Acougo: A Way of Living
We grew up in the heart of the municipality of Boal, in villages such as La Barreira, Serandias, and Boal itself, in the northwest where Asturias blends with Galicia, where languages and cultures mix, and the land is ancestral. Surrounded by vegetable gardens, animals, forests, rivers, and a deep connection to the earth.
Our childhood was woven with simple yet meaningful rituals: collecting chestnuts in autumn, savoring freshly picked fruit in summer, long days of harvesting under the sun, punctuated by swims in the river. This wasn’t just a way of living — it was a way of feeling and seeing the world.
Inspired by our grandmothers, more than a decade ago we began a journey: to build our own space that honored everything we had learned. Thus, Granja PitaSana was born, a living organic farm where we cultivate vegetables, care for fruit trees, hens, sheep, mares, cats, and a dog who is part of the family.
In the old chicken coop, transformed with love and creativity, we created El Gallinero Culturero, a small rural theater that hosts workshops, gatherings, and an annual festival: PitaFesta.
Our mission has always gone beyond farming the land. From the beginning, we knew our purpose wasn’t only to harvest food but also to sow community. We wanted to open the doors of rural life — to build bridges between those who already live here and those who come searching, full of questions, desires, and a need for peace.
We saw it clearly: more and more people yearn for a different life. They want to escape the noise, reconnect with what’s essential, live at a slower pace, with soil beneath their feet and neighbors they know by name. For many of these people, the village of Boal has been exactly what they were looking for — a place to belong.
From Acougo, we set out to create that welcoming space: a bridge for those looking to find their village. A place to arrive calmly, feel accompanied, and have a home from day one. We don’t just offer a room and a desk — we offer companionship, guidance, shared time, and a simple way to integrate into local life. We help newcomers understand the idiosyncrasies of Boal — its customs, rhythm, and people. We open the doors to a real, vibrant, and generous community.
This work is also carried out alongside Volver al Pueblo, a project managed by the Fundación Edes, which coordinates the arrival of individuals and families who wish to start a new stage in rural life.
In These Two Years:
- 168 people from different nationalities have passed through Acougo — some for weeks, others for months, and several intending to stay long-term.
- 6 families have permanently settled in Boal, choosing this village as their new home.
- Several have started businesses, contributing ideas, work, and diversity to the local fabric — from small shops to educational, cultural, and agroecological projects.
- Newcomers actively participate in village life: attending festivals, helping in neighbours’ gardens, collaborating with associations, or joining cultural spaces.
- New opportunities arise: restored housing, reclaimed farmland, and the revitalization of local commerce.
But perhaps the most valuable result is not quantifiable — the human connection that forms. People who arrived alone now chat at the bar, join gardening groups… Boal has gained new neighbours, new perspectives, renewed energy, and, above all, life.
That’s how Acougo was born — in Galician-Asturian, it means “to be calm physically and morally.” And that’s exactly what this project represents. Since its start two years ago, people from countries as diverse as Australia, Cuba, Japan, Germany, Serbia, Finland, Argentina, Ireland, Ghana, Italy, France, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and England have shared life and experiences in this corner of western Asturias.
We firmly believe that the future of rural life is not built only with infrastructure but with real relationships and opportunities for coexistence. That’s what we aim to offer every day at Acougo — a place where living makes sense, where each person who arrives can say with certainty: “I’m staying. This is my place.”
Acougo de PitaSana is a living space with private and shared areas — warm and welcoming, with en-suite rooms and studios, work areas, a café-library, a meeting room, and a large terrace overlooking the village square. Here, you can live, create, rest, and connect — surrounded by interesting people, fresh garden food, and a home-like atmosphere. All this just ten minutes from our farm, in a village of 480 inhabitants.
But what truly makes Acougo special are the people and activities we share: book launches, philosophy gatherings, cooking workshops, art, astronomy, plant foraging, acoustic concerts, art therapy, and traditional celebrations like the magosto chestnut festival. It’s not just living in the village — it’s living with the village.
PitaFesta — Annual Highlight
At the heart of this living network is PitaFesta, which on June 27, 2025 will celebrate its seventh edition. Since its birth in 2016, this festival has been a celebration of our roots, rural culture, and the voices that make it thrive.
The first edition was small and intimate, but full of soul. We had a collective mural with María Verdenaz, a talk on rural population retention organized by Fórum 3000, a lovingly prepared meal by Nawual Cocina, and sweets from La Porteña. The music of Alejandro Ares on accordion and the melodies of Miguel and Andrés Monteavaro filled the air, and there was even an open mic and a concert by Mybestal.
This 2025, with the seventh edition, we’re taking another step forward: an artistic residency at Acougo. For ten days, artists Antía Seijas and Ana Pereda will interview, research, and create a work inspired by the symbol of the Boal washhouse, to be exhibited there on June 27, open and free to all.
The next day, June 28, the party moves to our PitaSana farm: a collective mural with Ana Fernández, Clandestías pandereteiras from Navia, a blacksmithing workshop with La Fragua del Oso, theater with Ye Impro Trivilorio, world music with La Irreverente, folk-rooted poetry with El Naán, the magic of Karmento — awarded by the Academy of Music — and the grand finale with Killaphonia, a DJ who will make us dance under the stars.
Acougo, PitaSana, El Gallinero Culturero, PitaFesta… all of this is part of the same dream: to make rural life a place worth living, in connection with nature, culture, and people. We’re not just building a project — we’re helping reimagine how we want to live. And we’re doing it from here, from Boal, with excitement in our hearts, with roots, and with our hands in the soil.