Frequently asked questions

Honeydew is a global network of ecological communities. The main base is in Maiolo, Italy - a living community where people grow food, restore land, share meals, and build something together. There are affiliated communities in Brazil, India, Portugal, Sri Lanka, and Colombia.

Yes, in the sense that it is a community built around ecological living and shared life. But Honeydew is not trying to be a village in the traditional sense - it is cosmopolitan, international, and explicitly engaged with the world, not retreating from it.

No. Honeydew has no doctrine, no authority structure that asks people to surrender their judgment, and no requirement to believe anything. The community is held together by shared values and shared work, not ideology. People come and go freely. Benjamin is the founder; he is not a spiritual leader.

No. The community practices Shabbat as a weekly ritual of rest and togetherness - everyone is welcome regardless of faith or background. It is cultural rather than religious.

In the Valmarecchia valley, in the Marche region of central Italy. About 45 minutes by car from Rimini. Medieval hilltop country, clean air, the Adriatic an hour away. Not on the tourist trail - intentionally.

Four paths:

• Volunteer: a three-week stay, rotating through all six community domains, finding your place, deciding what's next. The most accessible entry point.
• School of Community Life: a three-month residential programme launching in 2027. Deeper commitment, more structure, earns you the Honeydew Passport.
• Short stay: guest rooms for overnight to week-long visits. You share meals and daily life without a formal programme.
• Digital nomad: work remotely from Honeydew at our guest rate (full-time), or combine remote work with part-time volunteering at a reduced rate. Contact us to enquire.

Duration and depth, primarily. Volunteers come for three weeks and follow the Scout Protocol - exploring all the domains before going deep into one. School participants commit to three months, engage with a curriculum facilitated by Makers, and leave with the Honeydew Passport. The volunteer experience is also how most School applicants first encounter Honeydew.

No. Meetings are conducted in Italian and English, but Honeydew is a cosmopolitan community - Portuguese, Spanish, French, Hebrew, Arabic, and Farsi are all spoken here. Optional one-hour language lessons run daily after lunch. You'll pick up Italian naturally; it is not a requirement to arrive.

The primary focus is roughly 18-35, though the community is genuinely intergenerational. What matters more than age is orientation - whether you are looking for something real and willing to commit to finding it.

Yes, for short stays. The family room accommodates two adults and children. For longer commitments, contact us directly to discuss.

Week 1 is rotation - one day in each of the six domains, getting a full picture of what the community does. Week 2 is depth - going into the domain that called to you and starting a real project. Week 3 is decision - staying on as a long-term resident, or leaving as part of the alumni network. Full details on the volunteer page.

Volunteers contribute four hours of work each morning. Beyond that, we have a concept called the fifth hour - time we encourage volunteers to dedicate to their own skills and creative pursuits: baking, ceramics, horticulture, painting, yoga, music. It nourishes the individual and the collective.

Volunteers contribute to the community's operating costs. Current rates are on the volunteer page and vary by season.

Work in your domain in the morning (9:30am-1:30pm), eat lunch together, lighter work in the afternoon (3-4pm), communal dinner at 7:30pm. Two days off per week. Evenings are yours - yoga, music, language exchange, long conversations.

Yes. If at the end of three weeks you want to stay on as a long-term resident (a Worker in the community's language), that conversation happens with one of the Keepers at the end of Week 3. We typically invite volunteers to spend up to three months before confirming long-term residency.

Honeydew is unable to assist with visas or work permits - it is the volunteer's responsibility to ensure they have the legal right to remain in Italy for the duration of their stay. Volunteer site work insurance is also the responsibility of the volunteer.

First cohort: 2027. Applications open ahead of launch - join the waitlist at /school.

Three months, residential. You live at Honeydew Maiolo for the full term.

Through living in the community and working in your chosen domain, facilitated by Makers - resident experts who teach through doing. The curriculum covers regenerative agriculture, community governance, creative practice, ecological building, conflict resolution, and more. The community is the curriculum.

The Honeydew Passport - recognized standing in the global Honeycomb network. Priority access to all affiliated communities worldwide.

Fees cover accommodation, meals, and facilitation. Full pricing when applications open. Scholarship pathways are being developed for the first cohort.

We welcome energetic, skilled people of all ages and backgrounds - crucially, people who can work collaboratively toward a shared goal. We are particularly interested in those with experience in agriculture, carpentry, landscaping, tree surgery, and fundraising.

No. Honeydew is a conscious but fairly omnivorous community. We cook a range of dishes - some vegan or vegetarian, some containing animal products.

Yes. We warmly welcome families with children of all ages. We are committed to creating structures that ease the responsibility on parents while nourishing children in a multilingual environment.

Yes. Guest rooms are available for short stays - from a night to a week. You share communal meals and have access to the grounds and common spaces. Full details on the stay page.

Not really. You have a private room, but you eat with the community and move through a living place, not a hospitality operation. It is warmer and more interesting than a hotel, and less structured than a programme. Most guests find they want to participate more than they expected to.

No. There's no obligation to join the work. The invitation is always open, but it's never required.

Practical clothing suitable for outdoor work. Sensible footwear - the garden is real. Warm layers for spring and autumn evenings. Personal toiletries. Towels. EU power adaptor if needed. Passport. Cash in euros for small purchases locally.

Yes.

Train or flight to Rimini, then bus to Novafeltria (approx. 1 hour), then local taxi or shared ride to Honeydew. By car from Rimini is about 45 minutes. Honeydew does not provide pickups but will send you everything you need to find the community once confirmed.

Use the contact page - enquiries are routed to the right person depending on what you're asking about.

Honeydew is financially self-sustaining through a programme of wellness retreats and guest stays that cover running costs. We are also sustained by donations and are open to discussing sponsorship. All earnings go back into supporting the community, which operates as a non-profit Cultural Association. Ongoing investment in the renovation of the Maiolo property is made personally by our founder, Benjamin Ramm.

Yes - donations are welcome and go directly toward the community and its ongoing development. Donate here →