Fosdinovo: Welcome Home!

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Welcome to our little Tuscan paradise: the place where summer slows down, the sea is blue, the nights are fresh and full of stars, and life feels exactly as it should. If you are reading this, you are not “another tourist”, but a special member of a community.

Rules of the community

To make you feel at home from the very first day, we’re happy to share a few special rules for our time together. Fosdi is not an event built for profit, but a shared joy: a chance to come together, care for the place, and make everyone feel part of something special.

• Always be kind, positive, and constructive. Fosdi (and life) works best when everyone brings good energy and helps create a warm atmosphere for all
• Each house is kindly asked to take care of its own basic cleaning, keeping shared spaces tidy, so everything can run smoothly and everyone can feel comfortable. In case of need, you can always call Pina (our cleaning support)
• Before departing, we kindly ask you to leave your room tidy. A little care from each of us goes a long way in keeping the space beautiful and welcoming for everyone. Should you prefer not to tidy the room before departure, we kindly ask for a €20 advance contribution to cover the cleaning service

Main contacts

If you need support, please reach out to:
• Andre (+393311402075) – call for activities planning
• Bene, our true local (+393351602959) – call for all village amenities 
• Sam (+1 203 9809999) – call for housing
• Tim (+4915120024315) – call for logistical needs

Plus, here are some important places and services you may need:

• Medical Guard / Guardia Medica (24/7): Via Roma, 9, 54035 Fosdinovo  | +390585885455
• Tennis Club (8-23): Via Torretta, 4, 54035 Fosdinovo | +39 335241537 (call to book the field)
• Pharmacy (8-18): Via Roma, 11, 54035 Fosdinovo
• Domestic chores (cleaning your clothes or your room):  Pina | +39 3317617179 (call for availability in Italian; 10€/h)

Waste & Recycling

Fosdinovo uses door-to-door waste collection, so each house is kindly asked to separate rubbish carefully and follow the collection calendar.

Please use the dedicated boxes/bins for:
• Generic waste
• Organic waste
• Paper
• Plastic
• Glass

See the collection schedule here:

Rooms allocation

Addresses of the houses
1. Gran Belvedere | ​​Via Mazzini 6, 54035, Fosdinovo
2. Casa del Borgo Bassa | Via Papiriana 31, 54035, Fosdinovo
3. Casa del Borgo Alta | Via Papiriana 31, 54035, Fosdinovo
4. Casa Antica del Borgo 
5. Terrazza sul Mare | Via Papiriana 9, 54035, Fosdinovo
6. Giardino Verde | Via Montecarboli 33, 54035, Fosdinovo

Calendar of the month

Village "weekly"

- Every Sunday at 11 am, all villagers gather for their weekly Mass. They would be happy to say hi to you either during or after the service. See you at the main church, or afterwards for a coffee!
- Every Wednesday at 6 pm, villagers gather for an Alpine yoga session at the tennis club. Join if you like!

Where we work

Our working spaces are located here:
• 24/7 | Village Library / "our office", with 70 seats (Via Roma 4)
Tim holds the keys, call him if it’s closed 
NB: Library rules: no food is allowed, and desks must be kept clean

• 24/7 | Large Room of Montecarboli Garden House, with 30 seats (via Montecarboli 1)
Sam and Tylor hold the keys (call +1 203 980-9999)
• Evenings | Terrace of Belvedere house (Via Mazzini 6)
• 8am - 1pm and 4pm - 8pm (best for morning work) | Caffè di Vale (Via Roma 25)
• 6am - 8pm (best for lunch and afternoon work) | Caffè di Fiorella Il Mulino (Via Gignola 2)

Bus timetable

Working Days from Sarzana to Fosdinovo: Monday - Friday

Working Days from Fosdinovo to Sarzana: Monday - Friday

Cool stats about our group

The trip brought together 58 friends (!!!) from 41 cities: London, Milan, Paris, and Rome led the way with 4 arrivals each, followed by Berlin and Vienna with 3 each. Brussels, Chicago, New York and Stuttgart each contributed 2 arrivals, while Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Bologna, Corfu, Dubai, Hamburg, Hannover, Lima, Lugano, Luxembourg, Marseille, Modena, Monrovia, Munich, Nuremberg, Pistoia, Prague, Puebla, San Francisco, Stockholm, Tel Aviv, Turin, Val di Susa, Vladivostok, Wuppertal and Zurich each brought 1 arrival.

🏰 The Houses & Village Life

Picture a movie-perfect medieval Tuscan hilltop village nestled between the Apuan Alps and the blue waters stretching toward Corsica. 

Around us you’ll find:
• a wow castle
• 3 cafés, perfect for remote work (have you ever heard of €1.50 endless cappuccinos?)
• ⁠2 beautiful churches (one entirely built from white Carrara marble)
• ⁠A small theatre
•⁠  ⁠A hostel
•⁠  ⁠A tennis club in the park 🎾 (get ready!)
•⁠  ⁠A lovely restaurant inside the village walls, owned by a New Zealander who moved here to start a new life
•⁠  ⁠3 additional restaurants just outside the walls, including one Michelin-starred restaurant

And my favorite part?
Every weekend the villagers organize something special: medieval festivals, live street music, food events, and more.

The surrounding regions of Lunigiana and Garfagnana are dotted with ancient villages, more castles, local festivals, incredible food, mountain trails, and seaside towns. A car is recommended only if you’d like to explore the surrounding villages and hidden gems on your own. The group will have enough cars for weekends and evening activities  

🌊 Nearby Beaches (15–30 Minutes Away)

•⁠  ⁠Punta Corvo — my favorite hike to a hidden wild beach through pine forests
•⁠  ⁠Lerici — a beautiful seaside town crowned by a spectacular castle
•⁠  ⁠Tellaro — a pastel-colored fishing village perched on the rocks
•⁠  ⁠Portovenere — the UNESCO-listed jewel (warning: extremely romantic)
•⁠  ⁠Montemarcello — the secret retreat of many Italian intellectuals
•⁠  ⁠Monesteroli — the famous stairway village with dramatic sea views
•⁠  ⁠Punta Bianca — white cliffs plunging into turquoise waters
•⁠  ⁠Forte dei Marmi — Italy’s most famous luxury beach resort, with plenty of nightlife

🥾 Nearby Epic Hikes (15–30 Minutes Away)

•⁠  ⁠Carrara Marble Quarries — explore the source of Michelangelo’s masterpieces, including David
•⁠  ⁠Campocecina — breathtaking views over the Apuan Alps and coastline
•⁠  ⁠Lunigiana Valley — a time capsule of medieval villages, rivers, and untouched landscapes

🗺️ Weekend & Evening Trips

•⁠  ⁠Pietrasanta — an artists’ haven lived today by Mitoraj, Cuarón, Botero, and many others
•⁠  ⁠Lucca — Renaissance walls, vintage markets, and hidden piazzas
•⁠  ⁠Parma — prosciutto, Parmesan, opera, and elegance
•⁠  ⁠Pisa — much more than the Leaning Tower, with vibrant student life
•⁠  ⁠Pontremoli — hilltop fortresses and outstanding local cuisine
•⁠  ⁠Portofino — Italy’s most glamorous coastline
•⁠  ⁠San Fruttuoso — a stunning monastery accessible only from the sea

🎒 What to Bring

•⁠  ⁠Your laptop 💻
•⁠  ⁠A swimsuit 🩱
•⁠  ⁠Hiking or running shoes 👟
•⁠  ⁠A beach and bathroom towel 🏖️
•⁠  ⁠Your tennis racket 🎾
•⁠  ⁠Sunscreen 🧴
•⁠  ⁠Sunglasses 🕶️

We are excited to share all of this with you. Take your time, meet amazing friends, enjoy being part of the community.

A final gift

To all of us in Fosdi, we dedicate a poem: Ithaca (C. P. Cavafy)…
Fosdi, our youth, mission and beauty is not only in the destination, but in the people, discoveries, and memories we gather along the way.

As you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them:
you’ll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.

Hope your road is a long one.
May there be many summer mornings when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you enter harbors you’re seeing for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind—
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to learn and go on learning from their scholars.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you’re destined for.
But don’t hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you’re old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.

Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you wouldn't have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you’ll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.