From Roman fields to the heart of Istanbul: Meet the changemakers working to transform Europe

Rachel Schnalzer

October 27, 2025

A statue of a donkey with wings in a field

A statue of a winged donkey stands at the entrance of Cooperativa Coraggio's farm

Cooperativa Coraggio - Sustainable farming in suburban Rome

There’s a saying in Italy: “Quando gli asini voleranno.” In English, it translates to “When donkeys fly” — an expression that describes something that seems extremely unlikely.

But for the people working at Cooperativa Coraggio, it's a symbol of belief in the impossible. Fittingly, a wooden statue of a winged donkey stands sentry at the entrance of the organization's 22-hectare farm in suburban Rome.

“When we started in 2011, we were a bunch of young people in our twenties,” explained Alessia Mazzù, project and communication coordinator of the organisation. “We realized that in Italy there were a few issues that needed to be addressed.”

The early Cooperativa Coraggio team identified the loss of biodiversity, the threat of overdevelopment, and youth unemployment as key problems they could attempt to tackle. Since 2015, the organization has managed the Borghetto San Carlo estate, a large swath of unused public land that was at risk of being overdeveloped, and transformed the property into a thriving organic farm, with crop fields, an orchard, an olive grove, beehives and more.

People sorting through crops grown at Cooperativa Coraggio

Cooperativa Coraggio grows cereals, legumes, vegetables and more.

“In general, what we do at Cooperativa Coraggio is what is called multifunctional agriculture, which means we don't only produce food, but we also try to use agriculture as a tool,” Alessia said.

Throughout the year, Cooperativa Coraggio hosts events, presentations, classes, tours and other educational programming on its land, intended to raise awareness about climate change and other environmental issues, social justice issues and beyond.

Since 2023, Eurail has joined the Intrepid Foundation in supporting organizations such as Cooperativa Coraggio in achieving their vision for a more compassionate, sustainable Europe. In May, a team from Eurail visited Cooperativa Coraggio to learn more about its mission.

The vastness of the land, covered in rolling, golden fields growing cereals, vegetables and other crops, underscores how far the organisation has come in the past decade. Chickens in a nearby enclosure cluck softly, content with their view of the Lazio countryside. A string of lights sways in the breeze over a set of picnic tables.

But despite the farm’s peaceful feeling, there’s a sense of momentum building.

“In the last year, there’s been big changes happening,” Alessia said. One of the most important changes is Cooperativa Coraggio’s newly accessible building, a large yellow farmhouse from 1922 which the team has converted into a center for environmental education.

A garden with a yellow farmhouse in the background

Cooperativa Coraggio plans to use its farmhouse as an environmental education center, agricultural canteen and hostel.

In addition to using the building for workshops, “we want to create an agricultural canteen,” she explained. “Our main focus is that it’s accessible in terms of price, with good quality of food.”

Located on the ancient Via Francigena pilgrimage route, Cooperativa Coraggio plans to one day host hikers and walkers on their way to Rome.

“We want to do a hostel. We want people to see Rome in a different way... the natural side and the agriculture side,” she continued.

Cooperativa Coraggio is simultaneously focused on developing its social inclusion efforts. “We would like to create more jobs for people with vulnerabilities, so they can be included in social farming,” Alessia explained.

Just over 20 minutes by train from Rome’s Valle Aurelia station to La Giustiniana station — plus a 20-minute walk to the farm — Cooperativa Coraggio is convenient for many Eurailers to visit.

“We think that this area of Rome is as beautiful as the city center,” Alessia said. “My dream is to see a lot of people enjoying this place as much as we do.”

A woman speaking with a table selling jewelry, keychains and other gifts behind her

Gokcen Durutas speaking in the Nahıl shop in Istanbul

KEDV - a platform for women to start building dialogue in Türkiye

Over 2,000 kilometers away, in cities and towns across Türkiye, women are hard at work achieving dreams of their own, with the support of an organisation called Kadın Emeğini Değerlendirme Vakfı (KEDV). A month after visiting Cooperativa Coraggio, members of Eurail’s team travelled to Nahıl, a shop managed by KEDV, another Intrepid Foundation partner.

“Our vision is a just and equal world. And we believe that this world can be created with the leadership of women,” said Gokcen Durutas, responsible for communications and fundraising at the organization.

KEDV works with women’s cooperatives across Türkiye to develop locally-managed economic initiatives. “They bring their skills together and come up with a joint business,” Gokcen explained. “And besides the commercial side of the cooperative, the cooperative becomes a platform where women start building dialogue and relations with all the stakeholders in their communities.”

“In time, they become the leaders of their own communities,” she continued. “We believe that women have the experience and expertise to alleviate poverty, to really transform their communities. What we do is support them to reveal that potential.”

A small bag with embroidery of "Rosie the Riveter"

“Each product has a different story of women's empowerment,” Gokcen said.

The expertise of women across Türkiye is on full display on the shelves of Nahıl. The shop sells handmade, unique products made by women’s collectives across the country, from jewellery and ceramics to textiles and baby toys.

“It's a type of social business,” Gokcen said. “Women producers come and get support to develop their products,” she explained. “If it's a food, then they can get support from a food engineer to improve it in line with legislation or they can work [with a designer] to make it more sellable. Nahıl gives that kind of product development support.”

Nahıl is also a place where producers can access different markets. In addition to selling products in the Istanbul shop, they can sell directly to corporate customers, as well as on e-commerce channels.

Like Cooperativa Coraggio, travelers are welcome to visit Nahıl, just a few blocks from Taksim Square in the centre of Istanbul. For travelers seeking a gift or souvenir, it’s an immensely meaningful place to shop.

“Each product has a different story of women's empowerment,” Gokcen said.