. We’ll meet during the camp local expert of flora and fauna and we‘ll see activities of the “protezione civile” about prevention of idrogeological risk.

Accommodation and food: Volunteers will hosted in a flat. Food will be provided (environmental friendly diet with local and seasonal products and little meat) and prepared directly by participants.

During the short term workcamps they will move in tents with other volunteers.

Location and leisure: The Olona Valley is characterized by a typical vegetation of the Lombard moor and it offers different kind of beautiful panoramas; tradition and culture complete the rich painting of the territory that brags architectural presences from the medieval age to the renaissance: an happy marriage between story and nature.

In leisure time volunteers will make bike's trips in the area and visit lakes.

Specific Requirements: Motivation letter is required.

Language:

English will be the official language in the camp. Italian speakers are welcome.

Terminal: Malpensa AIrport, Malnate and Varese railway station.

 

 

GROUP PROJECTS

Legambiente organizes group workcamps ad hoc for students, employees, classes, hosted in the Environmental Education Centres that Legambiente local groups manage in different areas in Italy.

 

 

Example

Geological paths and history in Tuscany

Location: The Sustainable Development National Centre is located in the heart of Tuscany, in the Maremma Regional Park. It is a privileged position which makes it the perfect place to start hikes and walking tours in the wide environmental and landscape heritage of our land. Roselle's archaeological site, Uccellina European Natural Park, Sovana, Sorano and Pitigliano’s Etruscan evidences, Faunal Reserve of Amiata Mountain are only some of the many possible itineraries for guests of the Centre, located very close to some of the most beautiful Italian beaches and sea-side resorts, such as Marina di Alberese, Cala Violina and Castiglione della Pescaia as well as Monte Argentario Peninsula or the National Park of Tuscan Archipelago.

 

Leambiente local group: The Centre of Environmental Education (CEA) and Sustainable Development is part of the Network of Environmental Education Centres of Legambiente Scuola e Formazione (School and Training) which works in close collaboration with local, national and international organizations promoting activities, projects and environmental research. It is certified with the ecolabel of Legambiente Turismo. It hosts also the Secretary of the international festival of Legambiente (Festambiente www.festambiente.it), of the Renewable Energy Centre (www.fonti-rinnovabili.it) and of Legambiente Turismo (www.legambienteturismo.it). It’s also a centre for sustainable tourism development that addresses its cultural, tourism and recreational activities to schools, universities, associations, organizations, groups, families and individual visitors.

 

Accommodation: The Environmental Centre can accommodate up to 90 people in rooms of 4/6 people with bunk beds and toilets. Some of the rooms, built on the ground floor, are wheelchair accessible. It has several common areas, such as the large and panoramic dining room, two very big rooms equipped, several classroom with multimedia equipment (laboratory equipped with stereoscopic and microscopes). Equipment avalaible: telescope, lime,projectors, video equipment and sound equipment, personal computer, environmental library, wifi

Food comes from local organic productions.

The activities offered by the CEA are:

· environmental education;

· science and nature laboratories;

· courses for teachers and support for educational programs;

· biodiversity field surveys;

· training courses in environmental fields;

· walking tourism for individuals or groups;

· event promotion and enhancement of cultural, environmental, historical and gastronomic heritage of Maremma;

· volunteer experiences in the environmental field.

· sustainable energy lab related which can be combined with excursions on the territory

 

Description

Working activities:

· Restoring trails and paths around Centre IL Girasole signalposting especially to the ZPM area (protected area along the migratory birds routes)

· Making CEA more comfortable and useful for schools and children

· Building games and training materials in the renewable energy or biodiversity field

· Writing panels and posters in English and/or French for international school groups that visit us

· Taking part in rural activities of Maremma Area (horses, cows, agriculture, etc.)

 

Training:

· Basic biodiversity experiences

· Renewable energies courses and experiences by visiting areas

· Astronomy with a special guide and telescope in place

 

Leisure time: Special and unique itineraries can be organized to visit:

- Sustainable energy farms (wind and solar) in Poggi Alti, Monterotondo, Sticciano, etc.

- Tuscan typical eno-gastronomy tour (visiting the best organic farms of the Maremma’s countryside by tasting typical produces and Tuscan wines).

- Maremma Natural Park:The Maremma Regional Park was founded in 1975. It is located along the southern part of the Maremma coast in between two small towns, Principina a Mare to the North and Talamone to the South. It is characterised by a wild hill chain, which leads to sandy beaches and cliffs and is surrounded by marshes, pine trees, cultivated land and pastures. It is possible to take part in many walking tours within the Park’s area.

- Diaccia Botrona regional reserve. It covers more than a thousand hectares of land and it is estimated to be one of the most important wetlands in Italy and Europe. The Reserve has a rare and remarkable ecosystem which contributes greatly to the preservation of the area’s biodiversity. In the Reserve it is possible to visit the Casa Ximenes (known as Casa Rossa) multimedia museum which is an extremely new observation point with sophisticated mobile cameras.

- Fauna reserve of Amiata Mountains.On the basis of the same idea of German wild parks, this Reserve is an area where it is possible to admire wild animals in an environment as natural as possible because they are not kept in cages or in fenced areas. The main attraction of the Reserve is the wolf. Nearby there is the Labbro mountain where you can see the rests of a local community (Giurisdavidica), a movement of religious and social revolution, which was founded by Davide Lazzaretti in the second half of the ninth century.

- Archaeological Park the City of Tufa. It offers the tourist the opportunity to visit an undamaged landscape, characterised by volcanic rocks to whom the Park owes its name. From the historical point of view, the most interesting phase is the Etrurian one: Sovana is the best example of this phase thanks to its surrounding necropolis with many significant tombs. Other two towns of great historical and archaeological interest are Pitigliano and Sorano, which hosts the Medieval and Renaissance Museum.

- Vetulonia is an ancient Etrurian town which provided Rome with its symbols of the bundles of the lictors and the axe. The period of its greatest glory was between the 7^th and the 6^thcentury before Christ. Nearby today’s town, which hosts an important archaeological museum, there is a necropolis with tombs of great interest.

- Roselle is an Etruscan (VIIth century before Christ), Roman and medieval town which lies just a few kilometres from Grosseto. The most important ruins which deserve to be mentioned are: the forum on which the basilica and the Roman workshops overlook, the Roman Domus also called “ Domus of Mosaics, the impressive amphitheatre which is still used as a stage for theatre performances and the surrounding walls. Besides Roselle you can organize a very interesting historical tour of the Etruscan and Roman ruins such as Vetulonia, Populonia, Ghiaccio Forte, Vitozza, Cosa, Tarquinia, etc.

Participation fee: the fee varies according to the kind of services requested.