Clarese Partis, a 39-year-old software designer from Los Angeles, has all the time desired to work from an offbeat spot removed from the crowds.
So when she was offered such a chance, she immediately grabbed it.
Last week, Partis landed within the Sardinian village of Ollolai in Italy for a free stay paid by the local municipality. It’s a part of a program geared toward digital nomads who wish to temporarily relocate to work in the middle of the island, amid farmers and grazing sheep.
She’s the primary digital nomad to reach — and already she said it appears like a life-changer.
“I actually have been traveling as a digital nomad for the reason that past two years, last in Zanzibar,” said Partis, but “when the chance for Ollolai got here along I used to be excited to provide it a try.”
“I felt I needed a change of place,” she said, though “not a touristy one, but [instead] surrounded by nature, fresh air, mountains, beautiful beaches, where I could find more solace, peace and a slower-paced lifestyle.”
The small village of Ollolai
Ollolai is situated within the wild Barbagia area removed from the Sardinia’s VIP-packed coastlines — a spot where old traditions survive and bandits once lived in caves.
Through time, locals left in the hunt for a brighter future elsewhere, emptying the traditional district, now covered in street art depicting rural life.
Clarese Partis working from her home in Ollolai, Sardinia.
Source: Antonio Meloni
Up to now century, Ollolai’s population shrank from 2,250 to 1,300, with only a handful of babies born annually.
The village adopted a highly publicized measure in 2018 to revive the old district: selling crumbling homes for 1 euro.
Partis and Francesco Columbu, the key of Ollolai.
Source: Veronica Matta
“That was a serious success — many foreigners bought and restyled dozens of forsaken dwellings,” said Mayor Francesco Columbu told CNBC. “Now, after investing in high-speed web, with this recent project ‘Work from Ollolai’ we need to make our village a digital nomad hub.”
Free stays for distant staff
Ollolai’s town hall has earmarked 20,000 euros ($21,460) to host 30 distant staff from everywhere in the world, who can stay within the village, one by one, over the following two years.
Online applications are open through December. Those that are chosen can stay free of charge for up to 3 months at a time, which is the utmost period non-Europeans can remain in Italy with no visa.
For now, Partis plans to remain only one month, though she said she might consider prolonging her Sardinian experience at a later stage.
Partis overlooks the view from her balcony, with Veronica Matta, who’s overseeing the “Work from Ollolai” program.
Source: Antonio Meloni
The subsequent teleworker is arriving from Singapore, said Veronica Matta, head of local cultural association Sa Mata, which handles the “Work from Ollolai” program with the mayor’s office.
“We expect quite a lot of Americans,” she said. “Our goal is to revive Ollolai with recent people of various cultures and languages that will share their experience [as] digital nomads with the residents.”
The budget, from the town hall’s coffers, will go toward renting homes from local families for the digital nomads, at a price of roughly 350 euros a month for a furnished two-bedroom dwelling. Utilities, bills and city hall service taxes can even be covered, said Matta, but transportation and airplane tickets aren’t.
The homes, which used to belong to shepherd and farmer families, who up to now used to sleep on the bottom floor with their animals, include an office and high-speed web connection.
Employees will probably be invited to locals fairs and festivals, in keeping with Matta. Partis said she was invited to a celebration in town’s piazza the night before.
Partis gives her landlord 1 euro as a symbolic gesture.
Source: Veronica Matta
“I just had to provide my landowner a symbolic one euro for the home rental,” said Partis. “Locals are so warm and welcoming, and it is not because they wish to sell you something, like in touristy places.”
“I really like to mingle with the people here,” she said.
A reciprocal arrangement
Winners can stay free of charge in Sardinia — if, that’s, they agree to provide something back to the local people before they leave, said Matta.
“This just isn’t a free holiday,” said Matta. “They should have a proven background as a digital nomad and leave a concrete piece of labor at the tip of their stay — be it a conference, an essay, research paper or documentary.”
Partis and Matta join a welcoming party in Ollolai, Sardinia.
Source: Veronica Matta
Partis plans to provide a lecture on what it means to be a digital nomad, typically and specifically in Ollolai, she said.
Matta stressed that “skilled distant staff from all fields are encouraged to use: technology, media, finance, real estate, architecture — also artists, writers, musicians, scientists and academics.”
But that is provided they leave behind a “knowledge jolt” that enriches the village culture, she said.
More beautiful than expected
Partis already loves her recent home within the village’s historical district. It has two bedrooms and an exquisite panoramic balcony with views of a pristine valley and woods, where she finds inspiration while working, she said.
Clarese Partis with Veronica Matta, looking from Partis’ balcony.
Source: Antonio Meloni
For now, she said she’s balancing her work and desire to sightsee across Sardinia.
“I’m still settling in. There are days I spend traveling to explore the gorgeous places around, and others I shut myself at home catching up on my work,” she said.
She said a typical day in Ollolai is comparable to her life elsewhere: yoga meditation within the morning, followed by work, then a walk outside and a drive to the coast or the mountains to benefit from the silence and views.
“I do not drink so the bar just isn’t my top place to hang around,” she said. “As an alternative, I really like going to the farmers’ market to choose fresh ingredients corresponding to truffles, making pasta and gnocchi with pesto. The food is amazing.”
She said that Ollolai is more beautiful than she ever expected, and the friendliness of its people surprised her.
“There’s a lot to explore in Sardinia. I’m glad I’m here with enough time to immerse myself within the island and its culture.”
