AGENDA
AGENDA

Restaurant

Osteria Giardino Bordei, our organic vegetarian restaurant in Bordei, is open 7 days a week from April to August and five days a week (Wednesday to Sunday) in September and October. The restaurant is run by chef Pietro Leemann, who founded and ran the world-class vegetarian restaurant Joia in Milan, which opened in 1989 and was awarded a Michelin star in 1996. At Osteria Giardino, the ingredients are completely organic and come as much as possible from the vegetable gardens of Bordei. The high-quality cuisine follows an original mountain style, is plant-based and combines simplicity with lots of flavor. Exclusive events such as birthday parties or weddings can be organized in the small adjacent church. 

VISIT RESTAURANT

Accommodation

At our retreat centre and B&B in Bordei, as well as at the Sanctuary in Terra Vecchia, we offer our guests several beautiful guest houses with single-occupancy and double-occupancy rooms. The Retreat House offers 5 double-occupancy rooms and our Osteria offers 6 further rooms for group stays and individual bookings. At Bordei we offer a total of 40 beds plus additional facilities for larger groups. All rooms are cozy and tastefully furnished, with a Swiss Alps spirit.

BOOK ROOMS

Garden

At the Ecovillage & Sanctuary Terra Vecchia Bordei, beautiful permaculture gardens are cultivated to help farmers grow organic vegetables and flowers. Together with the seasonal fruit from our own fruit trees, we create products that we serve in our restaurant Osteria Giardino Bordei. The volunteers we welcome at our sites are given the opportunity to help out in the gardens and have a unique relationship with nature.

Sauna

We have a beautiful sauna facility by the river with a wood-heated sauna. The sauna is available to groups and guests staying in our facilities. After a sauna session, you can take a cold dip in the river, which runs directly behind the field where the sauna is located. Completely surrounded by forest and mountains, this is a wonderful place to rejuvenate body and mind.

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Contact

  • info@ecovillagesanctuary.org
  • 6657 Palagnedra - Bordei, Switzerland
  • +41 79 300 91 37

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Cuisine

The food we serve in our retreat center is vegetarian and primarily plant based. We follow the principles of healthy cooking and respects the planet and its inhabitants. The menus for the retreats were designed by Pietro Leemann, who studied Ayurveda and Chinese dietetics.  

We serve 2 meals are served each day, a brunch at 10 in the morning and a dinner at 17.30 in the afternoon (timings can adapt on request). Our meals are freshly cooked with organic ingredients (if possible from our own garden) and a variation of vegetables, fruits, grains, and vegetable proteins. Each meal will have gluten free options avialable.

Herbal tea and cecaf cofee are available througout the day, and we will also serve a light snack in the afternoon between meals in our tea room.

Herbal tea and cecaf cofee are available througout the day, and we will also serve a light snack in the afternoon between meals in our tea room.

History

Two hundred years ago, the village of Raxa was abandoned as its inhabitants relocated to Rasa. Over time, the houses fell into ruin, and the area came to be known as Terra Vecchia. Seventy years ago, a similar fate befell Bordei. Young people moved to the cities, leaving the town inhabited only by the elderly, who eventually passed away.

In the late 1960s, Jürg Zbinden, an ambitious and idealistic eighteen-year-old, visited the area and fell in love with the two remote villages. With a utopian vision, he dreamed of bringing them back to life. Miraculously, through his artistic and artisan skills and the support of numerous patrons, the villages began to flourish once more.

Over the last fifty years, many successful social projects have emerged, and the rebirth of these villages has been a remarkable achievement. Now in his later years, Jürg Zbinden decided to pass on the leadership of the Foundation. By a fortunate coincidence, a group promoting a new vision for the project presented their ideas, which were enthusiastically embraced.

The foundation is set to begin construction on the next phase in 2024, with activities scheduled to launch in the spring of 2025. Building on its rich history, the concept for the villages centers on creating an eco-village with a strong social and spiritual focus. It will be a space open to an evolving society, while also serving as a retreat for personal regeneration and a hub for learning essential life skills.

The Fondazione Terra Vecchia – Bordei owns the sites, which include 35 hectares of arable land, five houses offering 30 beds in Raxa, and six houses with a restaurant and 40 beds in Bordei. Several promising development projects and prospects for the two villages are supported by patrons and other foundations. Those interested in contributing are welcome to contact us.