You Can Get Paid to Move to Italy and Learn Italian Cooking—Here's How

Picture this: You see a contest on the internet. Airbnb is going to pick four random people to send to Italy for a year. They’ll be immersed in Italian culture, they’ll learn to speak the language and cook like a local, and they’ll play a small part in revitalizing a quaint village. You decide to enter on a whim—you feel like you’ve been stuck in a rut lately and, hey, maybe you’ll meet and fall in love with an alluring Italian with a heart of gold. It’s not like you’ll actually win, right?

Next thing you know, you’re sitting in the window seat, staring at the clouds, and daydreaming about your impending European adventure.

Despite what you may be thinking, this is NOT a Hallmark movie pitch—this could be you.
Here’s what you need to know:

Airbnb is paying four people to move to Grottole, a small village in Southern Italy, for one year as part of its Italian Sabbatical Program.


The beautiful and ancient city—that is home to only 300 people—is at risk of disappearing forever.
Selected candidates will become temporary citizens and will volunteer for a local nonprofit organisation that aims to revitalize the town’s historical centre.

While there, they’ll be totally immersed in the culture—they’ll even get cooking lessons from Rosa.
Who is Rosa, you ask? This is Rosa:


I don’t know much about her, but Airbnb says she’s the best cook in town.
“Her door is always open if you get a sudden craving for pasta,” they say. “She will be waiting for you in her kitchen where she will teach you how to prepare delicious Italian dishes.”
I love her already.