Skilled Practical Artist or artistic with practical skills in beautiful Umbrian hills, Italy

Details

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  Description

  Hi Workawayers! There are a range of ways you could help us and stay with us this year. We are, Marcus an Architect, Lucy an Artist (50years old!) and Lola who is 13. We have hosted some 70 plus Workawayers starting in 2010, so I guess you could say we are experienced hosts. We welcome everyone, single travellers or couples, or two friends are ideally suited here as you bring your own guaranteed company. We like responsible people, ideally with experience, but it depends on the task; we have many skills to share with willing people. We also keep bees.
  In the past people have stayed for two weeks to a month and most of that has been working on daily projects, we are looking this year to change the format slightly, offering a longer term stay for a more autonomous person or couple. there will be a couple of days work a week alongside daily chores, the rest of the time will be yours to explore locally etc. This stay may suit an artist or creative person looking to spend time developing their work.
  
  
  STAY 1 is: This suits an autonomous individual or couple looking for a long stay to be creative and retreat to nature, who can be responsible and more autonomous alongside us, so if we go away you are able to take responsibility for looking after the dogs, ducks and cats, watering the garden and continue to absorb into a routine of your own.
  You can see this as an artists retreat with two days a week on projects such as gardening or otherwise.
  You get a beautiful place to stay in for walks and creativity, and all you need to do is help us let out the ducks, put them to bed, feed the animals and walk the dogs. Lots of dog cuddles are very appreciated, and cats too. So you get some time with us showing you everything and some time on your own. A good community feel and a great place to make art. Ideally you might have a car of your own.
  
  STAY 2. A fit and healthy practical person, single or couple, to help deconstruct the ruins and arrange rubble ready for build. Hands on, physical work, very much alongside Marcus with day to day preparations and right hand help. This can be a two week stay or longer. We need people who like to work physically, having fun along the way! You can be part of the family and get a real taste of our local life, good fun and hard work, a good work out!
  
  Stay 3 : Summer July August 10 days to 2 weeks ( TBC possibly building a filtration system/reed bed) The figs are coming and the tomatoes are in full flow, so we are making passata, then chutneys, a lot of preserving and harvesting, good times.
  STAY 4: August/September we are log gathering and cutting to keep the house warm. Clearing wood fallen near the stream by the house. In the veg patch we are planting winter crops. Cutting grass, tidying the end of the summer and making ready for the chestnut harvest.
  STAY 5: AUTUMN October 9th to 23rd Chestnut Harvest; our main larger groups of 4 or 5 workawayers gather for great memorable times (two weeks)
  STAY 5: Olive Harvest 27th Oct to November 10th it can be the same group of people from chestnuts or there may be new people, its up to you!
  STAY 6: November ,10 day to 2 week inside Painting and decorating.
  
  We live on a hillside with a view down a valley & woods all around. We follow the seasons, planting and tending the veg patch. Life here for us is a mixture of nature and creativity, art, ceramics and architectural making projects. We need helping hands throughout the year as the circle of life turns, the general upkeep and harvest.
  
  ACCOMMODATION;- We have a 2/3 bed separate house for visitors, with it's own kitchen, bathroom etc, which gives your own space and away time. Plus there is an autonomous bed/shower/toilet/room in our house. For general Workaway stays we eat in the main house together. Taking it in turns to clear/ wash up etc. We are always happy to learn new recipes if you wish to share your cooking skills.
  
  FOOD;- We are not vegetarian but do not eat much meat. We are trying to take life back to first principles, producing as much of our own food as we can or source it from the local market.
  
  WORK:- Is generally quite hard physical tasks, but it is a great environment to work in and good company makes doing easier.
  Life here is a mix, low tech hands on working the ground and having fun being creative. ...games nights!
  
  We are 10km away from Citta Di Castello a town of an ideal size. We tend to go in to town twice a week, including most Saturdays, which is the main market day, but we try to avoid too many car journeys. So you need to be the kind of people that are happy being in nature, walking/cycling, reading, making art and just being or baking! There are bikes, if you want to explore the hills or visit a village about 5km away that has a shop, a small bar and some things to see. If you go a bit further you find yourself immersed in Renaissance art and all sorts of wonderful history.
  Surrounding visits become part of the routine.
  
  
  We hope to hear from you

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  As a helper here you have the chance to get involved in a homestead, semi self sufficient, semi off grid way of life.
  
  What you will be involved in here at any time of the year are things that are happening across much of rural Italy at the same time. Whether that be planting or preserving tomatoes, harvesting chestnuts or olives, or preparing the garden and house for winter. making bread or you can ask for a lesson in pasta making and if we are many, and you are a real foody and experienced cook you can take over the kitchen duties. So you will find genuine Italian experiences that you cannot buy as a tourist, you can only truly experience them by living, working and doing them.
  
  We are developing and improving our system all the time and like to share our knowledge and experience with, and learn from our visitors. We believe in reciprocity, being resourceful, environmental, working with the seasons, nature's diversity and beauty, peace and tranquillity.
  
  There is sometimes the potential ART lessons between harvesting or jobs.
  
  We are both very technically capable in practical making and have skills, building, sustainability, architecture, back to basics as they say- Cooking, a very creative life.
  We are on the doorstep of Leonardo Da Vinci and Pierro Della Francesca.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  Help makes all the difference. We have all the skills but a hand to get various gardening and odd jobs done would be great. People with experience in building is useful, some healthy people with muscles often necessary. See above for details.
  
  as already describes see above. We need help with the garden, collecting wood, then the chestnut harvest in OCTOBER then Olives starting around 2nd week NOVEMBER or a bit before for about two weeks , chestnuts lasts 2 weeks to a month maximum. You need warm clothes, layers, hardy shoes, as chestnuts are prickly, even gloves if you have them! There are beautiful views and tasty food guaranteed! Walking outdoors picking chestnuts, competing who can find the biggest one! and then philosophical debates as we sort them! Good coffee, good house, healthy work! Environmentally sound.
  Our working day is flexible with a mix of the primary projects and smaller fill in things. There are painting jobs or gardening, take your pick. We generally get going after a cup of coffee and a morning chat at 8.30 - 9 although it can be earlier depends on the heat of the day. ...and occasionally we need house sitters for Summer trips away or Easter.
  
  We like people that are flexible and go with the flow rather than trying to be rigid with a program. Sometimes we do work things at the weekend but then sometimes we take a weekday to go out and about on a trip.
  
  We welcome visitors into the house as friends not hired help. In that exchange, we ask that you muck in with food preparation and tidying up (we do have a dishwasher and quite a few mod cons to help)
  We also ask that you respect our home and tidy up after your selves and kept it as you found it, or tidier! Otherwise in giving help you create new work for us.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Italian: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  We speak English and Italian but we need a bit of work on our Italian.
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  Accommodation

  Rustic farmhouse, with lovely country views of Umbrian woodland hills, with walks all around.
  It is a blend of traditional with modern quirky creative interior.
  Wi-Fi in most areas of house except when there is a storm and sometimes it goes down for a day, NO Television.
  Good showers, clean comfy beds
  Dish washer and washing machine.
  The water is heated by solar panels or a Wood burning boiler, so sometimes in winter autumn, if the sun is not out or I have forgot to light the boiler at the right time there can be a delay. Good to plan or ask just in case.
  
  For the summer months you can also camp in tents in the terraces for a beautiful view and more 'closer to nature' experience, you can't beat the sounds of nightingale, swallows and deer on your doorstep in the morning!- frogs and fire flies, wild boar, and porcupines and wolves at night if you are lucky!

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  What else ...

  The best way to contact us first is Email, WhatsApp or text. During travel and meeting up use Texts to mobile phone which is often better than calling due to poor reception at the house itself. There is a place we put our phone that we regularly check when we are expecting news.
  Getting here:
  Plane to Perugia Airport; Pretty easy to pick you up from there. OR
  Plane to Pisa airport or Rome; take Train to Arezzo Station or Perugia Ponte S. Giovanni ; either we pick you up, 40min drive for us or... From Perugia Ponte S. Giovanni you take a train/bus to Citta di Castello. From Arezzo if we are busy to pick you up there is a bus opposite the train station to hop on, destination San Sepulcro or Citta di Castello. you get off at Le Ville or Monterchi (be careful not to miss the stop!) and we can pick you up from there; a 10 min drive for us.
  
  Picking you up from Arezzo- Depends how far you have come how late you arrive, what day it is and how tired you are! (an Ice cream or coffee stop on arrival at Arezzo train station always a must for a tired traveller.)
  
  From Pisa Airport there is a train to Arezzo with one change at Florence MSN.
  (check Trenitalia.com for train times, and best to print out your journey to make it a lot easier when you are travelling)
  
  Citta Di Castello is our nearest town, we are 1km from the Tuscan border near Monterchi next to a little hamlet called Prato. See our website for all this and more details.
  Change of clothes useful for mucky work, sturdy shoes. Wet in November.
  
  General; water in Italy is in shortage in the Summer so you have to use it mindfully, we also heat water and get electricity from the sun so we understand it's worth and also use it with care. We are a pretty resourceful family!
  Hope to see you soon!
  Time off: Walking, films, chats, reading, painting or cycling in time off. Weekly trip into town sometimes more if shopping needed. Visits from friends and neighbours. (No bus into town.)
  It is important you communicate your needs and ask lots of questions by email before you come (and during your visit if you are in need of anything), so you are clear about what to expect and so do ask any and as many questions or clear any worries away that you may have. We also tend to keep it quite open so people are freer to leave if they feel like it. But sometimes people ended up staying much longer than they intended!
  We tend to fill the day working and eating and chatting, also making time for you to go for walks or have some free time, also the weekends are for you to do as you wish.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Space for parking camper vans

  The car park. They can use the showers etc. But only one van at a time. Space for a tent or two.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Flexible 5 hrs 5 days a week

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