Environmental Volunteering in Italy - Naples
Love the outdoors and want to be an Environmental volunteer in Italy - Naples? International Volunteer HQ’s Environmental project empowers volunteers to help look after ancient ruins, protect marine life, support sustainable farms or learn about bio-construction. Volunteers will gain environmental work experience while assisting a local NGO with a focus on one of these activities and making a meaningful contribution to environmental preservation and conservation in Naples.
Highlights:
- Programs start every first and third Monday of the month
- Affordable fees from $985 for 3 weeks
- Includes accommodation, meals, airport pick up, orientation and 24/7 support
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Help to preserve important natural and archaeological sites
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Discover Italy’s fascinating culture and history
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Stay with other volunteers in the middle of bustling Naples
Who is this program suited to?
Key information
What to expect and how you'll make an impact
Naples is home to many historical and UNESCO World Heritage sites, but they need regular maintenance and attention to stay in top condition. It’s important they are properly conserved for both historical value and to help stimulate the local economy by attracting visitors. Volunteers play a significant role in enabling this to be done properly.
As an Environmental volunteer, you’ll help a local NGO with a range of tasks including the preservation of archaeological ruins, protecting marine life, farming and bio-construction. There will be long days of physically demanding but extremely rewarding volunteer work. You’ll also be able to support the NGO with administration, organizing and running community workshops, conferences, outreach and research.
Your exact tasks will vary depending on the specific NGO you’re assisting, but can include:
- Cleaning historical monuments
- Protecting restricted areas of national parks
- Event planning
- Litter collection
- Helping with administration
- Farming tasks
Environmental volunteer work is dependent on the weather. If the weather requires work to be cancelled, you can either have a free day or help out on another project.
Please include your skills and motivations for volunteering in your application so that our local team can arrange a suitable placement for you. Please note, you’ll need to be a strong swimmer to volunteer in marine preservation, and it’s not available during winter months of November to March.
Why do Environmental volunteering in Naples with IVHQ?
When you volunteer on the Environmental project in Naples you’ll be adding value to the local community, while also developing personally and professionally by:
- Making a positive impact on the local environment
- Supporting the work of local NGOs
- Practicing your Italian
- Developing your communication skills
- Gaining conservation experience
- Immersing yourself in Italian culture
- Exploring Italy’s stunning western coast
Volunteer requirements
- Volunteers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to participate in this program
- All volunteers aged 13+ are required to provide a criminal background check to IVHQ prior to departure. Those aged 13-17, if unable to obtain a criminal background check, can provide two character reference letters instead
- All volunteers are required to have adequate volunteer travel insurance
- All volunteers must speak fluent English.
Italy photo gallery
”There are so many moments that I will remember forever. My favourite moment was to cut the branches off trees and feed the horses. Going out with other volunteers is another precious experience for me. One day we went to the castle and that was one of the most important experiences for me. This was my first time to go abroad. I want to thank all the IVHQ staff who helped me and the other volunteers who lived with me. I would not have had such a happy vacation without all of you.”
Wenxue, Chinese , 23
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Location
Naples is so famous for its wealth of history, art, cuisine and natural beauty that it hardly needs an introduction. As the capital city of the Campania region in Southern Italy and home to IVHQ’s Italy - Naples program, it promises a rich cultural experience to all who visit. Set on the spectacular south-western coast, volunteers will be able to take in the stunning beaches and ancient ruins while savouring an ambrosial slice of pizza in the city that invented pizza.
Despite these numerous attractions, Naples is also one of the poorest cities in Europe and many people are unemployed, homeless or disadvantaged in other ways. Volunteers can help these vulnerable people by joining projects that have a meaningful impact on their lives and contribute to the betterment of the community as a whole.
Arrival and orientation
The program orientation begins on the first and third Monday of each month, and volunteers need to arrive in Naples on the Sunday before orientation.
After you have registered for the program, please book your flights to arrive at Naples International Airport (NAP). Your airport pick-up is included in your program fee if you arrive between 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM on Sunday.
When you arrive, you will be greeted at the airport by the local team’s driver and transported to the volunteer accommodation in Naples. Your accommodation is covered by your program fee and includes the night before your program orientation.
If you are traveling in Italy prior to your volunteer program and arriving overland, we can arrange for you to be picked up at 4:00 PM from the local metro station. If you are scheduled to arrive overland after 4:00 PM on Sunday, you will need to arrange your own accommodation for this night, and transportation to the local team’s office in time for orientation at 10:00 AM Monday.
Orientation is hosted by our Italy team in Naples. It begins the morning of your chosen start date and lasts for a full day. The orientation covers everything you need to know for your volunteer program in Italy – an introduction to Italy, culture and customs, rules and expectations, safety, travel opportunities, and an introduction to your project and placement as well as a tour of the local area. The orientation will also give you a chance to sign up for Italian language lessons and to meet other volunteers with whom you can swap contact details for weekend travel and socializing.
Volunteer schedule example
Weekdays
After the initial orientation, you will have a morning, afternoon or evening shift at your placement and will work for approximately 3 to 5 hours per day.
A typical schedule might be:
| 7:30 AM | Breakfast at the volunteer apartment. |
| 8:30 AM | Travel to placement to join local placement staff and begin work on your project. |
| 1:30 PM | Work at the placement usually ends. You will travel back to the volunteer apartment for lunch or in some cases eat a packed lunch at your placement. |
| 2:30 PM | You are free to plan for the following day’s activities or use your free time as you wish. This could include sightseeing, some shopping or taking Italian language lessons. |
| 7:00 PM | Dinner at the volunteer apartment. After dinner you will have the remainder of the evening free to relax and use as you wish. |
Weekends
Volunteers have the weekends free (except for some Environmental volunteers) and Naples has many UNESCO World Heritage sites to see, mouth-watering food to eat, espresso to sip in café bars and a maze of beautiful alleyways to discover.
Rome, home to the Colosseum, Vatican and Sistine Chapel, is just an hour from Naples by train, and the ancient ruins of Pompeii are also only 45 minutes away.
Nature lovers can hike the nearby Mt. Vesuvius and visit the beautiful Amalfi Coast to complete the sensational cliff top trail known as the Path of the Gods.
Volunteers staying for longer durations, or who wish to travel before or after their program, can visit areas further afield in Italy including; Venice, Cinque Terre, Florence, Milan, Pisa and many more.
Accommodation and WiFi
You’ll stay in one of two dormitory-style volunteer apartments in central Naples. The bedrooms can accommodate 4 to 8 volunteers at a time, and you can expect to share a bedroom and bathrooms with volunteers of the same gender. Bathrooms are equipped with western toilets and showers. Bedding is provided, however volunteers will need to bring their own towels. There are staff who clean the accommodation daily but all volunteers are expected to help keep their living space tidy.
Both volunteer apartments in central Naples have WiFi which volunteers are able to use. You can also purchase a local SIM card with data for an unlocked mobile phone to keep connected.
If you wish to arrange a private room, accommodation upgrades are available at a local Bed & Breakfast nearby the volunteer accommodation. The price is dependent on the season in which you are booking, but typically ranges from $30 to $50 per room, per night. The accommodation upgrade is subject to availability and can be booked through our local team once you have registered for the program.
Meals
Volunteers are provided with breakfast, lunch, and dinner during the week and breakfast only on Saturday and Sunday. You’ll need to get your own lunch and dinner on the weekends and there is a kitchen available to use. There are also plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants just two minutes’ walk from the accommodation and volunteers are able to buy very affordable and delicious food if they wish to.
Breakfast is self-serve at the accommodation and includes tea, coffee, fruit, bread and cereal. Lunch and dinner during the week are provided by a local catering company and are delivered to the volunteer accommodation daily. Lunch is the largest meal of the day with dinner being a much lighter option. Meals will include pasta, rice, meat, seafood, vegetable and salad dishes. Tap water is fine to drink in Italy, however bottled water is readily available if you prefer and you should budget approximately $5 per week for this.
Pricing
Duration |
Program FeeDue 30 days before you start, or within 48 hours if you register inside of 30 days. Covers the cost of hosting you.
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|---|---|
| 3 weeks | $985 Equivalent to $47/day |
| 4 weeks | $1,235 Equivalent to $45/day |
| 5 weeks | $1,485 Equivalent to $43/day |
| 6 weeks | $1,735 Equivalent to $42/day |
| 8 weeks | $2,235 Equivalent to $40/day |
| 10 weeks | $2,735 Equivalent to $40/day |
| 12 weeks | $3,235 Equivalent to $39/day |
- Accommodation
- Meals
- 24/7 in-country support
- In-country program orientation
- Pre-departure support from your Program Manager
- Airport pick-up
- Personalized preparation tools, guides and check lists
- Access to IVHQ’s preferred insurance and flights partners
- Certificate of International Volunteering
Learn more about what's included in your IVHQ Registration Fee and Program Fee.
- All programs attract a Registration Fee of $299 in addition to the Program Fee. This covers all pre-departure support services.
- A 5% international banking fee is added at point of payment.
- Additional things to budget for include: Visa, flights, travel insurance (mandatory), vaccinations, criminal background check, public transport to and from your placement each day and return to the airport when your program finishes.
- Recommended spending money: Volunteers in Italy generally find US$100 to be sufficient for weekly expenses, including, lunch and dinner on the weekends and transport.
Italian language lessons
We recommend that volunteers take advantage of the very affordable Italian lessons offered exclusively to IVHQ volunteers by our local team in Italy. These language courses are organized during your program orientation, are tailored to each volunteer’s current level of Italian and are taught by professional Italian teachers. We believe that taking these lessons can help you immensely with your day to day volunteer work and communicating with local people.
- 1 hour group lessons (5 hours per week): $84
- 1 hour private lessons (5 hours per week): $112
Check what's required to visit Italy
Fill out the quick form below to find out what the Covid-19 restrictions and visa requirements are for Italy, based on your country of residence.
Safety and support
IVHQ follows best practice and industry-leading health and safety procedures, which are regularly reviewed and optimized as part of the B Corporation recertification.
- All volunteers encouraged to complete our interactive pre-departure training.
- All local teams trained on best practice volunteer management & First Aid.
- All IVHQ programs are required to adhere to IVHQ's Risk Management Policy.
- All volunteers have access to 24/7 in-country support from our local team.
Protecting against COVID-19:
Volunteers tested for COVID-19 within 72 hours of travel
Health & safety information provided during orientation
Strict disinfecting standards for programs & accomodation
Greater physical distance between volunteers
Essential country information
| Capital | Rome |
| Population | 61.7 Million |
| Languages | Italian |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 |
Weather and climate
Italy’s climate is quite diverse due to its long peninsula and mountainous terrain. The coastal areas of Liguria, Tuscany and most of the South are predominantly Mediterranean with dry summers and moderately wet winters. In the northern parts of Italy and areas of higher altitudes, the climate is cooler and the winter months can be cold, wet, and often snowy. Weather in Naples, where the IVHQ volunteer program is based, is pleasant throughout the year. Winter temperatures in Naples (December to February) vary from 4°C to 14°C/39°F to 57°F while spring (March to May) is slightly warmer at around 15°C/59°F. Summer (June to September) in Naples can become very hot and humid with average temperatures ranging between 18°C and 31°C/64°F and 89°F. Rainfall is heaviest in November and driest in July.
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