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Host rating
80 %
Last replied
29 Apr 2026
Feedback
51
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Host offers payment
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Badges (4)
Details
Description
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We are looking for helpers (travelling as a couple or 2 close friends, for a minimum stay of 3 weeks) to help us with all of our upcoming activities during our tourist season (April-October).
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We are Torben and Klaartje (= Claire), a Dutch couple living in Umbria, Italy, since 2008. We set up our own business here in Umbria 18 years ago, and have been renting out our big villa - consisting of 7 holiday apartments with a communal pool - to mainly Dutch and Belgian guests, between the 1st of April - 30th October every year. We accomodate individual travellers and families but also rent out the villa as a whole, to groups of friends/families for special occasions. If the house is rented out to a group, we also supply our guests with catering options. We organize yoga retreats (twice a year), a special Masterclass Photography and Wine Tasting weekends. Also, Klaartje is a weddingplanner for couples who want to use this place as a wedding location. In 2026, there will be 5 weddings.
To help us out with all our activities, and because we like to meet people from all around the world, we have asked many, many helpers to stay with us for 15 years now, during our busiest times. We have made some dear friends because of Workaway, so we love this way of 'exchanging cultures'.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We like for them to experience the Italian countryside, visit the nearby cities
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Host offers payment in line with the minimum wage
This host offers accommodation and payment.
Help
What kind of Helpers do we need?
We are looking for 2 Helpers (1 couple, or 2 friends travelling together) to help us make sure that all of our guests staying here are happy at all times.
We would ask you to help us cook for our guests (2 or 3 times a week), which means prepping dinner, eating together with us and the guests, and then cleaning up afterwards. Apart from being the 'kitchen crew' with us, we would ask for your help in making sure that the pool is cleaned everyday, all the sunbeds are there, that the terraces aren't messy, the garden looks nice, that the minibar is filled, that the plants are being watered... etcetera, etcetera. Basically we need an extra set of eyes and an extra pair of hands for all the little chores that need to be done when a villa is occupied by (in high season)14 adults and usually 14 children.
The two months of high season (July and August) are really busy, so this is why we ask for people who ENJOY being with tourists, who have experience in hospitality and are friendly to our guests. In other words: outgoing and lively people who do not shy away from strangers but have a high service mentality! We ourselves love to laugh, so a sense of humour is a definite pro :-). Because this type of work means being friendly even when you're tired or hot (Italy is hot in summer), and we need to be able to rely on our helpers being customer friendly (as are we). We pride ourselves at making this place a very 'familyrun, relaxed, child friendly place', where we welcome a lot of returning guests each year. They really book a week of their precious holiday 'with Torben and Klaartje', instead of booking an apartment at any random beautiful villa in Italy.
We look for people who are practical, who work pro-actively even if we can not monitor the work constantly (this is VERY important to us), thus show initiative. We also like to surround ourselves with people who have a positive outlook on life. Preferibly in the ages between 25 - 55. We ourselves are 52 and 54 years old, but mentally still 28 :).
IN GENERAL:
As our helper, you will help 5 days a week, and will have 2 days off. The two days of may not always be consecutive days, unfortunately. Because in the tourist season, things are sometimes difficult to plan. For example: if high season-life is suddenly and unpredictably really hectic one day, we need people to help us improvise and be flexible, instead of looking at their watches and 'calling it a day'. We will ALWAYS make up for longer hours, we will give you extra time off in slower days, etc.
We will provide you with all the food & drinks. When we cook for our guests, our helpers join for dinner (if they want to). There is always food in the house, that can be used by our helpers.
You will sleep in our 'attic room', which is a bedroom with a double bed and a private shower and toilet. We have to warn you though: the roof is sloping on one end of the bedroom, so if your are two meters tall is would be a problem. You can use the general kitchen downstairs (only used by us, not by our guests) as your kitchen.
You are welcome of course to use the pool in your free hours.
Please note: We ourselves have worked terribly hard during the last 17 ears, running our businesses (we also have an online webshop through which we export wine, and Torben is a project manager for people who want to buy a second home in Umbria) while taking care of 2 daughters and constantly working non-stop and we are proud of the result. We also look for people who know what it means to get the job done. While working we try to have as much fun as possible.
On your days off, we will of course bring you to train station etc if you want to visit the cities in the neighbourhood. You can easily get to Florence, Rome, Perugia, Orvieto, Siena etc).
The tourist villa is situated on a hill, but you can walk up to the nearest village (20 minutes) where there is a restaurant and a bar, and we will always be prepared to drive you to train stations etc.
Anyone who wants to visit Italy and help us in exchange for a nice place to stay: please feel free to contact us! We look forward to meeting you all!
All the best, ciao ciao, Torben & Klaartje
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
Danish: Intermediate
Accommodation
Bedroom with shower and toilet
What else ...
In their time off helpers can go explore the neighbourhood, lovely cities all around us, most reachable by train or bus. Daytrips to Rome and Florence are also easy!
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (30)
These 2 are the best. Always helpful, always ready, always smiling and having fun. They have great responsibility and even do many things on their own initiative which makes them an absolute extra pair eyes and hands the whole time.… read more
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Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
These 2 are the best. Always helpful, always ready, always smiling and having fun. They have great responsibility and even do many things on their own initiative which makes them an absolute extra pair eyes and hands the whole time.… read more
also showed so much interest for the world around him. A sweet and kind person, always ready to help and work, very polite and full of gratitude. He can do many, many things, we actually offered him to stay longer but he had… read more
My task was to help them preparing the place for the start of the touristic season. There was a lot of variation in the tasks (gardening,… read more
She is bright, smart and has a fantastic sense of humor (I know....very un-German ;-) ).
And she was always in a good mood and ready and willing to help us out even if she was actually on leave but an emergency occurred and we had to ask her to watch our little… read more
Torben and Klaartje are wonderful hosts, very attentive and serious about their job though also very lively and funny and full of good spirit. They where nice enough to organize for us a pizza evening, where each one of us had the opportunity to… read more
Torben and Claire are very good hosts and we spent 5 fantastic weeks here. The place is so beautiful and the tasks meet our expectations. We loved to cook and serve dinners to the families staying there, helping Torben and Claire. The contact with the guest is very familiar which contributed for us… read more
I was part of the March team and it really was one of the best workaway experiences I've had. Klaar and Torben really are welcoming and make you feel like part of the big family of people they've hosted.
The whole team had such fun together in the beautiful guest house. The location is basically perfect because you're in… read more
