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Help and stay amongst nature in beautiful Umbria, Italy

  • Favourited 656 times
  • Last activity: 27 Mar 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least a week

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    We really need some help right now in springtime. Generally spoken we have enough work for the year round, except from the winterperiod. We mostly spend our winters in Holland. So from the end of November up to mid February/early March, we generally cannot have workawayers.


    We, Willem and Edith, are two former Dutch judges who changed tracks in 2008. After more than 30 years working for the public interest, we wanted to dedicate ourselves to another passion, arts. We have always had a wide interest in arts. We searched more than 3 years to find the ideal spot in Italy and started a centre for creative and culinary courses.
    We are located on a historical site on a distance of 6km from the village of Ficulle. 4km white/dirt track.
    You can find the tracks of the Etruscans who lived here 3000 years ago. The caves which they scarved are still in use, for example as communal kitchen. Stunning views up to Orvieto's cathedral.
    No visible neighbours. Silence apart from sounds of nature: birds, frogs, toads are oly a few examples. You might see squirrels,foxes,porcupines, wild boars. Plenty of fruit trees(picking allowed). Dazing smells of lovely flowers, several ponds with waterlillies and lotus.
    There are loads of possibilities for your free time: 'dolce far niente',walking,rambling,biking,horsbackriding,sightseeing,swimming,
    sailing. Several swimmingpools in de neighbourhood.
    Lakes: Trasimeno,Corbara,Bolsena.
    Historical towns:Orvieto,Todi,Città delle Pieve,Perugia,Assisi,Cetona,Montepulciano,San Casciano dei Bagni,Bolsena,(città)Bagnoreggio.
    Etruscan necropolis+archeological sites.
    Sculpture parcs,Museums,wine,olive oil,delicious regional traditional food.
    Rome 1 hr. Florence 1,5 hrs. by train. Both coasts appr. 2hrs. by car.

    Living here for more than 15 years we got to know the area and the people pretty well. We are most willing to guide you to secret places which you would not have found on your own.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Art Projects
    Help with Eco Projects
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    - International cultural, historic, political and whatever exchange
    - enjoying good meals, having interesting conversations, serious but with humor and laughter too:)
    - gardening, both in the decorative and the vegetable garden, in terms of (re)setting up plots
    as well as maintainance (weeding, cutting, pruning, planting etc.)
    - maintenance of dry stone walls
    - building your strength by heavy works, like dragging with wood, soil etc. In the olive picking season working on the flexibility of your muscles (climbing trees)
    - cooking
    - making jams and chutneys
    - painting
    - building (in case we have building works)
    - making mosaics (if we have a mosaic project)

    and more and more....:)

  • Help

    Help

    Depending on the maturity we are going to pick olives in the end of October/ first week of November.

    We are surrounded by a parc of 2 ha's. We have loads of plants, bushes, trees. So there is a lot of work to do, e.g. grass mowing, weeding, pruning, planting, making cuttings ecc. Especially in spring, early summer and autumn a lot of tasks has to be done. For these periods we are looking for people with a real passion for and experience on gardening. In autumn i.a. picking olives is an important item.
    Maintenance on old stone walls, steps, pathes ecc. can also be done during the summer and winter. Work on the vegetable garden has to be done almost all year round, apart from the winter. Nevertheless most of the tasks has to be done in springtime.
    Besides the house where the owners live, are there several other buildings, which constantly are in need of maintenance, like painting, sometimes restoring things that are broken, light building projects ecc. ecc.
    With a view to the work and the accommodation we prefer a couple as helpers. We ask workawayers to join us for at least one entire week.
    What we need are people with a passion for gardening and some technical skills. Driving licence and car are preferable.

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    German: Fluent
    English: Fluent
    Italian: Fluent
    Dutch: Fluent
    French: Intermediate

    This host offers a language exchange
    Being interested in other people and cultures it goes for itself that we are interested in (other) languages. Being able to communicate with people from other cultures make one better understand and widens one's view on the world...

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    If the apartments are not rented out, we can offer you one of our apartments with fully equipped kitchen, bathroom and separate bedroom. Although there is central heating, we ask you to use the woodstove, especcially now, since the energy prices are sky high.
    In case the apartments are rented, we have on offer a small studio, with a 140cm bed, a shower and a small sink. Toilet and washbasin in a separate space. Private terrace with stunning views.
    Of course we will eat together every now and then, but you might like to have your own privacy. Therefore you can use the kitchen in your apartment or the communal kitchencave for your cooking. It goes for itself, that you can use the vegetable garden and fruits from the trees.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    The 2-ha's parc is located on a stupendous spot, surrounded by nature. Magnificent views, heavenly smells, no neighbours, wildlife, silence. There is a house where the owners live, an apartment building , a small studio, sheds and several caves, made by the Etruscans. Some of the caves are semi-habitable: one is in use as a kitchen, another contains some showers and toilets and a laundryroom. We restored another one in 2016; it is a beautiful place now for mutliple use like: small gatherings, assemblies, concerts etc. We ourselves will use it as a studio for our creative works as well.
    Our place is offered as a space for creative and culinary courses; when free, the accomodations are for rent (without a course) as well.

    We always make efforts to respond everybody, usually within one day. Our response rate always has been rather high, apart from some internet problems we have had some years ago :-)
    We would appreciate it very much if you try to distinct yourself in a positive way and simply answer our messages, like we do yours.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    We have done everything to create a good internet connection. In June somebody has succesfully given leadership trainings on line.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    You have to drive carefully on the dirt road, but nodoby has to have insurmountable difficulties to get in here

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    approximately 5 hours, morning or afternoon by mutual agreement

Host ref number: 886815881171

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