We're both part of Retake, and this photo was taken in beautiful Siracusa.
Below, we share what Retake is all about and the exciting things we're proud to be part of!
Tekst og foto: Roger Hol
Idyllic beaches, crystal-clear water, lush nature – and sometimes, a bit of trash in the ditch.
Many of us who have vacationed in Italy have noticed the contrast: well-kept public spaces side by side with garbage piling up by the roadside.
For us Norwegians, this might seem strange, and it can take time to understand why it’s like this.
Attitudes toward littering are shaped by both culture and how waste management systems function.
Fortunately, there are many passionate individuals and volunteer organizations working to change this.
Retake is one of them – a movement creating local change.
In Norway, we’d call it "dugnad"!
In this article, I’ll tell you more about what Retake is, the projects and initiatives we’re involved in.
And how we collaborate with other organizations, and show you some concrete examples of our activities.
RETAKE SUMMER CAMPS
One of the activities we do is Summer Camps, where people from outside Italy join locals.
We volunteer for three hours in the morning.
And then we have free time in the afternoon and evening — a perfect chance for foreigners to practice the language and connect with others.
Who knows – maybe you’ll feel inspired to come down and join us?
Would you like to join us for a Summer Camp?
Fill in the form, hit send and look out for the next window.
What is Retake, and What Do We Stand For?
Retake is a citizen-led movement founded in Rome in 2010 by an American woman named Rebecca Spitzmiller.
I haven’t met her yet, but I really look forward to the day I do! Everything she started and achieved truly impresses me.
Today, Retake is active in 55 cities across Italy. Since 2009, the organization has carried out over 9,000 projects nationwide.
Cleaning up litter is a concrete activity with visible results—and there's often a great atmosphere while we do it!
We are all volunteers.
We participate in cleanup efforts, but also educational and community-engaging initiatives.
The organization inspires people to take responsibility for their surroundings and help create more vibrant, welcoming cities.
All initiatives, events, educational programs, and public-private partnerships are led with respect and care for cities and towns.
Retake operates on the principles of a flat structure and local engagement—citizens take the lead.
Our work takes place in public spaces: streets and piazzas, parks, green areas, and beaches.
So, what does Retake stand for?
Retake aims to bring people together and help them feel ownership of their city—to reclaim their streets, piazzas, and parks.
It’s about helping people understand where they live, connect to the city’s history—and inspire them to shape the future together.
We breathe new life into cultural heritage and the unique identity of each city.
We want people to open their eyes to the beauty around them—and experience the joy of creating something meaningful with others.
Retake is about much more than picking up litter.
It’s about building a culture where people take responsibility for their neighborhood and city—with a community at the center.
Through various projects, people are mobilized to:
💚 Make streets, piazzas, parks, and playgrounds cleaner and more beautiful
💚 Develop smart and sustainable solutions for the city
💚 Strengthen community ties—between people and between people and place
💚 Equip children and youth to be active in their local community
💚 Involve authorities, businesses, and organizations in creating change
I’m so happy—and proud—to be a part of all of this!
3 examples of key projects by Retake
Alongside our regular volunteer work, Retake also does things like this:
Retake School
Retake promotes several initiatives to improve public spaces and engage people in caring for their environment.
Among the most important is Retake Schools, which aims to raise awareness and engage the younger generation.
This is Italy’s future—and it’s beautiful to see. I truly see how important it is.
At school events, Retake volunteers join classes for cleanup activities.
Foto: Ivana, Retake Padova
At one such event, 2 classes of 42 enthusiastic children from a primary school joined with 2 volunteers from Retake Padova and their teachers.
Together, they filled 15 bags with mixed waste!
One of the volunteers in Retake Padova, Ivana, told me they visit different schools around the city each week.
There are many schools with children—in fact, just at the school where my partner works, there are around 60 teachers. That tells you how much of a difference we can make even in one place.
As part of the school initiative, Retake also gives back by improving outdoor areas for kids.
For example, they painted a colorful hopscotch game on the asphalt and created a play-friendly schoolyard.
Foto: Fondation Retake ETS
It’s often passionate volunteers who go around improving schools.
Thanks to donations from businesses, Retake can buy the tools needed to brighten up these spaces.
Want to donate as a business? Click hereCommunity and Politics
Retake also takes part in public debates and policy initiatives together with other organizations.
The goal is to collaborate on sustainable urban development with authorities, institutions, and nonprofits.
One person I’ve come to know, Gabriele, is constantly pushing for change and stays in close contact with people in Padova’s local government to support our mission!
Business Engagement
Many companies—big and small—want to contribute beyond their core operations.
They do this by making donations, while Retake plays an active role in educating their employees through team-building events.
(If this sentence feels unclear, it means: businesses donate and Retake organizes activities where employees participate in cleanups as a way of team building.)
You’ll see an example of this later in the article.
It’s a win-win—companies get tax benefits from the government for these donations.
Are you a business looking to donate?
Sometimes a bank transfer is the simplest way to donate. If that’s the case for you, here are the details you need to complete it correctly.
Recipient: Retake Ets
IBAN: IT49 K360 9201 6000 5415 3708 521
BIC/SWIFT Code: QNTOITM2XXX
Reason for payment: VOLUNTARY DONATION (IF FOR A SPECIFIC CITY, PLEASE INDICATE WHICH ONE)
Or you can send an email to Retake Fondation
Send email to Retake FondationOur Activities with Retake
If you’re here, I’m guessing you’re curious about Retake and wondering what members actually do—so here you go!
RETAKE PALIZZI
This is where I got to know a group of young people—and some my own age—called Retake Palizzi. So I joined in!
But it wasn’t until I met Luisa, and we became a couple, that I truly got involved.
Through her, I gained a deeper understanding and started participating in activities elsewhere in Italy.
The Summer Camp
I learned that people from Padova and Rome were coming to Palizzi for a summer camp, and that’s when I really connected with this amazing group.
Including some from Retake Palizzi, there were 11 people at the Summer Camp.
The municipality provided a school building for accommodations, complete with a kitchen and a dining area. Some had private rooms, others shared.
We shared meals there, but many evenings we explored the area around Palizzi Marina and ate at local agriturismos or similar places.
Mornings were for volunteer work; afternoons were for swimming, relaxing, and hanging out.
Some evenings we went on excursions to learn more about local culture and history.
We often ended the day with a dip in the sea and some stargazing on the beach.
Just lying there, talking peacefully with like-minded people—that made all the hard work worth it.
We only worked about 3 hours each day. The rest was free time—alone or with the group.
On other days, we visited nearby beaches, like this one in the town of Marina di San Lorenzo.
Crystal-clear water!
I kept thinking: what drives these people?
They came here on their own dime. Sure, lodging was free, and a shared donation covered breakfast and lunch, but still—they had expenses.
When I asked why they did it, they said:
“The community. Doing something good for ourselves and others—while on vacation!”
I’ve thought about that often—and I totally support it.
We’re all in a WhatsApp group now and still stay in touch—so friendships have also been formed!
Later, Luisa visited me here in Palizzi Marina, and of course, we organized a cleanup stunt.
It becomes a habit, you know!
RETAKE PADOVA
Since Luisa lives in Padova—and she’s the referente (the lead) for the local group—I’ve visited many times.
She’s also the vice president of all of Retake, and seeing how much time and energy she devotes to it motivates me to do more too.
During my visits, I’ve taken part in several activities and met new people through Retake Padova, like:
Ca' Roman – a Nature Reserve near Chioggia by Venice
Here we’re heading out by boat to meet another volunteer team.
There were about 30 of us, and we removed 125 bags of trash that had washed ashore—mostly pieces of polystyrene fish boxes.
Due ore per la mia città.
Padova has several neighborhoods. In each one, local groups usually meet on the last Sunday of the month for cleanup work.
Here’s one from the Arcella district where we fixed up a public park.
Under: And here’s one from Prato della Valle in Padova.
Venezia
Together with the Marriott hotel chain, Retake Padova led an event with employees from their two Venice hotels.
We wandered through Venice’s narrow streets, picking up cigarette butts—especially important to prevent them from ending up in the sea.
While we worked, we listened to a guide telling us about the city’s history. It was a fantastic day!
PERUGIA
Silvia, originally from Perugia but now living in Padova (front of the photo with curly hair), wanted to start a Retake group there.
She asked in the summer camp group:
“Who wants to come to Perugia?”
Four friends from Rome joined six of us from Padova.
We teamed up with locals—families and other residents—and cleaned up a park and a small nature trail.
Silvia has since been back twice, and now Retake Perugia is officially up and running.
They’ll need some support in the beginning, but we see it’s working!
SIRACUSA
Luisa and I visited Siracusa over New Year’s and saw a lot of trash along a pier.
I said: “Should we stop by a shop, get what we need, and clean this up?”
She was quick to say yes.
We hopped on our bikes, went to a store, bought tongs, bags, and gloves—and got to work the next day!
We’ve since returned for another event, and we’re close to finding someone to lead the group there—meaning Retake Siracusa is born.
If you’d like to read more about our Siracusa trips, check out the article “Romantic Couple’s Trip to Siracusa” where I share stories and a restaurant tip.
But Padova ’re not stopping there—they’ve also got Retake Bologna and Retake Vicenza in the works.
We’re working behind the scenes to launch a group in Reggio Calabria and along the Grecanic Coast (Area Grecanica) here in southern Calabria.
This is from last year’s Palizzi Marina Summer Camp, where we took a detour to a small town called Roghudi.
The mayor participated, along with young people and other residents he had “recruited” to help revitalize a local piazza.
And judging by the smiles on Stefania and Marilena’s faces, it was a success.