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The village is situated in a picturesque corner of Tuscany, on the border with Umbria, Le Marche and Emilia Romagna, in the middle of the Apennin mountains and at the foot of the mountain “La Verna”, where St. Francis of Assisi spent the last years of his life in unity with nature.
Energetically, this very special place could also be called “the garden of Francesco”, because it offers a very original, sacred, highly energetic, open, magical, mystical, natural and free beauty and power, which inspires truth, simplicity and silence all by itself.
AsvaNara is a place for self-discovery and all our activities here aim to put Francesco’s legacy into a modern context; to create a place where people can find their way back to a natural rhythm and then take the rediscovered with them into their own world.
For almost three years we traveled large parts of Italy to find our ideal place and visited a total of 89 places. The “Estate of the Golden Oaks” was number 88 on our list and right from the first moment we had the feeling of “Eureka, we have arrived!”.
Although there were still many obstacles to overcome, it was clear from the beginning that this was the place where our visions and dreams would be manifested and realized.
The estate had been uninhabited for almost 20 years, the paths and driveways were overgrown with bushes and shrubs and the old stone houses were already in ruins. However, the place radiated a magically attracting energy and in summer 2002 the purchase contract was signed.
An important point in our search was the “Bonanza Feeling”, a feeling of endless vastness, wilderness and freedom – and this is where it is manifested!
Hills, meadows and forests, the estate of the Golden Oaks is exactly the right place for the free living horse herd of AsvaNara and brings people back to consciousness and nature.
The traces in this place go back to the Middle Ages, in sight for example is still today the Castle of Mignano, built in the XI century, which served as an entrance to the holy mountain La Verna, where later the monastery of Francis of Assisi was built.
The pilgrimage route to the monastery passes directly by the estate and sometimes it seems that even today, 800 years later, this area still resonates with the energy of the footsteps of St. Francis.
After two years we received the first building permits and so this place could develop anew. In the spring of 2004 we started the construction of the riding facility and already in the summer the Academy AsvaNara opened its doors for the first students.
A dream place for horses and people. The silence of the place and the breathtaking panorama will forever remain a nourishing, unforgettable memory for many visitors and the extensive pastures, hills and forests are home to many happy horses. The AsvaNara herd consists of about 20 horses and lives all year round in the open nature, in harmony with the people.
In autumn 2005 we moved with our children into the newly built house and from now on we enjoyed the unique energy and beauty of this place and could share it with other people.
In the summer of 2007 the bungalow park was also built and so the participants could experience the courses as a “full immersion” with nature; the chirping of crickets, the singing of birds, the fireflies in the warm summer night, the milky way in the clear night sky, sometimes a hare, a deer or even a wild boar … and of course the free horses!
With all constructions we emphasized the naturalness of the place, all electricity, telephone and water lines run underground, the rainwater is collected and reused.
Through Feng Shui and other techniques the energy is purified, old blockades are released and nature and spirituality are reunited. All this makes AsvaNara a unique place with strong regenerative powers.
It has been our wish for years to sustain this wonderful place with a permaculture project as well as various alternative forms of energy, such as biomass, solar and wind power.
In this way, the 85 hectares of land and forest will be used in the best possible way, the estate will become energetically and financially independent and thus be an important example of a change of direction in the use of the planet’s natural resources.
Our vision for this place is to be self-sufficient, self-reliant and independent, i.e. all food for humans and animals is produced directly on this land.
The best way to achieve this is through permaculture, a method that considers and respects the laws of nature, allowing Francesco’s garden to flourish, as an example of how we can live naturally and healthfully in a modern way.
In order to realize these projects we are looking for like-minded partners to turn these visions into reality and to take the place to the next level of independence, so that it will remain a symbol of freedom and nature for many generations to come.
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