Clarese Partis, a 39-12 months-aged application designer from Los Angeles, has constantly wanted to operate from an offbeat spot much from the crowds.
So when she was available these kinds of an prospect, she immediately grabbed it.
Last week, Partis landed in the Sardinian village of Ollolai in Italy for a cost-free keep compensated by the community municipality. It is portion of a plan aimed at electronic nomads who want to temporarily relocate to operate in the centre of the island, amid farmers and grazing sheep.
She’s the to start with digital nomad to arrive — and previously she explained it feels like a daily life-changer.
“I have been touring as a electronic nomad due to the fact the past two decades, very last in Zanzibar,” explained Partis, but “when the possibility for Ollolai came together I was fired up to give it a check out.”
“I felt I desired a change of spot,” she said, even though “not a touristy one particular, but [instead] surrounded by nature, refreshing air, mountains, attractive beaches, exactly where I could find much more solace, peace and a slower-paced way of life.”
The little village of Ollolai
Ollolai is positioned in the wild Barbagia location considerably from the Sardinia’s VIP-packed coastlines — a spot where outdated traditions endure and bandits after lived in caves.
Through time, locals remaining in research of a brighter long term in other places, emptying the ancient district, now included in road art depicting rural existence.
Clarese Partis doing the job from her dwelling in Ollolai, Sardinia.
Supply: Antonio Meloni
In the earlier century, Ollolai’s population shrank from 2,250 to 1,300, with only a handful of babies born just about every 12 months.
The village adopted a really publicized measure in 2018 to revive the old district: promoting crumbling houses for 1 euro.
Partis and Francesco Columbu, the big of Ollolai.
Source: Veronica Matta
“That was a key results — lots of foreigners bought and restyled dozens of forsaken dwellings,” mentioned Mayor Francesco Columbu instructed CNBC. “Now, soon after investing in substantial-pace net, with this new task ‘Work from Ollolai’ we want to make our village a electronic nomad hub.”
Cost-free stays for remote employees
Ollolai’s town hall has earmarked 20,000 euros ($21,460) to host 30 remote staff from all more than the environment, who can continue to be in the village, a single at a time, over the upcoming two years.
On line purposes are open via December. Those who are preferred can remain for free of charge for up to 3 months at a time, which is the utmost period of time non-Europeans can stay in Italy without a visa.
For now, Partis plans to keep just a person month, although she explained she might contemplate prolonging her Sardinian knowledge at a afterwards stage.
Partis overlooks the see from her balcony, with Veronica Matta, who is overseeing the “Do the job from Ollolai” program.
Resource: Antonio Meloni
The next teleworker is arriving from Singapore, stated Veronica Matta, head of area cultural affiliation Sa Mata, which handles the “Get the job done from Ollolai” application with the mayor’s business.
“We anticipate a whole lot of Us residents,” she explained. “Our goal is to revive Ollolai with new men and women of various cultures and languages that may share their working experience [as] electronic nomads with the citizens.”
The spending plan, from the town hall’s coffers, will go towards leasing homes from area people for the electronic nomads, at a expense of roughly 350 euros a thirty day period for a furnished two-bedroom dwelling. Utilities, payments and city hall assistance taxes will also be coated, reported Matta, but transportation and plane tickets are not.
The properties, which made use of to belong to shepherd and farmer people, who in the earlier utilised to rest on the floor ground with their animals, arrive with an office and higher-pace online relationship.
Personnel will be invited to locals fairs and festivals, according to Matta. Partis explained she was invited to a celebration on the town’s piazza the night time in advance of.
Partis offers her landlord 1 euro as a symbolic gesture.
Supply: Veronica Matta
“I just had to give my landowner a symbolic just one euro for the residence rental,” said Partis. “Locals are so warm and welcoming, and it really is not mainly because they want to sell you a little something, like in touristy places.”
“I love to mingle with the people today right here,” she reported.
A reciprocal arrangement
Winners can keep for absolutely free in Sardinia — if, that is, they agree to give some thing back to the nearby neighborhood in advance of they leave, stated Matta.
“This is not a free of charge getaway,” claimed Matta. “They must have a demonstrated history as a digital nomad and go away a concrete piece of do the job at the stop of their keep — be it a meeting, an essay, analysis paper or documentary.”
Partis and Matta join a welcoming bash in Ollolai, Sardinia.
Supply: Veronica Matta
Partis options to give a lecture on what it signifies to be a digital nomad, in basic and particularly in Ollolai, she reported.
Matta stressed that “expert distant employees from all fields are inspired to utilize: technological know-how, media, finance, authentic estate, architecture — also artists, writers, musicians, scientists and academics.”
But that is supplied they depart guiding a “know-how jolt” that enriches the village tradition, she said.
A lot more wonderful than expected
Partis by now enjoys her new house in the village’s historical district. It has two bedrooms and a fantastic panoramic balcony with sights of a pristine valley and woods, the place she finds inspiration while doing work, she stated.
Clarese Partis with Veronica Matta, on the lookout out from Partis’ balcony.
Source: Antonio Meloni
For now, she said she’s balancing her perform and drive to sightsee throughout Sardinia.
“I am still settling in. There are days I shell out touring to check out the attractive destinations all over, and some others I shut myself at home catching up on my function,” she reported.
She said a normal working day in Ollolai is related to her everyday living in other places: yoga meditation in the morning, adopted by function, then a wander outside and a generate to the coast or the mountains to enjoy the silence and sights.
“I don’t drink so the bar is not my major area to dangle out,” she stated. “Rather, I adore heading to the farmers’ current market to decide new ingredients these kinds of as truffles, producing pasta and gnocchi with pesto. The food stuff is remarkable.”
She explained that Ollolai is extra stunning than she at any time envisioned, and the friendliness of its people today shocked her.
“There is so much to explore in Sardinia. I’m glad I am right here with adequate time to immerse myself in the island and its society.”
