Every so often, a dish becomes more than a recipe—it becomes part of the story. When Federico Carignano, a student from Turin, arrived as a Workaway volunteer at Château de Riolas, he brought with him one such dish: Pasta alla Carbonara.

Welcome to the debut recipe from Château de Riolas — a lovingly restored 19th-century estate in the heart of Southwest France. We’re delighted to share one of our most requested house specialties: our signature Château Granola. This wholesome, artisanal blend has become a guest favorite, served each morning in our sunlit dining room overlooking centuries-old oaks.

Our favourite places to explore in the local area and Occitanie region. Living in Riolas, our nearest town is L’isle-en-Dodon, which boasts exceptional boulangeries, a bustling Saturday market and great local eateries. However, if you drive 1-3 hours away there are so many amazing cities, coastlines and mountains to explore.

Over the past 11 months Château de Riolas has welcomed over 40 volunteers through its doors. Here are some of our volunteers stories and what they get up to around the château.

Learn about our long term volunteer Liska who has been building and modernising the château’s pastures and stables for the horses.

We bought a French Château 11 months ago, here is our progress report! A newly cleaned pool, a pétanque court, new pastures, a walking path around the grounds, and much more has been done.

It all begins with an idea. Learn about our factotum, Serge. An invaluable resource at Château de Riolas.

It began with the idea that we should live in Europe one day…and why not the south of France? Learn more about how our journey started here.