From CaCo to Italian villages: a rural coliving model to revitalize inland areas
In Pennabilli, in the Romagna Apennines, CaCo Casa Coliving is a residential home, a rural coworking space, and a community workshop. This real-world experience has given rise to a model for envisioning new ways of living, working, and experiencing these villages.
For those looking for rural co-living in Italy, CaCo offers a real-life experience: —living in a village, working remotely, sharing spaces, and participating in the life of a local community.
CaCo is the starting point: a rural home that’s currently occupied
CaCo Casa Coliving was founded in Pennabilli as a tangible example of rural coliving: a shared home— —nestled in nature, designed for those who want to live temporarily in a village without giving up their independence.
To learn more about daily life in the house you can also visit the page dedicated to coliving in CaCo .
Here, private rooms, common areas, a shared kitchen, coworking spaces, and daily interactions with the local community become part of a new way of living: slower, more connected, and more collaborative.
It is a place where people from all walks of life come to work, study, develop projects, explore the local area , and experience a more community-oriented way of life.
What You'll Find at CaCo
- Private Rooms and Shared Spaces
- Shared kitchen and moments of togetherness
- Rural coworking for remote work
- Connection to the village of Pennabilli
- Relationships Between Temporary Residents and the Local Community
- A natural setting between Romagna, Marche, and Tuscany
Rural Coliving as a Viable Solution to Depopulation
The Rai report on CaCo presented coliving as a potential strategy for revitalizing small villages: It’s not just about sharing a home, but about living in a community, building relationships, and fostering new local economies.
More Than Just Hospitality: A New Way of Experiencing Small Towns
Rural coliving is not alternative tourism. It is a form of temporary living that allows newcomers to get to know a region by truly experiencing it.
Temporary residents
Those who come to CaCo don’t just visit Pennabilli: they experience the town, work, meet people, build relationships, and experience a different kind of daily life.
Work and Projects
Rural coworking allows freelancers, remote workers, students, and designers to work in a natural setting, while staying connected and avoiding isolation.
Local community
The value of this model stems from the interaction between newcomers and those who already live in the area: relationships, exchanges, activities, and new opportunities.
The CaCo initiative stems from the work of Appenninol’Hub
CaCo Casa Coliving grew out of the experience of Appenninol’Hub and VORREI Impresa Sociale in supporting local areas, communities, and local governments in inland regions.
For years, this work has been guided by a specific question: How can we transform villages, underutilized properties , and local communities into places capable of attracting new people, new economic opportunities, and new ways of life?
CaCo is living proof of this approach: a revitalized rural home, a coworking space in the Apennines, , a temporary community, and a laboratory for experimenting with new forms of collaborative living.
From the CaCo case to your community
If you are a municipality, a cooperative, a foundation, a local government agency, or the owner of a property in a village, CaCo’s expertise can help you understand how to design a sustainable rural coliving space, one that is rooted in the local area and benefits the community.
CaCo and the New European Bauhaus: Beautiful, Sustainable, Together
CaCo’s experience aligns with the principles of the New European Bauhaus, the European Union initiative that links the ecological transition to the quality of the places where we live.
The New European Bauhaus invites us to imagine spaces and ways of living that are beautiful, sustainable, and inclusive: places capable of improving quality of life, strengthening a sense of belonging, and engaging communities in processes of transformation.
From this perspective, CaCo Casa Coliving is not just a shared home in a village: is a hands-on laboratory for regeneration, where living, working, nature, relationships, and community come together in an everyday and accessible way.
The Three Values That Guide Us
- Beautiful: well-maintained, welcoming spaces that are connected to the landscape and local culture.
- Sustainable: reuse of existing buildings, a way of life on a human scale, and a focus on resources and the local area.
- Together: community, collaboration, relationships between temporary residents and local residents.
What Can a Well-Designed Rural Coliving Space Offer?
A project like CaCo does more than just provide beds. It can become a small social infrastructure capable of revitalizing buildings, attracting talent, and strengthening village life.
1. Revitalize unused properties
Houses, farmhouses, and public or private buildings can once again become vibrant spaces— —that are inhabited and serve the community.
2. Attracts new temporary residents
Remote workers, creatives, students, researchers, and people in transition can get to know a region by living there for weeks or months.
3. Build local relationships
Coliving works when it isn't just a closed-off bubble, but becomes part of the town and makes it easier to meet the people who already live there.
4. Supports new economies
Visitors can shop, collaborate, suggest activities, develop projects , and forge new economic connections.
5. Strengthens the village’s identity
A vibrant project portrays the region in an authentic way, without reducing it to a mere tourist destination.
6. Building the Future
Rural coliving can become a key component of a broader strategy for the revitalization of inland areas.
7. Bring European values to the villages
Rural coliving can put the principles of the New European Bauhaus into practice: —beautiful, sustainable, inclusive places built in collaboration with local communities.
8. Improves quality of life
It’s not just about living in a house, but about creating more livable conditions in everyday life: nature, relationships, work, time, community, and a sense of belonging.
9. It brings together culture, design, and community
A rural coliving project can combine the revitalization of spaces, aesthetic design, social innovation, the local economy, and resident participation.
A model to adapt, not to copy
Every village is different. Every property has its own history, restrictions, potential, and specific needs. That is why CaCo does not propose a standard format to be replicated everywhere.
The Pennabilli experience, rather, demonstrates a method: starting with the local area, listening to the community, building a sustainable economic model, defining practical services, and attracting people who are a good fit for the place.
This approach is closely aligned with the principles of the New European Bauhaus: transforming spaces not only in a functional way— —but also in a sustainable, inclusive, and participatory manner, capable of generating everyday beauty.
- Analysis of the Area and the Property
- Listening to the local community and local stakeholders
- Definition of the Housing, Economic, and Management Model
- Connections to services, local supply chains, and job opportunities
- Communicating the Project as a Living and Cultural Experience
- Alignment with European values of sustainability, inclusion, and quality of place
This page is for you if…
Do you want to experience CaCo?
- Are you looking for a rural co-living space in Italy?;
- Do you want to work remotely in a small village?;
- you'd like to live in the Apennines for a while;
- Do you have a personal, creative, cultural, or social project you’d like to develop through , —the incubator for social and local businesses— ?
- Do you want to try living in a shared home without giving up your privacy?
Would you like to bring this model to your area?
- Are you a municipality or local government agency with properties that need to be revitalized?;
- you represent a cooperative, foundation, or local organization;
- Do you want to find out if a rural co-living community could be established in your village?;
- Are you looking for a model to attract new temporary residents?;
- Do you need design, guidance, or a strategy?
FAQs on Rural Coliving in Italy
Some helpful answers for anyone interested in experiencing rural coliving or planning a similar model in their own area.
What is rural coliving?
Rural coliving is a form of shared living in a village or inland area. It combines private spaces, common areas, remote work, connections to the local community, and community life.
Is CaCo a coliving space or a vacation rental?
CaCo isn't just a vacation home. It's a rural coliving and coworking space where people from all walks of life can stay temporarily, work, develop projects, and get to know the local community in Pennabilli.
Where is CaCo Casa Coliving located?
CaCo is located in Pennabilli, in the Upper Valmarecchia, between Emilia-Romagna, Marche, and Tuscany— —in an Apennine region rich in nature, culture, and community.
Can the CaCo model be replicated in other villages?
Yes, but not as a standard format. The model must be adapted to the region, the property, the local community , and the developer’s objectives. That is why Appenninol’Hub supports organizations and regions in the planning process.
Who is rural coliving consulting intended for?
It is aimed at municipalities, cooperatives, foundations, third-sector organizations, property owners, local governments, and organizations that want to establish new forms of collaborative living in inland areas.
What is the connection between CaCo and the New European Bauhaus?
CaCo aligns with the values of the New European Bauhaus because it explores a beautiful, sustainable, and inclusive way of living in an Italian village. The project combines the reuse of rural spaces, community life, remote work, a connection to the landscape, and the involvement of the local community.
Would you like to experience CaCo or bring this model to your area?
If you want to experience it firsthand, CaCo welcomes you to Pennabilli. If, on the other hand, you have a village, a property, or an area that needs revitalization, Appenninol’Hub can help you determine whether the conditions are right for planning a sustainable rural co-living project.
