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1 Jun 2024
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Description
** Looking for one volunteer in the end of June 🙏 plasterings with clay and chalk, maintenance of the vegetable garden, weedings **
* Summertime Is coming! We wake up at sunrise to work really early in the day because of temperatures! Really sweaty and full of mosquitos! It will be fun! 😁💪*
Hello! I'm Alberto and this is a young permaculture project born in 2019.
I have purchased an abandoned citrus grove that we are transforming into an edible forest rich in biodiversity.
The land is 7000 square meters, with many lemon trees, olive, pears, grapes, passion fruit, clementines grapefruit and herbs.
We are on Etna, a few minutes from the sea and the mountains. We are 150 meters above sea level and the subtropical climate allows us to grow many exotic fruits and live outdoors 9 months per year.
Anyway we live outside 12 months per year 😎
We are not a company, everything we produce is for self-sufficiency.
Inhabitants of this land are Acab (the dog), Dima (the cat), chickens and me 😁.
I have friends over often and you'll have the chance to know other good souls 🙏
I usually host volunteers that stay 2 weeks, then we can decide togheter if we want to make It longer.
Between November and February I look for one volunteer at a time, two (rarely three) the rest of the year.
Some more about me:
I am an easy going person, outgoing and funny, also empathetic, open minded and caring.
I behave as a kid when I am happy and relaxed, as an adult when we work on priorities.
Sometimes thinking about everything Is overwhelming and I can lose focus 🙏 that's also why I ask for help 😁
I like to cook and I almost always do it. I am not a chef but whatever I make gets finished😁
I am Sagittarius, Acquarius rising, for anyone interested in knowing🙏
What I'm looking for:
My first goal is make people feel comfortable, relaxed, and safe. Second step is to make them independent in the land, punctual and focused.
When we are under the same roof we are friends: we work together, talk about ourselves, make food together and help each other.
There are many tasks and everything can change suddenly because of weather, commitments, or just feeling weak.
The time here is different: days are longer, and weeks are shorter 🤔 Remember It!
Good travelling everyone!Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco ProjectsGardeningDIY and building projectsFarmstay helpGeneral MaintenanceUN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
You could learn that you can feel at home even far from your house :)
This project Is about developing to be off grid, so you can gain plenty of information around permaculture, building, making a garden, creating an independent photovoltaic system and so on.
I am willing to teach whatever I have learnt about wildlife in these five years😁Help
Coming to my land is an experience of wildlife 😁 It's a hard life only during the time you need to get used to it 💪.
Daily tasks are cleaning up the outdoor kitchen, feeding the animals and doing general maintenance.
Almost everyday we work on something different, and those tasks change between the hot and cold seasons. Also, days change depending on the weather 🕺
From late Spring to early Fall we wake up before sunrise to work until late morning then we often go to the sea to chill until sunset and water the plants after.
From Fall to early Spring we wake up at sunrise and we work until lunch, then we go to sleep after dinner 😁. We mainly work on harvestings to fill the pantry! We sow new seeds, weed, prune, graft, etc.
!!!Winter is only for really adaptable people!!! 💪 If you want to start your own project it would be the perfect season for training 💪
The Land every year requires some big Jobs that I ask for help with:
January: prune grapes, dig out oaks and blackberry shrubs;
February: prune olive trees, pear trees, Ivy;
March: prepare the summer vegetable garden, seedings etc.;
April: graft olive trees, citrus trees, pruning citrus trees, harvest lemons;
May: look after the vegetable garden, harvest medlars, weedings, work on safety against summer bushfire;
June-July: water new plants, weedings;
August: water new plants, make tomato sauce;
September: harvest grapes, make grape juice, harvest hazelnuts, harvest prickly pears, new plantations (trees and vegetables)
October-November: harvest olives (biggest task of the year! Ask for further information), plant onions, fennels, peas, broad beans;
December: plant new trees; harvest lemons;
***Ongoing projects:
- we are building a little shelter with wood, straw and clay 🙏, we will start again with clay and carpentry in Spring;
- we are working on a second caravan to make it cozier 💪;
- we are making a vegetable garden 😁;
- we are going to plaster the compost toilet and make It really fancy 🥹;
- we start building the inside of a shelter;. ***
***Projects and dreams for the next months:
- Building a solar system;
- Building a little greenhouse;
- Building a second compost toilet
- Plaster a 5000 litre container for making a pool out of it 🥹;***
*** Dreams for future future 🫣
I would likes to make a documentary about the lifestyle of the community we have made, with single episodes for every project. The dream is big, I would need a videographer for 2-3 months. I know photography and I would use it to do this. I need time to concentrate on that, and it could give a traveller the opportunity to see many projects all at once. If you are interested let me know 🥹***Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
Spanish: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
Want to improve spanish and keep training english. I can teach maaaany italian gestures, they belong to italian language! 🤌Accommodation
!!Life here is outdoors!! Be sure you're ready for It 🙏
No comforts, no hairdryer, no fridge, and many other missing things 😛 compost toilet outside, shower outside, dog hairs and chickens everywhere!
Dirty nails, seeds and leaves on your hairs, scratches on armpits, mosquito bites are part of the experience 😁
Volunteers will sleep in a cozy roulotte (with heating system) 🤙 It can fit two volunteers (always same gender).
There is a compost toilet, an outdoor kitchen and an outdoor shower. Water Is precious, so we ask to use it very very carefully :)
If you bring bath stuff like shampoos, soaps ect., please look for biological ones, because water goes to the trees 🙏
I can provide you working clothes (tshirts and trousers), safety shoes (must be used), towels and extra warm clothes. I have a full closet of all kinds of clothing (sweatshirts, pants, bathing suits, blankets) so pack extra socks and underwear rather than an extra heavy layer!
A volunteer here must bring plastic shoes for the shower and a good headlamp (USB recharge 🙏).
We have little electricity, enough for charging phones and other devices.
We have to make economy of water in here.
We handwash some of our clothes and we use laundry machines in a nearby town for big stuff.
There Is no wifi here, you can use my phone as hotspot sometimes.
I suggest to travellers that stay more than a month in Italy that it's worth buying an italian simcard.
Life's here is totally outdoor and pretty tiring for the body, but also wise and satisfing.
We'll always cook and eat togheter. I am vegetarian, but meat and fish consumption is allowed.
That's a very simple lifestyle, we do not have that much, but we have everything we need 🤗What else ...
We are 30 km north from Catania, not far from the Giarre exit of the A18 highway. It is possible to reach us by train from Fontanarossa Airport. The trains go toward Messina and the station to stop is Carruba (is a minor station, not all the trains stop there, so check this :) )
Walking around the sureounding area is pretty awkward because the roads are not suitable for pedestrians 😟 using bikes is possible but all the roads here are pretty steep 💪.
I will always pick you up and drop at Carruba station when needed to visit Taormina, Acireale, Catania or Siracusa, don't worry about that 😎
Buses can bring you everywhere in Sicily, they departure from Catania station.
Hiking in Etna is something we do once or twice per season, but if you enjoy going there I can drop you there and pick you up if someone pays for petrol 🙏
We are building a big community of people that have lands and help each other, so during the stay you'll participate in parties and meetings with other people who have permaculture projects, also going to their places helping for what they need 😁A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (26)
She is really focused, reliable and totally independent. She made my days lighter 🤗
She is very intelligent and empathetic, and she loves animals so much 🥹
In the time she was here she took care day and night to four little cats just born (3 weeks old), feeding them with food and… read more
She Is really kind, always smiling and willing to help and learn, and she works till she faints for weakness 😁
She does everything and she is and incredible fast learner. Nice cooker also!
We did grafts on citrus plants and after she started making spoons out of their prunings!
She teach to me and the… read more
We plastered the compost toilet with clay and straw, we did graftings on citrus, and we started to sew curtains before the… read more
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She is really focused, reliable and totally independent. She made my days lighter 🤗
She is very intelligent and empathetic, and she loves animals so much 🥹
In the time she was here she took care day and night to four little cats just born (3 weeks old), feeding them with food and… read more
She Is really kind, always smiling and willing to help and learn, and she works till she faints for weakness 😁
She does everything and she is and incredible fast learner. Nice cooker also!
We did grafts on citrus plants and after she started making spoons out of their prunings!
She teach to me and the… read more
We plastered the compost toilet with clay and straw, we did graftings on citrus, and we started to sew curtains before the… read more
Auf Wiedersehen!
She helped in every task, giving a big hand in maintenance and plastering the compost toilet.
She is independent, respectful and never tired, always the first person… read more
Sorcha is really empathetic, caring, always ready to help and learn. A rare and precious soul 🙏
From the very first moment she wanted to help me with everything! We did so many grafts on oranges togheter and now she's a professionist!
We have been around many days to help other projects and graft plants togheter even… read more
Floor is polite, easy going, always smiling and willing to help. Time togheter was beautiful!
She is a nice cooker and her energy makes everything light and joyful! She is a creature full of kindness and wiseness.
One of the first days we were working on a fence for a… read more
This experience was such an amazing one. Since the first day I arrived I felt welcomed. Alberto is such an kind and funny guy, his easy-going way makes live with him very comfotable. He is a clever guy who can teach you a lot about the plants and the enviroment in general. We laughed all day long and had such… read more
He is a really good guy, always willing to help and learn something new.
His wiseness have impressed me, and his reliability can make every task lighter and easier. He learn things fast, he works hard and he cannot stop working without finishing the task he's doing! He is accurate and totally… read more
She is easy going, natural, always smiling and willing to help. Everyone likes her!
She is totally independent and she always looks around to find something to do.
Barbara is a real athlete and she prefers tiring tasks for the body! She had acrossed the Island… read more
Saying goodbye to this tranquil haven, where I've spent two peaceful weeks surrounded by nature, animals, and kind souls, gave me a twinge in my heart. Alberto and I quickly became friends and accomplices. Our days were filled with laughter, delightful meals (Alberto is a great cook; brace yourself for a tiramisu indigestion!) and… read more
She is gentle and really calm, she is easy going and she is pretty adaptable in the litte comfort zone made for volunteers.
She had needed some days of rest to get used a bit to the land and the daily routine.
After few days of work togheter I… read more
We have harvested olives togheter, we have worked all days long with clay, sand, wood and Mathilde always showed enthusiasm on e ery task without getting tired.
Time spent togheter was great, i miss it.
Hope to see you again!
There was also Cristina at the same time and we have had great days togheter.
We spent whole days working and whole evenings talking and laughing.
Every single hour spent togheter was full of happiness, laughing all the time.
We have spent days picking olives with other friends and volunteers, we have… read more
Fin dall'inizio mi sono sentita a casa, grazie alla calorosa accoglienza e alla meravigliosa atmosfera di questa terra. Ogni giorno nel paradiso di Pachama il tempo cambia, insieme alle piante e alle persone. Ecco perché ogni giorno impari… read more
Abbiamo fatto lavori con l'argilla, piantato fave e piselli, e tra le tante altre cose siamo anche andati a visitare il Castagno dei cento cavalli!
Lavorando con Martina ci si sente supportati e sempre in buona compagnia. Ha sempre dimostrato… read more
Il posto è magnifico, pieno di alberi da frutto e piante tropicali, galline felici e una vista sul mare da cui ogni mattina ho visto un'alba magnifica. Alberto è una bellissima anima ricca di conoscenze e buone… read more
Albo is very kind, fun and entertaining person giving good vibes. His project and vision is simply amazing; from the many places i have seen in Sicily it is truly a gem!
The Garden is full of fruits, the best Avocados i… read more
I loved everytime she was playing a song with the ukulele after meals and that's a beautiful way to start digestion!
She has involved anyone to dance and play group games, was beautiful!
She helped a… read more
The tasks to be performed were very pleasant for me and always to be agreed with him and the work team. Here we work as a team and that is very valuable!
Personally, I loved putting my hands in the ground to advance in the… read more
Between working in the Land, afternoons on the beach and meeting his friends, it was all very enriching.
We really got to know each other, chatting and laughing over torch-lit dinners or by the fire, because Alberto is a very empathetic… read more
Gentle, kind, always in a good mood.
She helps in any task and she adapt to everything fast and easily.
I'm very happy to have known you, time togheter was great.
Hope to see you again!
We worked but we also enjoyed nice times at the beach and meeting Alberto's friends was also really… read more
Mora é cortese ed empatica, é attenta alle piccole cose ed é sempre disponibile ad aiutare. Ci siamo fatti tante risate insieme e mi é dispiaciuto molto quando é andata via.
A presto Mora! Ti voglio bene… read more
Alberto always made sure I felt comfortable, and I felt at home quite quickly.
We finished a big project and I'm very happy I was there at that time. Seeing the community Alberto and his friends created was very special and inspiring for me.
Our time together was… read more
We spent a few days on an important plastering job and Tamar proved to be a quick learner and tireless.
Tamar is a kind, intelligent and reliable person. We have spent hours talking and cooking together, the time spent with her has always been pleasant.
I love you, I will be happy to… read more
Alberto shows you a whole different way of living, explains to you how to be more respectfull to the nature and also how to use what mother earth has to offer.
Alberto is always available to help you with anything you need and will be happy to share anything he knows about… read more
She is a good listener, and she shows attention and care towards every task assigned to her.
She inspires trust and goodness from the first moment.
In the days she was here it rained a lot, which made every activity difficult, despite this Lucie showed… read more
I stayed in a basic tent, which I found became more comfortable every night as I got used to it. The shower, kitchen, dinner table, and toilet are all outside, which makes for a really nice atmosphere (with charging available within… read more
Grande Rebecca!
Ci ha aiutato sempre in tutto, e ha spesso svolto indipendentemente tantissimi piccoli lavoretti quotidiani e settimanali che le ho illustrato una o due volte, in particolare occuparsi di annaffiare le… read more
Era alla ricerca di un posto dove vivere a contatto con la natura, e penso proprio che sia rimasta contenta :)
Ci ha aiutato in ogni singola cosa, sempre sorridente e desiderosa di darsi da fare. Per giorni ha lavorato sotto il sole… read more
Inga is gentle, she always smile and she is very kind, respectful and affordable in every task. She is very curios and she likes to learn as many thing as possible.
We hope to see you again Inga,
Good traveling,
Alberto and Veronica
She is very reliable on daily tasks, she always woke up before us and she prepared pancakes for everyone!
Au revoir Stephanie, you know you are welcome :)
Ammetto che ospitare workaway giovanissimi a volte è un terno al lotto, ma nel caso di Alexia si va a colpo sicuro.
Credo che Alexia si annoi tanto a stare ferma, quindi bisogna sempre trovarle qualcosa da fare, a patto che non se la sia trovata già… read more
Janne is a wonderful creature came from another planet that decided to spend two months with us.
She never stops helping, from breakfast to dinner. She is emphatic, intelligent, hard worker and problem solver. Whatever task you show her once she can make it better than you!
We have spent whole days on… read more
Within the first days Alberto gave me two more: I will survive and I will laugh every day.
And all of it came true, so two stars for telling the truth! That I still gave five will show how much more I value the people and the land and the animals… read more
En los dos meses que hemos pasado juntos nos hemos convertido en hermanos y siempre seremos bienvenidos en nuestro hogar.
Todo fue más fácil por su presencia y su buen humor.
Son cariñosos, amables, honestos y muy trabajadores. Siempre nos ayudaron en todo, todos… read more