Rurabilandia: where the land helps people grow

From the social farm founded in 2008 to an organisation built around activities, training, sport and work. This is how it transformed the area's agricultural vocation into a model of inclusion already looking to the future, with new projects, employment and the challenge of life after parents are gone.

There is a place in the Vomano district of Atri where land is not simply something to cultivate, but becomes education, work, relationships and inclusion. It is Rurabilandia, founded in 2008 within a large, historic public agricultural estate and inaugurated on 28 September of that year as Abruzzo's first social and educational farm. The project grew out of a generous bequest and a simple insight: turn diversity into a resource by building concrete opportunities for growth and participation around people.

At the origin of the project is the estate left by a benefactor to the then Provincial Administration of Teramo: around one thousand hectares of land and 22 farmhouses intended for social purposes. 'That bequest originally became a public welfare institution. Then, as requests relating to orphans declined, the statute was revised in 2000 and the way was opened for a day centre. From there we created Rurabilandia.' Luciano Filiani, director and a constant presence since the first day, has followed its entire development.

Since then, the farm has grown into far more than a care facility: it is a social agritourism business, a day centre for inclusion, a summer centre, a shop, a training venue, a theatre company, a Paralympic sports organisation and now also a food truck. The day centre welcomes 43 people from Monday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with activities that vary through the week: catering workshops, theatre, sport and social activities. Young people also arrive using the facility's minibuses and experience a daily routine built around commitment, relationships and responsibility.

'We do not simply want to provide hospitality and assistance. We want to create opportunities for growth, participation and independence.' One of the most concrete expressions of this philosophy is work: 15 young people have been formally employed in catering activities and in the Food Truck project. At the same time, the farm is increasingly opening up to the local area. Its catering service is also available to people who work in or pass through the industrial zone, while on Sundays it hosts banquets and receptions. Saturdays are also dedicated to training for the five-a-side Paralympic football team, which competes in the regional championship.

The new food truck, donated by a local bank and recently inaugurated, further expands this dimension. It is a mobile workshop for work and inclusion, but also a tool for taking Rurabilandia beyond its own boundaries. From national events to international gatherings, the farm's experience has become a story to share. 'We are being invited more and more often to present our example. We have even been to the United Nations.'

Rurabilandia has just turned 18. 'For some of the young people it has become their home. The problem is that we are at full capacity, so we need to build pathways that allow them to move forward outside the facility without losing their connection with us,' Luciano stresses. The future therefore lies in new projects: a hydroponic greenhouse, an agricultural campsite with around 20 pitches and a refreshment area, upgraded facilities and, above all, the challenge of life after parents are gone, the most delicate issue for families as their children become adults and the parents grow older. 'The future does not simply mean building new facilities. It means building new opportunities for people.' It is the same idea from which everything began. Because Rurabilandia was born from the land, but over 18 years it has grown thanks to people. And like a seed, it continues to need care, time and new seasons in order to bear fruit.