Profilangaben
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Host Bewertung
100 %
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Letzte Antwort
4 Aug. 2026
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Beantwortungsquote
95.0 %
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Country info
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Geforderte Mindest-Aufenthaltsdauer: mindestens 2 Wochen
Informationen
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Beschreibung
WE ARE CURRENTLY SEEKING VOLUNTEERS TO HELP WITH THE OLIVE HARVEST IN NOVEMBER 2026 (EXCACT DATES TO BE DECIDED). PLEASE ONLY CONTACT US REGARDING THIS PROJECT.
We are looking for 4-5 volunteers to help us with the olive harvest in November 2026. The exact dates will depend on when the olives are ripe, so please contact us and follow updates here. Once we start, we work intensively to get the olives to the press. When it is not raining we will both mornings and afternoons, with a picnic lunch in the field. We will offer extra days off to make up for the longer work days.
We live in a remote, peaceful hamlet of 3 farmhouses in a forest above the small mountain village of Baggio, in northern Tuscany, 10km from Pistoia - a beautiful medieval city between Florence and Lucca. This place was abandoned after WWII and the houses, fields and orchards have been gradually restored by our family since the 1960s. We are off-road (except by 4WD) so there is a 10-min walk up a stone mule path.
Location and transportation:
The nearest city, Pistoia, is well-connected by train and bus. The closest airports are Florence, Pisa, and Bologna. The house is off a forest road above a small mountain village. A paved road ends a short 5 minute walk from the house. To drive to the house, 4WD is needed. The bus stop is also a 15min walk from the house, and has regular service to the city of Pistoia (40min ride).
About us:
We are Jethro and Olivia (mid-60s). Jethro is a social scientist, activist and former university teacher, and Olivia is a writer and former teacher. We are American, lived in the UK for many years, and have been coming here for 50+ years. We now live in Italy year-round and are involved with community groups dedicated to providing spaces and activities for people to reconnect with nature. Volunteers become part of this wider community of friends, families and pilgrims. Sometimes we are also joined by our 3 children (in their 30s), their partners and children,and Olivia's mother (early 90s).
We're creating an organic permaculture homestead, and restoring the buildings and landscape for a sustainable future. We have bees, orchards, gardens, olives and a friendly dog. For those who enjoy outdoor projects, there is always plenty to do, managing our gardens, chestnut woods, fruit trees, olive groves, fields, fences, walking trails, forest roads, farmhouses, outbuildings and swimming pond!
Come by car, bike, or train+local bus, or if we are here, we'll meet you at Pistoia station. -
Arten von Hilfe und Lernmöglichkeiten
Hilfe bei Ökoprojekten
Leichte Gartenarbeit
Kreative Heimwerkerprojekte
Mithilfe auf einem Bauernhof
Zubereiten / Kochen von Mahlzeiten für die Familie
Leichte Instandhaltungsarbeiten
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Interessengebiete
Vegetarier / VeganerNachhaltigkeitSelbstentwicklungPolitik & SozialesHaustiereFarmarbeitKulturKaritative ArbeitenSchreibenDarstellende KünsteMusikSprachenGeschichteGartenarbeitenHeimwerken & DIYKochen & BackenTischlerarbeitenKunst & DesignBücherArchitekturTiereYoga / WellnessNaturGebirgeWandern -
Kultureller Austausch und Lernmöglichkeiten
Baggio is a traditional Tuscan mountain village (pop 120) with an active community association that runs a bar and occasional pizza restaurant in the summer, and a small museum dedicated to the village's charcoal-making days. The village dates from 900 AD if not earlier, and our farm is on an ancient stone-paved pilgrimage route from Roman times. Local families tend their olive orchards, gardens and chickens, manage their chestnut woods for fuel and timber, collect mushrooms and hunt wild boar, in addition to their day jobs in nearby Pistoia. Volunteers can meet local families if they wish, and take part in community activities or go for walks through the farmland, olives and chestnut woods. We are the last inhabited house on this part of the mountain, and behind us is a vast forest wilderness with trails and forest roads leading up into the high Apennines, with well-marked hiking trails and endless wildlife... boar, deer, wolves, porcupines, badgers, foxes, birds of prey, insects and reptiles. Pistoia (12km away) is a charming, well-preserved medieval Tuscan city with historic churches, museums, bars, restaurants, shops and vibrant open markets. Volunteers often explore the local region, going by bus/train to visit Pistoia, Lucca, Florence, and beyond.
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Arbeit
We are looking for 4-5 volunteers to help us with the olive harvest in November 2026. The exact dates will depend on when the olives are ripe, so please contact us and follow updates here. Once we start, we work intensively to get the olives to the press. When it is not raining we will both mornings and afternoons, with a picnic lunch in the field. We will offer extra days off to make up for the longer work days.
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Gesprochene Sprachen
Deutsch: Fließend
Englisch: Fließend
Spanisch: Fließend
Italienisch: Fließend
Französisch: Gute Kenntnisse -
Unterkunft
We provide comfortable rooms and beds with linens and towels, share bathrooms, sometimes a kitchen space if not using our kitchen, in warm houses heated by wood, and with reasonable WiFi.
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Was noch ...
We expect volunteers to help out in the kitchen (cooking or washing up) in addition to volunteer time. You are free to relax around here or explore the area in your time off. This place is on the edge of a mountain wilderness perfect for adventurous walks or a dip in the secluded waterfall 20 mins walk away, or explore the village of Baggio and get to know our neighbours. The local bar is open on summer evenings where villagers congregate on a large terrace with a panoramic view. Just down the valley by bus is the beautiful medieval city of Pistoia, with spectacular churches, architecture, museums, markets, festivals and a trendy cafe and restaurant scene (frequented mainly by Italians escaping from the big tourist cities in Tuscany!) There are frequent train connections to Florence, Lucca and Pisa. Non-smokers only and no drugs please. Please contact us only if you are available for the dates mentioned in our profile.
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Etwas mehr Information
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Internet Zugang
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Eingeschränkter Internet Zugang
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Wir besitzen Tiere
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Wir sind Raucher
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Familien möglich
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Kann Digital Nomads unterbringen
Good wifi (20 Mbps) suitable for video calls and streaming
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Kapazität - wie viele Workawayer maximal
mehr als zwei
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Meine Tiere/Haustiere
Caleb (7 Jahren)
friendly
Chatte mit Workawayern, die diesen Gastgeber besucht haben
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Korrekte Angaben im Profil:
(5.0)
Kultureller Austausch:
(4.9)
Kommunikation:
(5.0)
The work was great! I was lucky enough to work on the shutters. We made some additions, … read more
The work overall was amazing and always good planned. I've had so much fun doing the varied tasks. They've also kept an eye on the time and made sure that we … read more
us three (handpicked 😉) volunteers had il canniccio, a beautifully restored, cozy chestnut drying house for our own use and olivia and jethros house was always an open place for the best homecooked meals, interesting … read more
The farmhouse is in a beatiful area with a lot to explore, a great place for nature-lovers. Both Olivia and Jethro are kind and open hosts happy to share their stories and curious about those of … read more
Thank you Olivia and Jethro for opening your home to us; freely … read more
And even with these difficulties, I … read more
During our stay, we helped to harvest fruit and vegetables in their garden and to renovate the old chestnut roasting house into a place for pilgrims to … read more
I had … read more
This was my first workaway and and great one to start with, I had an amazing two weeks staying with Olivia and Jethro and I have memories I will treasure forever!
I loved the shared meals and family atmosphere and I learned a lot about gardening. Olivia and Jethro were always willing to let me try new experiences and … read more
Jethro and Olivia you both created a little paradiae and I enjoyed being part of it for 2 weeks.
they way you treat your workawayers is so special, working together, hosts and workawayers, eat together that all made a feeling of community.
Jethro and Olivia both are great cooks! so the culinary part was rich every day … read more
I learnt a lot about nature, gardening, the history of Baggio and of course all about olive oil !
I will defenetly come back to visit them !
I was part of a group with other 5 workawayers that I met there and it was nice to achieve together many … read more
My stay at their house near Baggio was my first workaway experience so I didn’t really know what to expect and was also kind of afraid. In the end all my expectations got topped. I felt really comfortable there, not like a guest, more like part of the family. We had good talks, good work and also good food … read more
Jethro and Olivia are wonderful hosts, the accommodation and food all came far above my expectations of workaway. We were fortunate enough to share this experience with another workaway couple, Dante and Lisa. Being involved as part of a larger team really … read more