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Come help us enjoy La Bella Vita in Tuscany, Italy

Italy
Last activity : 17 Mar 2025

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80 %
Last replied
30 Jul 2022
Feedback
18
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2025

Min stay requested: 1 month or more

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Description
All of our extended family - me and my four brothers and sisters, our parents, and our in-laws offer farmstay accommodation on an organic farm in the Tuscan countryside. The family farm is just outside of Torrita Di Siena, near the bigger tourist towns of Montepulciano and Chianciano Terme. We have lots of land that we live off of- large olive groves, a vineyard, fruit tree, a vegetable garden, and many animals (pigs, horses, chickens, rabbits, dogs, cats...and the occasional fox that wanders onto our land from the forest). It takes a lot of work to run the farm, so we all pitch in and work together.

While one of us is always at the farm, all of us also have paid work away from the farm during the week. I work for our local council and, in my spare time, I run yoga workshops. I also offer yoga retreats at our farmstay. I am learning English but it is not yet good enough to converse well with Native English-speakers.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Gardening
Farmstay help
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We want our helpers to feel part of our extended family and learn to love the Tuscan way of life. Feast days and rituals figure heavily on the Italian social calendar, and they are often open to participation by all and sundry. In fact, many of the nearby villages will have something on each month to be experienced.

In addition to us providing accommodation and meals, our helpers also will have the opportunity to learn about how we serve Italian-vegetarian cooking from our own organic farm produce. Helpers also can benefit from our approach to a balanced diet, promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Also as part of the cultural exchange, I would be happy to provide lessons in the dynamic form of yoga that I teach. Whether helpers are novices or already practice yoga, much can be gained from a new experience. Naturally, also, helpers will have a great opportunity with us to practice their Italian!
Au Pair Help
Further details can be found here
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
We are searching for people to help us learn & practice more English, as well as help on our private family farm. This may include: help with our vegetable garden that provides organic products for our meals, helping with the grape & olive harvests, some childcare & odd-jobs in my home, occasional help with maintenance on our land, and teaching me some digital marketing skills like SEO and social media.

Helpers need to be healthy and fit to also assist us. Better still if our helpers have an interest in yoga. The work itself is not difficult or onerous and, usually, it will be supervised. So, we don't require 'experts' but, rather, responsible people with positive energy who are willing to 'join' our family.

I have a small child that I need help with when I am busy.
Languages
Languages spoken
Italian: Fluent
This host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.
Accommodation
We have a double room with private bathroom that would be either shared by two individual Workawayers or be dedicated to a couple.
What else ...
There are many activities for helpers to enjoy in their time off. The Natural Reserve of Pietraporciana that is situated between two valleys in southern-central Tuscany is nearby, surrounded by farmland and woods. They are ideal places for bicycling, walking, bird-watching, and other pursuits such as painting.

Nearby are wonderful villages with incredible history waiting to be explored. For example, there are hot springs In Chianciano Terme, Bagno San Filippo and Bagno Vignoni. Wine lovers will delight in Montepulciano and Montalcino, and also in Pienza that is the home to pecorino cheese. Siena is only a short hour train ride from us. Helpers would need their own transport to reach these places.
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.
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two

Host ref number: 145427567997

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Feedback (10)

30 Apr 2020

Left by Workawayer (Eric Maicon & Ruany Ferreira) for host

It was our first experiencie with Workaway. We got deeply into the Italian culture and because of that, we had the chance to learn wonderful things. Anna and her family are incredible. We learned sooooo much with her about yoga and how to be happy no matter how the life is. We learned with Carmella how to cook and how is an Italian family. We also… read more

(Excellent )

19 Mar 2020

Left by host for Workawayer (Workaway member)

Sono così felice di aver conosciuto Jil e Andre.
Sono arrivati qui alla fine di gennaio, erano già in Italia, prima che il "paziente zero" tedesco divulgasse il coronavirus, e se ne sono andati a fine febbraio quando ancora non c'era tutta questa epidemia. Vi scrivo questo perchè sia chiaro che per adesso abitando in Toscana dove i casi sono… read more limitati se hai bisogno di aiuto sei in tempo a chiamarli e saranno sicuramente sani. Non hanno attraversato il nord e il nostro paese è un piccolo paese nella provincia di Siena dove ancora si respira aria pulita, per fortuna...!
Ma cosa possono fare per te questi due splendidi ragazzi? Sono persone energiche e in salute, hanno imparato molto velocemente l'italiano e sono molto flessibili. E' stata davvero una bella esperienza di scambio abbiamo amato entrambi il rispetto per lo svolgere il lavoro nella capacità di essere entrambi flessibili.
Sono davvero bastati 2 giorni per capire di cosa avevamo bisogno io e la mia famiglia. Jil è una fantastica organizzatrice e se le dai un compito " deve essere portato a termine" sarà sicuramente fatto nel più breve tempo possibile. Ho dato un compito di ricerca dei contatti con aggiornamento della scheda cliente, oltre alle varie pubblicità in giro per le varie OTA e piattaforme da me scelte . Ma lei non si ferma mai !ho amato come si è presa cura di me anche fuori dal lavoro cucinando e facendomi assaggaire ricette vegetariane create per me con il Bimby per insegnare mia madre ad usarlo. Andre oltre ad aiutare mio padre ha aiutato anche me nel gestire il siti web perchè capace di utilizzare la piattaforma Elementor e Wordpress e inserimento di esperienze su pensione. Lui aveva un compito essenziale ogni giorno, è stato di grande aiuto a mio padre nei lavori in campagna e non gli bastava eseguire ma voleva comprendere come si "pota" una vigna e gli ulivi. Sono sicura che abbia imparato qualcosa sulla potatura.
Noi siamo davvero una grande famiglia siamo 5 fratelli tutti sposati con figli e spesso non abbiamo molto tempo per aiutare i nostri genitori ma abbiamo apprezzato la loro presenza in casa dei miei genitori, come si sono dedicati a loro anche fuori dal lavoro, mettendo a posto la casa aiutando la mamma in cucina e con i bambini. La mamma Carmela e il mio babbo Davide erano davvero tanto felici, meno stanchi e non si sono sentiti soli. quando ci hanno lasciato abbiamo tutti pianto, come hanno scritto loro :
SONO ENTRATI COME ESTRANEI SONO USCITI COME PARTE DELLA FAMIGLIA ITALIANA.

Vi auguriamo tanta fortuna.

ENGHLISH
I am so happy to have met Jil and Andre.
They arrived here in late January, were already in Italy, before the German "patient zero" released the coronavirus, and left in late February when there was not yet all this epidemic. I am writing this because it is clear that for now living in Tuscany where cases are limited if you need help you are in time to call them and they will certainly be healthy. They have not crossed the north and our country is a small town in the province of Siena where you can still breathe clean air, fortunately ...!
But what can these two beautiful guys do for you? They are energetic and healthy people, they learned Italian very quickly and are very flexible. It was a really good exchange experience. We both loved the respect for doing the job in the ability to be both flexible.
It really took 2 days to understand what my family and I needed. Jil is a fantastic organizer and if you give her a "must be done" task it will definitely be done in the shortest time possible. I gave a contact search task with updating the customer card, in addition to the various advertisements around the various OTAs and platforms I have chosen. But she never stops! I loved how she took care of me even outside of work by cooking and making me taste vegetarian recipes created for me with the Thermomix to teach my mother to use it. In addition to helping my father, Andre also helped me manage the websites because I am able to use the Elementor and Wordpress platforms and insert experiences on Airbnb. He had an essential task every day, he was a great help to my father in the countryside and it was not enough for him to perform but he wanted to understand how a vineyard and olive trees can be "pruned". I'm sure he learned something about pruning.
We are really a big family we are 5 brothers all married with children and often we don't have much time to help our parents but we appreciated their presence in my parents' house, as they also dedicated themselves to them outside of work, putting in place the house helping mom in the kitchen and with the children. Mother Carmela and my father Davide were really happy, less tired and they didn't feel alone. when they left us we all cried, as they wrote:
They entered as foreigners, they left as part of the Italian family.

We wish you much luck.

(Excellent )

8 Mar 2020

Left by Workawayer (Workaway member) for host

There are no words to describe how grateful we are to have met Anna and her wonderful big family! This was our first workaway experience and we did not know what to expect but certainly our expectations have been exceeded by far!
Anna was very flexible to take us in at a time which would be considered as low season, but she was anxious anyways to… read more give us a home and some work. As the Agriturismo was still closed due to the winter break, Andre and I lived at her parents’ place. The room was spacious, and we also had our own bathroom. In the morning Andre usually went outside to help Davide (Annas father) pruning the grapevines and the olive trees while I helped Carmela (Annas mom) either with household chores or outside feeding the animals. In the afternoon Anna picked me up or I went to her place to help her around the house and to support her with some marketing and sales related activities (so working at the computer) for the Agriturismo.
I have to say that most of the tasks we performed did not seem like work to us. There was so much good talk, laughter and fun involved that time was really flying. And at this point we really have to add that Carmela always made sure that there was a delicious meal awaiting us, when we returned from our daily “work”. Carmela is a brilliant cook and we had so much fun learning from her experiences and to observe her working in the kitchen. She will be happy to teach you some typical Tuscan plates if you ask her to. The food has always been so delicious that is it worth mentioning it at this point!
From day one, we were welcome to this family with open arms and only few days later we felt totally integrated. Each and every one of the family members was so friendly and occasionally we went out together during the weekend to the beautiful surroundings. Anna is a wonderful and self-confident woman, she knows what she wants and has so many ideas but also she is very interested to get to know your opinion. As she is a busy mom, she appreciates if you think for yourself. She is a Yoga teacher and we were lucky to participate in her weekly Yoga lessons which we enjoyed so much. Her parents Davide and Carmela are wonderful human beings, their apartment is the center for the whole family and there are always children hanging out. We loved the kids and spending time with them but also sitting side by side night by night with Carmela and Annas brother Leo, trying to finish a 1.500 pieces puzzle.
This family has become our Italian family and we strongly recommend it to anyone, who wants to get immersed into the Italian culture and language! Thank you for everything – we have come as strangers but left as friends for life!

(Excellent )

2 Dec 2019

Left by host for Workawayer (DanjSilve)

Dan came to help us with the olive harvest but we managed to complete the bad weather before we thought we would have had more work with olives. And so he was very helpful with emptying an apartment of all its furniture and fittings.where he really worked hard to make himself useful. the second week we worked on the synergistic vegetable garden… read more

(Excellent )

21 Nov 2019

Left by Workawayer (DanjSilve) for host

Oh boy, where to start. I stayed for just 10 days, but for other commitments, I would have stayed longer.
Anna and her extended family were wonderful, even though the main season for their business was over, they were able to find me things to work on, which broke down into 3 mini-projects.

First up was working with Anna's brother-in-law Marco… read more and for 3 days we emptied a large apartment of all its fixtures and furnishings into a large van and made 3 trips to Waste disposal site. Though Marco and I had to rely on Google translate, we got by and had fun. I also helped tidy up the grounds of their house and farm. One night Marco and his wife took me out for dinner, and I often ate lunch with them. Very nice.

Next Up was with Anna herself. I helped at her business farm just a little with vegetable picking and ironing sheets using an industrial automatic ironing machine. Then on other days, I helped Anna at her house with her housework and translating her Yoga website into English, plus her workaway reviews of her past volunteers. Plus I was able to advise on a small scale some electrical challenges they were having with their lighting. I went with her husband to buy a multimeter and test transformers and batteries.

Lastly, I helped for a few hours with a family friend Rafaella recycling Cork from wine bottles, this was just separating cork from the artificial cork stops. Then afterwards she took me out to dinner and we shared a bottle of wine.
Most days I had lunch with Anna and her family, where there were 4 generations around the table and their lovely dogs.

I was placed into a two-bedroom apartment all to myself, while there was no Wifi, there was Bar 2 minute walk away from that I frequented during my time there. I was also close to a supermarket. I was dependant on lifts each time as there is no public transport to speak of. If I was going to stay longer, I might of hired a car for a few days as there were many beautiful villages and Tuscan countryside to explore.

I was also fortunate enough to be offered free Yoga sessions on Mondays and Thursdays. I did attend just the one, which I benefitted enormously from, getting a great nights sleep in the deal. Not to mention Anna's Yoga studio is behind the apartment I stayed in.

I think that covers it. In summary, I highly recommend working for Anna and her family. They really look after you well, even on my days off, Anna would check to see if I was ok. I found then to be funny, we had some good banter and I enjoyed spending my time in their company. Ciao Anna, all the best to you and your future endeavours.

(Excellent )

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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)

Cultural exchange:
(5.0)

Communication:
(5.0)

30 Apr 2020

Left by Workawayer (Eric Maicon & Ruany Ferreira) for host

(Excellent)

19 Mar 2020

Left by host for Workawayer (Workaway member)

(Excellent)

8 Mar 2020

Left by Workawayer (Workaway member) for host

(Excellent)

2 Dec 2019

Left by host for Workawayer (DanjSilve)

(Excellent)

21 Nov 2019

Left by Workawayer (DanjSilve) for host

(Excellent)

19 Nov 2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Helena)

Helena was a boost to my yoga practise thanks to her I was able to resume my morning routine. You can count on her if you want to have a new vision of your life on how to easily organize a trip for foreigners and if you want to take life as it comes.

We have studied marketing together and planned weeks through 2020, Helena is also very competent… read more

(Excellent)

19 Nov 2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Kevin)

Kevin was truly exceptional, we immediately found ourselves in tune with his ability to adapt to every situation. His open mind and flexibility really made things very easy and we considered him to a part of our big family during his two months with us. During Kevin's time here, he took on more responsibility and became the coordinator for all the… read more

(Excellent)

18 Sep 2019

Left by Workawayer (Kevin) for host

I stayed with Anna and her family for two and a half months and I loved every moment of it! I was welcomed into the family and got to experience the local culture, cuisine and learn lots of Italian. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with Nonna Carmela preparing typical Italian dishes and she was a great teacher. The tasks varied from day to day… read more

(Excellent)

15 Sep 2019

Left by Workawayer (Anahi_Y_Martin) for host

We stayed with Anna and her family for 2 weeks, and from the first day we felt like part of the team! Our tasks were a combination between helping Anna at her home, in the town of Torrita di Siena; or in the agriturismo, which is in the middle of a completely fantastic nature reserve! The work days were somewhat long, since if there are guests we… read more

(Excellent)

6 Sep 2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Marta)

Non avevo preso subito in considerazione la sua collaborazione perché troppo giovane. Invece ho scoperto che i giovani hanno una splendida capacità di adattamento, hanno energia e voglia di farcela. Il nostro essendo un agriturismo nel mese di Agosto è davvero molto impegnativo e Marta è stata molto preziosa e responsabile. Capace nell’accoglienza… read more

(Excellent)

6 Sep 2019

Left by Workawayer (Marta) for host

I've spent 3 weeks in the agriturismo and it was definitely a one of a kind experience and a fantastic chance to see the life in this beautiful province of Tuscany.
The everyday tasks consisted mainly of cleaning up the rooms and making sure they are ready for the incoming guests and also helping in the kitchen. The accomodation was very… read more

(Excellent)

16 Aug 2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Yann & Elena)

Elena seemed quiet at first but turned out to be determined and hard working, completing each task that she was assigned with ease. She needed very little time to get to know the place and what needed to be done. She was a great help with daily chores as well as proving herself to be a great vegetarian cook and master of detox remedies, she had… read more

(Excellent)

31 Jul 2019

Left by Workawayer (Yann & Elena) for host

I had wonderful time working at the agriturismo with Anna and all her big family. The place is magical, lost in the middle of the forests, no one around, perfect if you love nature and calm. You can learn a lot about running a family hotel business, learn Italian, learn to make fresh pasta and many more other dishes, and also learn a lot from the… read more

(Excellent)

31 Jul 2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Alexis & Maria Laura)

Laura and Alexis were truly exceptional. First I believed that they would not come because they did not have an Italian telephone line and could only answer via Wi-Fi. Also they didn’t have any feedback. Well, instead they came on time and were irreplaceable.
Alexis was a great babysitter for my 15 month son. Laura a delightful and delicate person… read more

(Excellent)

22 Jul 2019

Left by Workawayer (Alexis & Maria Laura) for host

We stayed at Anna's and her family Agriturismo for a month and we lived a beautiful experience! First of all, the place, it is dreamed! The work is varied, you never get bored, and you learn a bit of everything: typical Italian cuisine (the nonna Carmela is an expert and very good teacher. The food is excellent!), working with tourists, language,… read more

(Excellent)

2 Sep 2017

Left by host for Workawayer (UteJan)

Lei è davvero una persona speciale e non si trovano facilmente le parole per raccontare quanto è stata necessaria e soprattutto come è riuscita ad adattarsi alla situazione. E' diventata una vera amica una sorella maggiore e quando è arrivato il momento di separarci abbiamo pianto insieme. In cucina con la mamma è stato un duro lavoro ma mia madre… read more

(Excellent)

29 Aug 2017

Left by Workawayer (UteJan) for host

This wonderful agriturismo in the most beautiful part of Tuscany combined with the warmhearted friendliness of Anna and Mirco made the 10 days I spent there in August a terrific experience.
I helped in the kitchen together with Mamma Carmela, a fantastic cook and really nice person. I learned how to make the most delicious ravioli and gnocchi and… read more

(Excellent)

17 Jul 2017

Left by Workawayer (Natsheh) for host

Torrita Di Sienna itself is really lovely , quiet and Fascinating . The Italian culture is really exciting to learn about, food is amazing, and the location of the farm is magical, surrounded by a natural reserve, I even saw a dear once on the dinner
I was overwhelmed by their kindness and generosity . They treated me as one of their family, Anna… read more

(Excellent)

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Come help us enjoy La Bella Vita in Tuscany, Italy

Profile information

Host rating

Last replied

Feedback

Facebook verified

Email verified

Host offers payment

Badges (3)

Find your perfect host

Availability

Details

Description

Types of help and learning opportunities

Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

Au Pair Help

Projects involving children

Help

Languages

Accommodation

What else ...

A little more information

Can host digital nomads

Space for parking camper vans

How many Workawayers can stay?

Feedback (10)

Photos

Feedback