On Tour with eigenleben LIFE
Experience more than just the sea: Together with the cooperative team and expert guides, you will get to know the country and its people on an individual basis. And find out how a good life in community can work.
Next date:
March/April 2026
Discover Collesano—the »European Village« or as the Italian say "Borgo Europeo"
A trip for people who look for more than a vacation.
This trip is much more than an ordinary stay in Sicily. It invites you to meet people from all over the world, grow together and take a fresh look at the big questions of living together.
Nestled between the sea and the rolling hills of the Madonie mountains lies Collesano - the charming Sicilian village that will become a meeting place for those who want to consciously experience and shape togetherness.
During this experiential journey, we combine nature, culture and social communities. We learn how diversity, solidarity, democracy and peace can become a living reality. We will immerse ourselves in the stories, flavors and values of an island that has been welcoming people from all over the world with hospitality and cultural diversity for thousands of years - and that invites us to reflect on ourselves and our world through local encounters and to allow new perspectives. Collesano is waiting for you!
Highlights of the "get-together-weeks" of the cooperative:
- Discover Palermo — On the trail of biodiversity and cultural diversity, we explore the city and meet inspiring personalities.
- Experience tradition up close — At festivals and celebrations such as the Collesano Cheese Festival in November, culinary delights can be perfectly combined with culture.
- Harvesting olives, oranges, wild oregano, grapes, prickly and non prickly pears — We help the locals and learn from their experiences made by several generations.
- Hiking, wilderness and picnic in the Madonie mountains — On the way with local nature experts, we discover sustainable ways of living together and experience the traditional production of cheese on a mountain pasture.
- Sea & more in Cefalù — A day trip between picturesque alleyways and walks along the beach that brings the Sicilian lightness and history to life.
- Cuisine & Encounters — From street food to slow food, from village squares to wine tastings: enjoyment connects people from all over the world.
House tours: Tour and discover vacant houses that could become part of the eigenleben LIFE cooperative project.
Rethink living together—be part of it!
Be part of it:
During the "get-together-weeks" of the cooperative, we will have regular meetings where we provide information about the cooperative. It is important for us to talk with you: What do you want from the cooperative? How do you want to live in Collesano? What ideas and skills do you bring to the cooperative and the village community?
Until we have enough space of our own, we will find for you various accommodation options in Collesano and the region. We recommend beautiful day trips and excursions - whether to Palermo or Cefalu, to the coast or to the beautiful mountain region of the Madonie.
From Palermo airport, we recommend taking the train - one of the most beautiful routes on the island. The trip runs along the coast with a change in Palermo main station. Depending on the day and time of the day, it should take between 90 and 120 minutes. We recommend that you get off in Campofelice di Roccella or Lascari. From there, it's just under half an hour by car to Collesano. We will be happy to organize a pick-up at the train station and the transfer to Collesano.
When you are here
1—Getting to know each other:
- Welcome with coffee/aperitif
- Presentation of the eigenleben LIFE cooperative, Q&A session
- Introductions: What do you expect from a community? What do you bring to the table? How do you want to get involved?
- Walks through Collesano
- Morning walk with local ladies around the village
- Sundowner with a view
- Joint dinners in various restaurants in the village
2—Common activities:
- Picnic at a mountain farm in the historic cheese dairy, freshly prepared by the "pastore" and his family (€30 per person + transportation) Video impressions ››
- in October/November: Olive harvest with freshly pressed extra virgin olive oil to take home as a thank you (€20 per person + transportation)
- Excursion to the Madonie mountains with hike (cost for transportation and an eventual guide)
- Tasting of Sicilian wines with specialty finger food (€43 per person)
- Sundowner with snacks at the agriturismo with a view over the coast to Palermo (€20 per person + transportation)
- Tour and tasting at the Slow Food cheese dairy Sandra Invidiata ›› (cost for transportation and buy some cheese!)
- 3 hours in the morning or afternoon: pottery course for beginners and advanced with artist Marisa Notarianni ›› in English or Italian (€50 including materials and firing, shipping extra, maximum 4 participants, + transportation)
- Cooking & eating together: Sicilian specialties (around €40 per person incl. wine and teaching)
- Background information and discussions on the history of Sicily: More diverse than almost anywhere else – where Moors, Christians, and Jews lived together for centuries and created a flourishing civilization (cost: donation for speaker)
3—Suggestions for individual excursions and experiences:
- Visit the Museo Targa Florio ›› dedicated to the world's first circuit car race, held in 1906 through the Madonie and Collesano
- Excursion to Cefalù
- Excursion to the beach (the whole year round worth a visit)
- Excursion to the Aeolian Islands (overnight)
- Excursions to the villages of the Madonie such as Castelbuono, Geraci Siculo, Gibilmanna, Gratteri, Isnello, Petralia Soprana and Sottana, Polizzi Generosa …
- Visit to the Gal Hassin Observatory in Isnello, followed by an aperitif
- Visit to the ancient Greek excavations with the Himera Museum, combined with a nice lunch at Baglio Himera ››
- Horse riding as a tour experience (also overnight) or lessons
- Play golf with a sea view at Campofelice
- Bike tours (mountain bike, e bike, racing bike) in the Madonie
- Climb the "Monte d'Oro" just next to Collesano
- Bird watching
- Join the young Manna collector
There are so many things more to do and dicover in this area, you won't feel bored not even in months staying here. 🙂
The excursions will either take place in your own car or we will form carpools or organize a large taxi. Please let us know in advance if you would like a ride or if you have one available.
The "get-together-weeks" of the cooperative are organised in cooperation with the non-profit Marli Bossert Stiftung e.V.›› and eigenleben gemeinnützige GmbH ››.