From another life to Selvitelle
Selvitelle started with a simple idea: to live differently.
We left behind lives that had become increasingly busy and disconnected from the things that mattered to us. We were looking for more space, more nature and a closer connection with the seasons and the land.
We eventually found that in the hills of Cilento.
What started as a place to live has slowly become something more. Selvitelle is now our home, our land and a small ecolodge where we can share this way of life with others.
Who are we?
Our paths to Selvitelle were very different, but we were both looking for something beyond the usual way of living.
Linda grew up in Frankfurt, Germany, but knew from a young age that she wanted to live in Italy. In 2003 she left her former life behind and settled in Cilento.
Over the years she developed a deep knowledge of wild edible and medicinal plants and the natural world around her. At Selvitelle, she continues to explore the relationship between people, plants and the land, and is always happy to share some of that knowledge.
Gert Jan grew up in the Netherlands and spent more than 25 years as an entrepreneur, running several businesses.
Later in life, he rediscovered his Italian roots and family. That experience became the starting point for a completely different chapter of his life: living the Italian way and returning to his passion for food.
With a classical culinary background, he works as much as possible with fresh produce from our own land or from nearby producers. Bread, preserves, olive oil, liqueurs and much of the food served at Selvitelle are made here, from scratch.
We met in Cilento while exploring alternative and more sustainable ways of working with the land, including organic and synergistic growing practices inspired by permaculture.
We still experiment, learn and adapt. The aim is not to create a perfect system, but to live as closely as possible with the land while leaving room for wild plants, animals and the natural cycles around us.
Living with the land
Selvitelle sits among the hills of Cilento, surrounded by olive trees, orchards, vegetable gardens and nature.
We look after around 350 olive trees, grow vegetables and herbs, and have fruit trees spread across the land. What grows here changes with the seasons, and so does life at Selvitelle.
There is always something happening: olives to harvest, vegetables to pick, fruit to preserve, bread to bake or simply a garden to enjoy.
We try to make sensible use of what the land gives us, rather than treating it simply as a backdrop.
A simpler way of living
We are not trying to create a perfect sustainable lifestyle. We simply try to live more consciously and make things ourselves where we can.
Our olive oil comes from our own trees. Much of what we grow is used in our kitchen, preserved for later or shared with our guests. We bake bread, make preserves and work with the seasons rather than against them.
It is a way of living that has taught us to appreciate simple things: good food, quiet mornings, a warm evening outside and the satisfaction of making something yourself.
Sharing Selvitelle
We decided to open a small part of our home to guests because we enjoy meeting people from different places and sharing what we have created here.
There are only two independent studios at Selvitelle. That means the place remains small and personal, and there is plenty of space to simply be on your own.
You can join us in some of the things that happen here, or you can leave us completely alone and enjoy the peace. There is no programme and no pressure.
Selvitelle is simply a place to slow down, reconnect with nature and experience a different rhythm for a while.
Welcome to our home
We hope that when you stay at Selvitelle, you don't just see an accommodation in the hills of Cilento.
We hope you experience a little of the place itself: the olive trees, the changing seasons, the food, the quiet and the freedom to spend your days exactly as you choose.
Welcome to Selvitelle.