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13 avr. 2024
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Infos
Description
Hello!
We are George, Sophie and our kids Caio (7) and India (5). We are a young family from the UK but now living completely off-grid in the Casentinesi National Park in Tuscany.
We're passionate about living off-grid, building things, hosting guests, baking bread, gardening and looking after our animals. We enjoy the peace and the slow pace of living close to nature and the commitment to the continuous work involved.
We use entirely solar power for our electricity, heat with wood and we source our water from a natural spring. Because of the limited solar power we do not have large appliances such as a fridge and washing machine.
We grow organic vegetables for our own consumption. We have bees so we produce honey and other bee products. We have a cow, goats (one milking) chickens, cats and a dog.
The farmhouse is in the middle of a forest 3km from the nearest road and it is only possible to reach the house with a 4x4 vehicle (or of course on foot). We are about a 1 hour drive from the nearest town so we try to only go into town for shopping etc about once a week. Volunteers should bear this mind when deciding to stay with us. We are very isolated so you should be prepared to enjoy the solitude and peace that this place offers and experience an authentic off-grid life in the wilderness.
We need help with all the general daily task of running a homestead and help with specific building projects that may happen at certain times of the year.
General tasks include:
Gardening (planting, weeding, watering, soil improvement etc)
Collecting firewood from the forest
House maintenance and DIY
Maintaining and improving the 3km long road to the house (cleaning ditches, filling holes with gravel and rocks etc)
Fruit tree maintenance
Fence building
Cleaning out the animal housing
As well as learning about and helping with all of the tasks above, we offer the opportunity to learn about everything involved with living 'off-grid' - from sourcing our drinking water from the mountain to producing our own electricity etc.
All meals are home cooked and eaten together and we eat from the garden as much as possible.
On your days off there are many beautiful hikes to do. For example...to the Monastery of Saint Francis (La Verna), the abandoned village or to the many waterfalls and natural pools.
Please be aware that we are literally in the middle of a forest about 2 hours walk away from the nearest shop or bar.
We offer the ideal opportunity to experience an authentic and rustic off-grid life in the nature.
We look forward to sharing this experience with you!
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Ciao!
Siamo George, Sophie e i nostri figli Caio e India. Siamo una giovane famiglia del Regno Unito che ora vive completamente off-the-grid nel Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi in Toscana.
Siamo appassionati di vivere 'off-grid', costruire cose, ospitare ospiti, fare il pane e fare giardinaggio. Godiamo della pace e del ritmo lento di vivere vicino alla natura e dell'impegno per il lavoro coinvolto.
Usiamo interamente energia solare per la nostra elettricità, il calore con il legno e ci riforniamo della nostra acqua dalla sorgente. A causa della limitata energia solare non abbiamo grandi elettrodomestici come il frigorifero e il lavatrice.
Coltiviamo verdure biologiche per il nostro consumo ma occasionalmente vendiamo anche agli ospiti o scambiamo con gli amici. Produciamo anche miele e altri prodotti delle api.
La casale si trova nel mezzo di un bosco a 3 km dalla strada più vicina ed è possibile raggiungere la casa solo con un veicolo 4x4 (o ovviamente a piedi).Siamo a circa 45 minuti di auto dalla città più vicina, quindi cerchiamo di andare in città solo per lo shopping ecc. Circa una volta alla settimana. I volontari dovrebbero tenerlo a mente quando decidono di rimanere con noi. Siamo molto isolati, quindi dovresti essere pronto a goderti la solitudine e la pace che questo posto offre e sperimentare una vita autentica nel deserto.
Abbiamo bisogno di aiuto con tutto il compito quotidiano generale di gestire una piccola fattoria come ...
Giardinaggio (semina, diserbo, irrigazione, miglioramento del suolo, ecc.)
Lavorazione dei prodotti dell'orto
Raccolta della legna da ardere
Manutenzione della casa e fai da te
Mantenere e migliorare la strada lunga 3 km per la casa
House sitting
Oltre a conoscere e aiutare con tutti i compiti di cui sopra, offriamo l'opportunità di conoscere tutto ciò che riguarda la vita "off-grid" - dall'approvvigionamento della nostra acqua potabile dalla montagna alla produzione della nostra elettricità, ecc.
Tutti i pasti vengono consumati insieme e cerchiamo di mangiare dal giardino il più possibile. I volontari sono invitati ad aiutare con i compiti di cucina e pulizia.
Nei vostri giorni liberi ci sono molte belle escursioni da fare. Per esempio... al Monastero di San Francesco (La Verna), al villaggio abbandonato di San Silvestre o alle numerose cascate e pozze naturali. Siamo letteralmente nel mezzo di una foresta a circa 2 ore a piedi dal negozio o bar più vicino. Quindi offriamo l'opportunità ideale per sperimentare un'autentica vita off-grid nella natura.Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre
JardinageBricolage et constructionS’occuper des animauxAide dans une fermeBaby-sitting et jeux créatifsAide à la maisonEntretien généralObjectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre
Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre
Although we are in Italy we're very isolated so it's not the best place for volunteers to come expecting a Italian cultural exchange. We are English.
We offer the opportunity to learn many life skills from cooking and baking bread to gardening and fixing the roof.
We live off-the-grid and practice organic gardening and self-sufficiency. So our cultural exchange would be an exchange of lifestyle and knowledge rather than a typical Italian cultural exchange.Projets impliquant des enfants
Ce projet peut impliquer des enfants. Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos directives et conseils ici.
Aide
We're looking for enthusiastic volunteers who are passionate about nature, independent, hardworking and enjoy being outside and getting stuck in!
What you could do here greatly depends on what you're capable of doing. There's also always new stuff to build and old stuff to fix and renovate and it's an ideal playground to the DIY enthusiast.
Depending on your skills such tasks could be....
Gardening (planting, weeding, watering, soil improvement etc)
Collecting firewood from the forest
House maintenance and DIY
Maintaining and improving the 3km long road to the house (cleaning ditches, filling holes etc)
Painting and decorating
Carpentry projects
General manual labour
General house renovation
Building and repairing dry stone walls
Fixing tools and machines
Plumbing
The garden and house need constant attention and improvement.
A certain points in the year there could be times when we are focusing on one specific project...like working on the road or collecting firewood for winterLangues parlées
Anglais: Courant
Italien: CourantHébergement
The type of accommodation can vary depending how many other volunteers or guests are around. But you will either stay in one of our spare bedrooms or possibly in a tent during the summer.
There is a separate bathroom for guests.
The house is off-grid, which means we are not connected to the mains electricity. We only have a small solar panel system - not a problem in summer but it can mean we have limited electricity supply in the winter months. Our water, comes clean and natural to the house from a nearby spring.Autres infos...
About the place and your stay...
We are in a very remote part of east Tuscany called the Casentino. In contrast to the rolling hills, vine yards and the olive groves of what you imagine to be the classic Tuscany, here it is very wild and mountainous and we are surrounded by lush forests. The houses are literally in the middle of the woods within the National Park of the Casentine forests. The houses are reached by a 3km old stone track only accessible on foot or 4x4 vehicle. The houses are fully off grid. Our electricity comes from solar and water is sourced from a natural spring. Hot water is supplied from a wood burning stove. It is an exceptionally peaceful place of untouched natural beauty. The nearest neighbor is a 30min walk away and there is no light pollution, perfect for stargazing and forest-walks. This is a very special place just to be and experience nature.
Places to visit during your stay....
La Verna - the medieval monastery of Saint Francis of Assisi. Perched high on a cliff face at the top of the mountain this sacred place is surrounded by some of the oldest and largest trees in the valley in a forest known as the 'foresta encantata' (enchanted forest). It is here where the Saint retreated in his cave and communed with the wildlife and nature and eventually received his stigmata. It is clear to understand why even to this day many pilgrims still visit this sacred wild place for prayer and meditation... or perhaps for some, just simply to enjoy the view!
Next is the 'abandoned village' of San Silvestre. This once thriving village was deserted after the second world war and since then it has been left open to the destructive forces of nature and has slowly been eaten up by the wilderness. Here trees grow from the middle of the ruins and the only signs of life are the sheep loitering the old lanes and grazing the overgrowth. Although only abandoned this century, the village emanates a feeling of a 'lost civilisation'. Beautiful place for sunset!
There are several waterfalls and rivers big enough for swimming in the valley. Indispensable on a hot day, these can be reached on foot and will no doubt be visited during your stay with us.
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Please be aware that we are isolated and hard to get to. The house is literally in the middle of the woods, it can only be reached by 4x4 vehicles and of course on foot. It is a place to immerse yourself into nature, explore forests and footpaths and to simply enjoy the peace. Fantastic for walkers. It is not a place to use as a base from where you can easily go on day trips to other tourist cities in Italy.Informations complémentaires
Accès Internet
Accès Internet limité
Nous avons des animaux
Nous sommes fumeurs
Familles bienvenues
Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux
Cet hôte a dit qu’il acceptait les personnes voyageant avec un animal.
Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?
Plus de 2
Nombre d'heures attendues
5 hours a day maximum (max 25hrs/week)
Feedback (50)
From the moment I arrived I could feel the serenity in the air. Even as I approached their road, I got a real sense that it was going to be an awesome experience. Supplemented by the outstanding mountainside view, all the truly gratifying work we got to do… read more
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Exactitude du profil:
(4.9)
Échange culturel:
(4.8)
Communication:
(4.9)
From the moment I arrived I could feel the serenity in the air. Even as I approached their road, I got a real sense that it was going to be an awesome experience. Supplemented by the outstanding mountainside view, all the truly gratifying work we got to do… read more
George, Sophie, Caio and India are a welcoming and easy going family. The atmosphere is fun, the food is delicious and nutritious, the work is rewarding and the place is beautiful. Highly recommend, and hope to… read more
Would recommend to anyone and everyone!
They helped us a lot with many varied tasks including collecting and splitting firewood, weeding and spreading manure around the fruit trees, cleaning the cow's stable, watering the garden, stripping paint off an old floor...and many more little tasks such as repairing chairs and… read more
We gained new skills, learned how to care… read more
They helped us a lot with many varied tasks including collecting and splitting firewood, weeding and spreading manure around the fruit trees, cleaning the cow's stable, watering the garden, stripping paint off an old floor...and many more little tasks such as repairing chairs and… read more
Hosting Stefan was one of the best workaway experiences we've had. He's a proper willing and… read more
The farm is old and very pretty. The spacious (workaway)room with a view has its own entry and (at a lower level) its own shower/toilet. During my… read more
every day after working with a super volunteer group it was nice to see a positive change. In Addition I like to remember being together at lunchtime.
great thank you and greetings
Elias
Together with the hosts and… read more
An huge hug <3 (obviously) :D
Matteo
This place really is magical, in the forest and away from everything. The house is beautiful and the surroundings so peaceful.
Work was varied and interesting, we could do what we enjoyed with no pressure, we always wanted to help as it… read more
She's great company and had lots of stories and experiences to share. She's very independent and appreciates the quiet and spending time in nature,… read more
They are both hard workers, always happy to teach and help, I learnt a lot from them.
These weeks were full of fun and lots of tea! They were flexible and understanding and truly terrific hosts. We worked on renovating the house and garden getting it ready for summer time, we made a list of tasks and… read more
During the 3 weeks that she stayed with us we enjoyed hanging out in the evenings… read more
Jamie is very strong and fit so he's… read more
We had lots of clearing out to do, taking down roofs, patching up areas of walls/roofs with cement and stones, as well as cooking. There was also lots of tea that needed to be drank, games that needed to be played (ask him about The Book Game.… read more
When i first arrived someone… read more
I wouldn't never imagined a place like this, there my cells became alive.
Full of serenity and crazyness the love that george and all the surroundings radiated took my full heart.
The nature itself is a perfomance each second. The forest was powerfull and softly realising, the most magical trees i ever observed and… read more
We had an… read more
I really hope that i'll come back one day because it is a very special place.… read more
George was exceptionally kind, helpful, patent and knowledgeable. From the moment we were picked up from the station to the moment we left a month later we felt completely at ease, welcomed and safe. The house is in the most unbelievable setting and George made me feel… read more
george is an inspiring, hardworking person with an awesome vision for the paradise he's making in the mountains. he's really open to new ideas and encouraged my creativity a lot. he liked to base our projects off of our skills and interests, and was… read more
Please come back!!
Both work with good initiative and integrity.
Their complimentary personalities are a pleasure to be around; John's humble and sincere nature vs Adam's sharp rational intellect (his ability to read novels in a number of hours is extrordinary!?)
But their differences are bound together by their… read more