My time in Italy, went beyond my expectations. I was lucky to be able to spend the first two months of the year, 2025, with the ACARBIO organization (Associazione Costiera Amalfitana Riserva Biosfera) in Tramonti, a small town up in the mountains of the Amalfi Coast. I lived among nature, I watched the sunrise and sunset from between the mountains, I smelled the fresh scent of the nature after a raining day. It was a change of environment from what I was used to back at my home country, since I lived in the capital where buildings made the landscape and the sounds of the city filled my ears daily. But in Tramonti, I found the peace and quiet of the woods around me, the beauty of the landscape and the silence of the empty roads.
During the two months I stayed with the organization we mutually helped each other quite a lot. On one hand, I helped ACARBIO with the development of online courses on websites meant to help volunteers like me – there the themes would go from personal growth, like “time management” and “emotional management”, to eco-sustainability themes and other themes about the environment, like “living ECO friendly” or “the importance of ecological & educational toys”. While on the other hand, the people from the organization helped me in countless ways – I had the opportunity to learn about the heritage of the land and the community I lived in; to try a new cuisine based on something I previously would barely eat at home (vegetables, really, lots and lots of vegetables); and honestly, I just felt blessed because, most of all, the organization helped me escape my previous monotonous environment and gave me the opportunity to be part of something and explore a country I hadn’t gotten the chance to visit before.
Truthfully, I didn’t expect everyone from ACARBIO, as well as the rest of the volunteers, to be so incredibly welcoming and friendly. It was my first time being abroad and living a volunteer experience and I couldn’t be happier to admit that I felt at home thanks to their tremendous kindness – it felt almost as if I was a family member, even if I was miles away from home. This made the experience even more special and set up my standards pretty high for my future volunteer experiences.
The type of friendships and connections I was able to make between the other volunteers also made the experience even better. I didn’t expect to make so many new friends in such a short period of time – to fully meet someone for the first time and spend five hours talking to them as if we had been friends for years was incredible. Unfortunately it just made saying goodbye to them so much harder when it was finally time to go back home. Honestly, being in a position that allowed me to interact with so many people from different backgrounds and cultures, to learn about their lives and experiences was wonderful. It helped me gain a different perspective on many topics- not just about my own country, but also about the world around me.
The people from the Tramonti community were also incredibly welcoming, despite the barrier language between us, which was sometimes challenging, everyone was very kind and did their best to meet me half way – I would be trying to speak Italian and they would make an effort to try their best to speak English. It was wonderful to be included in some of their traditions, like how they would make their traditional bread, which was honestly absolutely delicious.
And learning about the culture and traditions wasn’t limited to just the Tramonti community.
During my very first week, a friend of the organization invited us volunteers to a party with the purpose of showcasing a bit of the musical traditional from the Marche region. That night, the people from the community gathered to dance, drink and celebrate. I felt a sense of belonging, as if, for the night, I was a part of their kin. I listened to the rhythmic beats of the traditional music, I learned the steps of many dances and tasted a dish with comforting flavors that perfectly matched the warmth of the experience.
Throughout the next weeks, we held cultural nights showcasing the traditional foods of different countries took place. These evenings offered a glimpse of into the culinary traditions of the volunteer’s home countries brought us a little closer together. Each night, I would try dishes I had never had before – typical foods from countries like Turky, Siria and Caribbean. The variety of so many different flavors and textures brought me a little closer to understanding and experience a hint of home country where my new friends came from.
Beyond these special nights, during the day, I also had the chance to explore the cities surrounding Tramonti and visit the Amalfi Coast with the amazing new friends I made, giving me wonderful memories of the stunning and breathtaking sea views and landscapes of the coast, with the best company anyone could ask for.
Profoundly, my time in Tramonti with ACARBIO was more than just a volunteer experience, it gave me unforgettable connections and memories I will cherish forever. I’m so truly grateful to the organization for hosting me for the past two months, for welcoming me into their family even though it was for a short period of time, for showing me that you can find a family anywhere as long as you’re surrounded by kind and open-hearted people, for putting up with me and my food quirks despite having to cook for fifteen people. My heart goes to the new incredible friends I made, thankful for the shared moments of laughter, the comforting words of advice given in times of need and just the insanely random funny moments that happened.
For everyone, thank you, I will miss you, more than I ever thought I would before my time here started.
By, Marta Pereira