Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
9 Apr 2024
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 9 days
Feedback
42
Email verified
Badges (2)
Details
Description
We are a friendly, happy couple with two grown-up children; a son, Vincenzo who is in Sardinia studying to become a doctor and a daughter, Valentina who has graduated in languages and running an English Language School, She lives above us and is a mother of two adorable children, Sebastian 9 years old and Olivia 3 Years old. My husband is a chemical engineer and now that he has retired from work, he loves spending his time in the countryside.. I have retired from teaching English as a second language. We both love socializing and meeting new people.
We live in a country house located on the outskirts of Montescaglioso, a town rich in history and traditions situated in the Basilicata Region, in Southern Italy.
The nearest city (a 20 min. drive away) is Matera, a Unesco World Heritage Site. It is a fascinating city, famous for its 'Sassi' and for having been the location for Mel Gibson's film The Passion. It has lots of bars, restaurants, coffee shops and of course great shopping!! It's an amazing place to explore if you enjoy cultural experiences, history and architecture.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Our candidates will learn something about Italian culture. Living in a small town in the south of Italy, they will taste the real Italian traditional food. They will live with a family in a big house surrounded by a garden and lots of genuine products that nature gives us. They will improve their English as part of the family is English and find a lot of new friends apart from having a new family here with us.
Help
Interested candidates should email us with what skills they could offer so that we can assess suitability. Ideal applicants should be active and fit with a friendly mature outlook on life who are seeking to find out and discover Southern Italy. But it will appeal to anyone who is interested in art, culture, architecture, agriculture and good food.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
Accommodation
You will be staying in the guest room, which is part of the house, but totally independent. It consists of a bedroom and a personal bathroom. Within the bedroom, there is a bed, a built- in wardrobe, two bedside cabinets, a table, an easy chair and a private shower room with toilet, sink and bidet.
The guest room overlooks the garden where you can find a vineyard and a variety of fruit trees such as a fig tree, a plum tree and an apple tree. It doesn't have its own cooking facilities but we will provide a small fridge so that you can keep drinks cool. See photos attached.
Meals provided will be self-service breakfast and a typical Montese lunch prepared by the host, Maria Carmela. We will enjoy lunch together with a glass or two of local wine in the tavernetta. You will need your own transport if you wish to visit the surrounding area. There are buses which take you there and back to Matera every hour. The closest airport is Bari and there are buses which take you there from Matera.
In exchange for free accommodation, self service breakfast and two meals which are served at lunchtime and dinnertime, we require five hours work everyday (usually 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. but this can be flexible). It would be nice to have lunch and dinner with the hosts, in the tavernetta, so as to feel part of the family. Most of the afternoons and the evenings constitute your free time to explore the local area or simply relax and enjoy reading a book in the tavernetta or outside on the patio under the porch (I have a wide variety of English novels you could choose from).
The house is surrounded by the countryside and by its own garden. A ten minute walk, will take you to town, where you can visit the Benedictine Abbey dating back to the year 1000 A.D. and see many old churches in the historical part of the town. Apart from Montescaglioso, particularly recommended is Matera and the beaches of Metaponto on the Ionian Coast (a 20 min. drive from my town) where you can see relics dating back to four or five centuries B.C. when Metaponto was an ancient Greek Colony. It's a great location where you can learn about the real Italy!!!
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
I live on the outskirts of my town and there is lots of space for parking ...
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
5 hours per day, 5 days a week
Feedback (20)
She is an adorable person and we all got on very well with her. She is very talented especially in art. In fact she has left us a beautiful drawing of Sebastian which she drew for his birthday.
Both Olivia and Sebastian adored her. She spent the afternoons playing with them and teaching little… read more
We got on very well together. They left their room clean and tidy. They will always be welcome, whenever they want to come back to Montescaglioso.
I highly recommend them to any future workaway host.
We spent such pleasant moments together and we enjoyed listening to Kalil sing accompanied by the music of his guitar.
They left the room clean and tidy and I highly… read more
Photos
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
She is an adorable person and we all got on very well with her. She is very talented especially in art. In fact she has left us a beautiful drawing of Sebastian which she drew for his birthday.
Both Olivia and Sebastian adored her. She spent the afternoons playing with them and teaching little… read more
We got on very well together. They left their room clean and tidy. They will always be welcome, whenever they want to come back to Montescaglioso.
I highly recommend them to any future workaway host.
We spent such pleasant moments together and we enjoyed listening to Kalil sing accompanied by the music of his guitar.
They left the room clean and tidy and I highly… read more
Miranda is a lovely girl and we got on very well with her. She did a good job looking after baby Olivia and Sebastian was fond of her too!
She loves history and this gave me the opportunity to take her round the historical centre of our town and… read more
The food was excellent!! I was introduced to a lot of new things :)
Montescaglioso is a beautiful place,… read more
She got on very well with all the members of the family. Baby Olivia and Sebastian adored her! I wish her lots of happiness and luck in the future.
She left the room tidy and clean and I highly recommend her to future workaway hosts!
She left the room tidy and clean and I hope to see her again sometime in the… read more
She is a kind and caring person and all the members of the family loved her. I hope to see her again one day soon and she will always be welcome to my home and next time as my guest! I highly recommend her to any future workaway… read more
They are a happy charming couple, they got on very well with all my family members and it was nice to share moments together. They loved eating Italian food, (especially Anton) and it made me so… read more
I think Carmella and Pasquale are some of the kindest, most lovely people I’ve ever met. I stayed with them for a month whilst working in their daughter Valentina’s school and was blown away by their hospitality.
As Carmella is a native English speaker, we were able to easily converse about anything and everything, although… read more
She has been a great help to my daughter in her private English school. The students adored her and she was very good in getting them to converse freely in English.
We shall be delighted to have her back again as soon as… read more
Bennett is a great worker and we got on very well. It made me so happy to cook the local specialities which he enjoyed eating so much. My husband too, was so happy for Bennet's help on the land, picking olives and other. We truly hope to see him again, and I wish to tell him, that he will… read more
Carmela and Pasquale are very caring and I couldn't ask for a better place to explore this beautiful Italian life.
Carmela always makes sure that you enjoy the rich regional culture from food to history. Also Pasquale has a great knowledge of their surroundings, especially in farming. I am very thankful to have learned a lot… read more
Our experience with them has been a very positive one. They helped my husband on the land picking olives and in many other things which needed to be done. They also did a great job in the garden getting rid of all the weeds and pruning the… read more
Carmela and Pasquale are fantastic hosts who know how to make you feel comfortable and part of the family. Their house is really comfortable, with a big fireplace making the place nice and warm when it is cold outside. You can really feel at home there. And Carmela is one of the best cook we ever met ! Every meal is… read more
At home she helped… read more
My Dear Italian Family,
This was my second visit to this incredible family who I am so grateful to have crossed paths with again.
My stay here (like last time) was amazing and this is defiantly a Workaway you do not want to miss out on if you are passing or have the opportunity.
I spent 3 incredible weeks helping… read more
They were very polite , friendly and trustworthy. They got on very well with all the members of the family even baby Sebastian adored them! We were sorry to see them… read more
They were great helpers too!!! They did a great job with the garden....they got rid of all the weeds and… read more
This experience will defiantly be one to remember and we hope to return one day.
We were treated like family here and thats just what you want and need when you have been traveling for 6 months and are missing home.
We learnt a lot about Italy, Cooking and the Land.
We done a wide… read more
