A worldschooling family residency · Ormea, Piedmont, Italy
Ten days living in an Italian village, as a family.
May 8 to 17, 2027. A small group of families, a 1,000-year-old village in the mountains of Piedmont, and the people who live there.
May 8 to 17, 2027. A small group of families, a 1,000-year-old village in the mountains of Piedmont, and the people who live there.
Fifteen of us, from Cuba, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Florida and Australia.
Every family rated it 10 out of 10.
"Overall we loved this Roots and Future trip! We are looking forward to coming back to this little town and maybe even buying some property here in the future."October 2026 family
"I loved that the kids could just run around the town street! I loved how welcoming everyone was towards the children."October 2026 family
"Having a real place to stay made me feel much more like a resident than any hotel room could."October 2026 family
"Going out to harvest chestnuts really felt like a contribution rather than a plain activity."October 2026 family
In October we brought our first group of families to Ormea for ten days. On day one, the mayor and the nonni joined us for a welcome dinner at the Scuola Forestale. By the end of that first evening, the kids were running around together like they had known each other for years.
On our last night, the town's accordion player had spent the whole week learning "Volare" just to play it for us.
Every part of Roots & Future is made with people from Ormea who chose to take part. You are not handed a schedule of attractions. You are invited into somebody's kitchen, workshop and town.
Roots & Future is a community project: the money you spend stays with the people who host you, at the family-run hotel, the farm, the forestry school, the art lab, the seamstress, the bar by the station and the pizzerias.
Martina, a young chef trained at one of Italy's most respected culinary schools, and Anna, one of the town's best-known entrepreneurs, taught the families to make fresh pasta by hand. The kids said it was their favourite part.
Giorgia ran art workshops for our kids alongside the children of Ormea, all in Italian. The town seamstress taught everyone to make ornaments from local fabric.
The nonni walked us through their town, told us what life used to be like, and took us through four floors of the museum of how families lived here.
Majla restores houses in the village and opens them to visitors, and she is our coordinator on the ground. One October parent wrote: "Majla was so great to have to show us a locals’ perspective on everything! I think she was integral in this feeling like a residency rather than a tour trip. Keep her!!"
No two residencies are the same, but every one is built around the same few things.
* Activities vary by season. The full itinerary is confirmed before arrival.
A 1,000-year-old village in the mountains of northern Italy, with a river running below the old town and trails you can reach on foot from the café. Not a tourist town. A place where people still know every family on every street.
You stay right in the village, at the town's family-run hotel or in a local apartment.
Every family is different, so tell me who's coming and I'll send you your exact total and a payment plan that works for you.
A €500 non-refundable deposit holds your spot. The balance is due April 5, 2027, and you can split it into payments. Flights are not included.
Yes. Roots & Future is for any family that wants their kids to experience somewhere real, with the people who live there. Whether your children go to school at home or in a building makes no difference.
Yes. We had two-year-olds with us in October, and by the end they were saying things in Italian. Babies under 2 join at €500, and the days leave room for naps and early nights.
Yes, and solo parents are very welcome. You are never doing it alone here: the whole group eats, explores and looks out for each other.
No. Each group is shaped around the families who come, the season and the people in the village. What stays the same is that you live in the village and spend the ten days with the people who live there.
Tell me before you book. We share dietary needs with everyone who cooks for the group and talk through anything serious with you first.
No. Everything is optional. If your kids need a nap or a quiet afternoon, take it. In May there's more free time built in.
In the village itself, at the town's family-run hotel or in a local apartment. One October family told us having a real place to stay made them feel like residents rather than visitors.
Email me and tell me when works for your family. People on the mailing list hear about new dates first.
Get the details first, then tell me who's coming. I'll send you your exact total and a payment link for the €500 deposit. The balance is due April 5, 2027, with payment plans available.
I'm the voice behind Brave Family Travel, featured in Newsweek and on ABC Nightline. My husband Roger and I have travelled to more than 90 countries, and our two daughters have already been to 30.
We first came to Ormea in May 2026 and couldn't stop thinking about it. Roots & Future is how we share it: ten days where your family lives in the village and spends its time with the people who make it home. We'll be there with you, our girls alongside yours.
Get the full details, then tell me who's in your family. I read and answer every message myself.