Summer at Almenara: Celebrations, Siestas and Syntropy
This summer at Almenara has been full of celebration— the solstice, La Noche de San Juan, Pride, full moons, birthdays, arrivals and departures … each one a welcome invitation to dance into the night.
With the midday heat in full force and many of us taking time for rest or travel, life in Catalina settles into a slower, more elemental rhythm.
We sometimes call our work at this time “life support”—keeping baby trees alive through the heat, tending the garden, watching the wildlife visiting the pond, and sketching out plans for an abundant autumn.
Flexagon Interior: Cooling Down, Warming Up
We’re putting the finishing touches on the interior of the Flexagon, which is fast becoming our favourite spot to gather. With its naturally cooler temperature and panoramic views, it’s ideal as a shared living room and co-working hub. The energy in the space already feels right—grounded and full of possibility.
Syntropic Garden Update: From Snails to Salad
The three syntropic lines we planted in winter are now bursting with summer life. It’s inspiring to see the system working as intended—the vegetables thriving in harmony with young trees and shrubs, forming a living, layered collaboration. After some snail-related setbacks (and a fair amount of dedicated snail relocation…), we’re now harvesting happily from a compact but very productive space under a canopy of tomato plants.
Rebranding of Almenara
We’re very excited about our rebranding for Almenara. Local graphic designer Marta Figueredo has been working with us to develop our new logo and will continue to help us develop a whole new graphic identity which will eventually be implemented across our website too.
This summer, come and stay with us at Casa Cuartilla
Tucked into the hills just two kilometres from Vejer and a short drive from the Costa de la Luz beaches, Casa Cuartilla is our welcoming home for guests, retreats, and gatherings. Whether you’re joining a group or simply seeking rest and reconnection in nature, time here offers a deep breath—a pause—in our permaculture sanctuary.
In the summer months, our rhythm slows, and we open our doors to more visitors. It’s the perfect moment to come soak in the beauty of this place, spend time in community, or just enjoy some peace under the olive trees. Curious? Have a look at our brochure and get in touch. Click here for brochure.
Our latest article in Permaculture Magazine
In these precarious times, Permaculture Magazine offers a bright light in the darkness, showcasing inspiring stories and practical solutions and ideas that can help everyone transform and adapt to whatever the future holds. We need everyone to find their way to permaculture and its incredible community of doers and dreamers, and we’re doing our bit by writing a quarterly article for the magazine. Our article “Exploring Edges: From fear to transformation” appears in the latest edition. Why not take out a subscription or buy the latest issue? Or visit our blog to read our past articles, which we post 3 or 4 months after they are published.
Regenerative Design
In further writing news, after more than a year of hard work, the academic publisher Springer has finally published the textbook Regenerative Design: New Contexts, New Visions, Emerging Practices and Perspectives, edited by Carlos Cobreros, Emanuele Giorgi and Tiziano.
Our chapter is entitled The Art of the Possible. Imagining and Modelling Regenerative Cultures Through Participatory Experience. We wrote it in collaboration with Jorge Gallardo of Párpado, focusing on some of the projects we initiated between 2019-2022, working ultra-locally to create regenerative cultures. Sold at textbook prices (!) and only available in English, you’re more likely to read this if you work at an organisation with a digital subscription to such publications. However, it’s been a very exciting project for us, bringing our work to new audiences and helping us to become more rigorous in our approach to action research, setting objectives and incorporating feedback. We hope it will lead to new opportunities and look forward to reading the other chapters in the book to learn what others are up to in the field of regenerative design. Click here to access our chapter.
Thanks for reading this far and have a great summer! We look forward to sharing our autumn updates when we’ll be springing into action with the EMCCINNO pilot here at Almenara.
