We live on a mountain, at the end of the road, out of the way but in the middle of it all. Many coincidences have led us here, but we like to think that we have also been given a great chance to nourish, explore and learn. We are part of a community with many different kinds of people and a myriad of species. At first it feels like being aboard Noah's Ark populated by insects and animals and destinies. We feel we have a responsibility to embrace and discover the unique situation we have ended up in.

We don’t see nature as a commodity, but rather as a community. We wish to share what we have learned and what we grow. We are not self-sufficient; we have just enough. We like to make  different substances like wine, honeycombs and olives and collect the liquids that may come out of those practices. We mostly like to transform, regenerate, refine, re-enchant. We are on a journey of discovery that we would very much like to have others join us on. The goal is not to arrive, but to have fun along the way.

Welcome to
MONTE  PRETI

Our Gardens

6 CO2 + 6 H2O + ☼ → C6H12O6 + 6 O2.

The formula for photosynthesis is one of the most beautiful things, because it is also the formula for life. Plants and trees are something that comes down from above, with the sun and the rain and the air. Every single day we can see this amazing and life-affirming synthesizing process happening before our eyes. In Danish, they say about someone you want to insult that they have ‘soil in their head’. But we like to take that on ourselves! We really have ‘soil in our heads’ here at Monte Preti! And we feel a little wiser every day about the magical processes and symbiosis that takes place right before our eyes. Down in the soil there is an incredible micro life where fungi and bacteria exchange substances and signals between each other. Soil is alive and vibrating. And in the compost heap there is a lively conversation and re-composition of material. The dead organic material is transformed into new, vibrant and powerful material. It is a gigantic party - and you are also invited.

The top of the mountain consists of olive groves, vineyards, a botanical garden with fruit trees, vegetable gardens, a bee yard and a coppice forest.

‘Nature does not hurry,
yet everything is accomplished’

Lao Tzu
book -  Tao Te Ching