The light that led us home
A story about land we are bringing back to life, and about the people who found their purpose along the way.
Read the storyLunina dolina – a place where life returns to nature
Where we give life back to nature. And people find their way back to it.
Today Lunina dolina is a place of regeneration — for the land and for everyone who sets foot on it. A farm that does not take — it gives back. A community that does not complicate — it simply lives.
From an idea to a farm
Sometimes the biggest changes begin with a small wish. A wish for a different life. For a more genuine relationship with food, soil, animals and the world around us.
That is how our story began, too.
We are Romana and Matjaž. By profession we come from the world of numbers, computing and business. But for a long time we carried the wish to devote part of our lives to something that can grow, blossom, bear fruit and remain for generations to come.
In 2012 we bought a small property. We gradually renovated the old house, laid out a garden and learned our first steps in self-sufficiency. In 2017 we moved from Maribor to the countryside, to Destrnik.
At first these were small steps: a vegetable garden, raised beds, the first animals, watching nature – and more and more questions about how people can work with the land instead of merely exploiting it.
Then an opportunity came along that changed our lives. Close to home, we were able to buy a larger farm of about nine hectares, and in 2023 we began working on it.
And so Lunina dolina began to take shape.
The road to Lunina dolina
- 2012 A small property, an old house and the first steps in self-sufficiency
- 2017 Moving from Maribor to the countryside, to Destrnik
- 2023 Work begins on a larger farm — about nine hectares
- Today Trees, pastures, animals and doors open to visitors
Soil is not just a surface. It is a living world.
When we took over the farm, we knew we did not simply want to carry on with the usual ways of farming.
We wanted to create a place where the soil is full of life again, where meadow flowers grow between the trees, and where bees, butterflies, birds and countless other creatures have their place.
We started planting trees, shaping tree and shrub belts, laying out pastures and thinking about how to hold more water in the land, improve the soil and increase biodiversity.
Our plantings are not designed for harvest alone. Sweet chestnuts, hazelnuts, cornelian cherry, fruit trees and other plants each have different roles. Some feed people, others feed birds and pollinators. Some offer shade and shelter or help protect the soil.
Every tree we plant is a small promise to the future.
And even though change in nature is often slow, we are delighted again and again by small signs: a new plant, an insect we had not noticed before, a bird in the hedgerow, or the life that appears by the pond.
The animals are our co-workers
At Lunina dolina, animals have a special place.
The sheep graze the meadows and, through their grazing, help shape the plant community. The hens explore the soil, ducks and geese roam the green spaces – and every animal has its own habits, character and needs.
We believe that animal welfare is not an extra, but one of the foundations of responsible farming.
We want to give them the most natural behaviour, movement, grazing and life possible, in an environment that respects their needs.
Every day, the animals teach us patience, observation and respect.
Regenerative farming is a journey, not a destination
We do not claim to have all the answers.
We learn, observe, experiment – and sometimes find that something did not work the way we expected.
For us, regenerative farming is above all a way of thinking:
- How can our work improve the state of the soil instead of depleting it?
- How can a farm produce food while also making room for wild plants, animals and other organisms?
- How can people become part of natural processes again, without wanting to control them all the time?
These are the questions that guide us every day.
A place where you can feel nature, too
Over time we realised that Lunina dolina matters not only to us.
Children gently stroking a lamb for the first time. Visitors watching the geese with curiosity. People who, walking across the meadow, discover a plant they would otherwise have passed without noticing.
Moments like these remind us why we do all this.
That is why we want to open Lunina dolina to others as well – through visits, gatherings, workshops and experiences where everyone can connect with nature in their own way.
Some will be interested in rotational grazing, life in the soil or the importance of hedgerows. For others, what matters most is putting the phone down for a few hours, listening to the birds and watching the animals.
Both are precious.
Sometimes it is enough just to be
In a world where we are always in a hurry, we also want to create a space for calm.
Our yurt, the meadows, the trees and the quiet corners of the farm offer a different rhythm. One that is set not by notifications and schedules, but by the light, the weather, the seasons and the life around us.
You do not always have to achieve something, learn something or rush somewhere.
Sometimes it is enough to stop.
Little stories from the valley
Small moments from everyday life on the farm — the ones that do not go to plan, yet stay with us the longest.
The Lantern Festival – a little light we must not let go out
Why do we make lanterns in November and take them out into the dark? About St Martin's Day, the festival of compassion, and the three autumn festivals celebrated in Waldorf schools.
Read more →More than just an egg
Why we decided to keep more laying hens and what a pasture egg means to us.
Read more →The egg that became a treasure
Sometimes the greatest gifts are the ones we grown-ups barely notice.
Read more →Our story is still being written
Lunina dolina is not a finished project. It is a living place that changes together with nature and with us.
The trees will keep growing for decades. The pastures will change. New habitats, new ideas and new encounters will emerge.
Perhaps that is exactly why we love this work so much.
Because we are not building only for today. We are building something that can live on long after us.
You are warmly invited to become part of this story, too.
Romana and MatjažLunina dolina
