Permaculture Design Course in the heart of Tuscany, Italy
September 21st to October 3rd 2026
The Permaculture Design Course (PDC) is a 72-hour internationally recognised training engaging head, heart and hands of participants to discover the principles and techniques of permaculture. We will explore the patterns of our predominant consumerist culture and compare them to the sustainable and regenerative patterns of the natural world. We will not only apply those patterns and principles to the example of ecosystems and the land but also communities and and our own embodied selves.
As such, permaculture offers us practical tools for creating change in our own lives and the wider world around us. You can expect this course to be engaging and connecting, fun and creative, thought provoking and heart opening.
The curriculum explores the whole field of sustainability and the regeneration of land and culture. Topics covered include:
Ethics & principles of Permaculture
Embodied observation techniques for connecting to & understanding ecology, climate & landscape
Permaculture design methods and tools
Mapping & design exercises
Soil science, soil food web & natural soil improvement
Organic food production & integrated animal systems
Water management including harvesting, conservation, & management
Land regeneration
Agroforestry & forest gardening
Appropriate technologies & renewable energy systems
Urban permaculture including techniques & design strategies
People & permaculture: personal ecology & the art of collaboration
The course caters for all learning styles and includes demonstrations, practical exercises, group work, lectures and slide shows. As part of the course participants will work in groups on a design project to put their learning into practice.
More About the Certificate
Participants will receive an internationally recognised Permaculture Design Course Certificate awarded by the UK Permaculture Association.
This certificate is the standard within the permaculture movement and is required if you would like to go on and study for the Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design.
Permaculture opens doors to a new vision for our planet. Joining the Permaculture movement can lead on to developing a passion into work. It allows you to build the practices into the work you are currently doing or discover new strands of work such as land regeneration, ecological consultancy, community gardening, garden and landscape design, renewable energy and appropriate technology consultant and more.
Your Tutors
Michel Thill
Michel is currently based in Devon, UK, where he is leading a community garden project and developing new courses exploring embodied ecology. He previously lived and worked in London where he set up the community interest company Social Landscapes, exploring predominantly community-led urban regeneration. His work has always been about resilience and aliveness, exploring the question of how we, as human beings, find our rightful place within the ecosystem and the world.
He has previously worked at the Happy Farm, a food growing project in Plum Village, France, the Panya Project, a permaculture education centre in Thailand, completed is Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design with the UK Permaculture Association and studied Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning in Germany. In his thesis at University he explored the socio-ecological dimension of large scale ecosystem restoration projects.
Michel is a registered certified permaculture teacher and diploma tutor with the UK Permaculture Association and has thought in the UK, Thailand, Italy, Greece, Spain and Luxembourg.
Dre Ferdinand
Dre is a social worker, therapist and artist whose practices include the integration of movement, energy, sound, soil, and EMDR; modalities that have informed her ‘MESSE’ approach.
Her practice framework is rooted in healing, social, and restorative justice principles which she integrates in her work. She has been teaching on the Permaculture Design Course with Social Landscapes since 2017 and slowly allowing her practices to merge together, leading to her interest in embodied ecology. Her soft and gentle teachings are centred on helping people navigate their internal landscape, collective care, and processing trauma.
She is offering coaching, MESSE wellness services, facilitating workshops and cultivates spaces for observation, listening and reflection to aid in healing. Her work is centred on helping people navigate their internal landscape, collective care, and processing trauma.
Dre has presented at BASW Social Conference on ‘Navigating Burnout’, she has co-created a psychological survey for workplaces, co-hosted the first POC activist Restorative Resilence Retreat as well as the Healing for Healers retreat. She often hosts sound baths or yoga sessions at festivals such as (We Out Here, Black Farmers Market, Reign x Shine, Radical healing).
You can contact Dre at hello@dreferdinand.com or @idreferdi.
The venue and directions
The venue is an old monastery from the 11th century, about 7 minutes drive from Siena at the border of the Chianti area. After restoration of the ancient buildings, the owners have decided to offer the resource in service of promoting accessible education by hosting national and international universities and not-for-profit organisations for free. To prevent it from losing its magic the owners would like to keep this space as secret and private as possible, hence details will be shared upon registration.
We can assure you though that we will be treated to comfortable accommodation and delicious and abundant meals. As part of our program, we will take part in some land and food growing activities on their extensive premises and will also do half a day volunteering on a local permaculture project. These activities are well integrated into the topics that we’ll be exploring.
Pricing & Registration
To register your interest in the retreat, please fill the form below. We will then be in touch within a week to complete registration with you.
The full fee for the 2 week Permaculture Design Course is £1000. We have a pay-it-forward option available of £1200 for those feeling more abundant. The pay-it-forward option will allow us to offer more concessions to those that cannot afford the full price. The concession price is £800. We also have a couple of larger concessions available for only £600. Please apply separately for those by emailing us.
The preferred mode of payment is via bank transfer. We will initially require a deposit of £250 which becomes non-refundable by June 30th 2026. The full fee will need to be paid by August 21st, a month before the start of the course. You can pay in instalments leading up to August 21st.