7. Off the Grid in Romita di Cesi

After the rather exciting day yesterday, the guests at Romita persuaded me to stay a bit longer. (They didn't have to persuade me much at all.) So today, I'll give a report on what life here is like.

Currently, there are about 30 guests here, ranging from childhood to retirement age, well mixed. A third of the guests are pilgrims. All the others came by at some point as pilgrims and fell so much in love with this house that they keep coming back to work, eat, and sing together.

Everyone can decide for themselves whether and how to contribute; there are no guidelines and no costs for food and accommodation. One can donate, work, or neither.

The project was founded by a Franciscan brother in the 1990s. He rented a huge ruin and continued building on it throughout his life. He has since passed away, and now a young woman named Salome runs the house.

This model has been functioning for over 30 years without any rules. What stands out is: All the guests I met yesterday and today are in good spirits, friendly, and uncomplicated. A real phenomenon, in my opinion.

I found a conversation with a young Palestinian (whose family lived in Nazareth for 500 years) interesting. After my arrival, he showed me everything important. I asked him if he worked here. He replied that no one works here; everyone only does what brings them joy.

You can see how many different people have contributed to the 'Romita' project in every corner, inside and out. Original solutions, cozy nooks, and artistic pairings. And all around is the spirit of community: large dining tables integrated into the kitchen, open fireplaces in several rooms.

But one must also know: no comfort, no hot water, no heating, light only in the one large room. There are always buckets of water in front of the toilet for flushing.

So, if someone thought up to this point: 'Great, I want to experience that too', they might retract in horror at the last sentence. I can understand that; I’m also considering whether I want to write this contribution for the blog. After all, I’ll need to charge my phone at the only triple socket in the house later.

But you know what I noticed: There are always free sockets at the triple socket. Strange, isn’t it? Do people here not need charged phones?