“Coperture vegetali – L’arte del Thatching” – The art of Thatching

From Wales to Tuscany: Learn the Art of ThatchingFor more than four decades, Welsh master thatcher and carpenter Alan Jones has worked to preserve and transmit historic and vernacular thatching techniques. Rooted in experimental archaeology and conservation, his approach goes far beyond learning how to make a waterproof roof: it explores the relationship between craft, landscape, agriculture and the materials available within a particular territory.
This September, that knowledge will travel from Wales to Tuscany. From 25 to 27 September 2026, Alan will lead an intensive three-day workshop near Massa Marittima, in the province of Grosseto, in collaboration with ARUNDO | Costruzioni Organiche.

Founded by environmental artist and designer Margherita Bertoli, ARUNDO is a collective dedicated to participatory artistic bioconstruction. Its work combines ecological art, natural materials and collective learning, particularly through structures made from Mediterranean cane (Arundo donax) and bamboo. Self-construction is central to its approach: participants acquire technical skills through direct involvement in the building process, while learning to recognise and make creative use of locally available natural resources.
The workshop: A traditional skill meets a different landscape
The workshop, “Coperture vegetali – L’arte del Thatching”, will focus on the construction of a waterproof vegetal roof. Participants will work directly with Alan, experimenting with broom and heather to cover a bamboo structure previously built by the ARUNDO collective.
Alan’s understanding of vernacular building is inseparable from place. For him, vernacular building starts with the resources available within a particular landscape. Bringing his knowledge to Tuscany therefore does not mean simply reproducing Welsh vernacular thatching in Italy. Instead, the workshop will allow participants to explore the principles behind the technique and discover how they can be interpreted through different plant materials and in a different environmental context.
Over three days of practical work, participants will have the opportunity to learn directly from a master craftsperson with decades of experience, understand the behaviour and potential of vegetal roofing materials, and experiment with traditional knowledge through hands-on construction. The course may be of particular interest to craftspeople, architects, designers, students, heritage professionals and anyone working with or interested in natural materials, sustainable construction and traditional building techniques.
The collaboration also opens Alan’s knowledge to learners beyond the UK. At a time when opportunities to practise and transmit some vernacular techniques are becoming increasingly scarce, taking this knowledge across borders creates new spaces for learning, exchange and experimentation. Rather than remaining fixed within its place of origin, craft knowledge can be shared while encouraging learners to look again at the resources and building possibilities of their own territories.

As Margherita Bartoli explains, the collaboration reflects ARUNDO’s aim “to promote the transmission and experimentation of sustainable craft techniques, encouraging the active participation of citizens and the valorisation of collective and ecological building practices.”
In this sense, the workshop is both an opportunity to acquire practical skills and an invitation to explore how traditional knowledge can inform contemporary approaches to building with natural, locally available materials.
Practical information
The intensive workshop will take place 25, 26 and 27 September 2026, near Massa Marittima (GR), Tuscany.
The participation fee is €250, with a 20% discount (€200) for previous participants in ARUNDO self-construction courses and a 40% discount (€150) for members of the ARCI Circle of Tatti.

Places are limited and registration is open until 13 September, with a €50 deposit required to secure a place.
Vegetarian and vegan meals are available for €30 per day, including breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, or €12 for lunch only.

Participants coming from outside the area may camp free of charge in a tent or van; information about nearby accommodation is also available from the organisers.
For information and registration, contact ARUNDO at arundo.art@gmail.com or via WhatsApp at +39 331 874 2129.