From the diary of the European Solidarity Corps volunteers of Seeds of Future project, which took place in Eboli (SA) from 20/04 to 20/05/2026

Our third week of the Seeds of Future project felt like a week where everything truly started blooming, the gardens, the ideas, and the connections between all of us.

One of the spaces we dedicated special care to this week was the Gattapone garden, at our dear Francesca’s place. Over the past weeks, this place quietly became much more than just a garden it turned into a meeting point filled with shared lunches, long dinners, music, conversations, and slow evenings spent together after work. Adding new flowers and plants to the space felt almost symbolic, as if we were giving back a little of the warmth and care that this garden has already given to us. 

At the same time, we completed the remaining planting work at Casa Novella, finally seeing the spaces we had prepared earlier begin to take on their new shape. Digging in the soil, arranging plants, carrying pots from one corner to another. Little by little, the gardens are beginning to reflect the vision we imagined at the start of this journey.

 

This week also marked the beginning of another exciting process: building insect houses that will later be distributed across different parts of the city. Using upcycling methods and reusing materials that had already lived another life, bamboo, old wooden elements, and pieces of broken chairs, we created small shelters designed to support local biodiversity and protect important pollinators and insects. What we loved most about this process was the creativity behind it: every insect house became completely unique, shaped by teamwork, improvisation, and shared ideas.

One of the biggest collective efforts of the week happened in Via Don Vincenzo Catoio, where we spent two full days transforming a square with new flowers and seedlings. Under the strong sun, surrounded by soil, tools, and endless watering cans, we worked side by side planting dozens of new species that will soon bring even more life and color to the area. What made these days especially memorable was the reaction of the local community. Neighbors continuously stopped by to talk to us, ask questions, encourage us, and bring refreshments while we worked. 

Those small gestures reminded us how meaningful collective care for public spaces can be and how quickly a project can become shared by many people.

The end of the week brought a completely different rhythm, slower and more creative. Using flowers we had picked and carefully pressed during our very first week, we created handmade jewelry using clay, transforming preserved plants into small wearable memories. These pieces will later be exhibited during the Medieval Event, carrying fragments of the landscapes, colors, and moments we experienced throughout this project.

 

Meanwhile, another part of the team spent time in the kitchen with Antonella, learning the art of homemade pasta-making. Covered in flour and laughing through every failed shape and imperfect fold, we slowly learned that good pasta, much like gardening, requires patience, attention, and care. Some of us were preparing natural creams made from calendula and plantain, continuing our exploration of plants not only as decoration, but as something deeply connected to wellbeing, tradition, and everyday life.

And maybe that’s what this week was truly about: learning how many different forms care can take. Through planting, cooking, building, painting, sharing meals, exchanging knowledge, or simply sitting together after a long working day while music plays somewhere in the background.

This weekend, especially, felt full of warmth, energy, and togetherness. Everything unfolded in the spirit of community, mutual support, homemade food prepared with love for one another, spontaneous conversations, hugs, music, and the kind of moments that cannot really be planned  only lived.

As we slowly approach the final week of Seeds of Future, we’re becoming even more aware of how special this experience has been. And while the project is moving forward quickly, we’re trying to fully enjoy every moment, every meal, every garden, and every connection growing alongside it.