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Ciao! My name is Marco, many friends call me Marcone or Marchino.
A year and a half ago I left Milan, the city where I have lived for the past twenty-five years (I am 50 years old), to move to a small wooded valley in the hills of lower Piedmont, south of Ovada, on the border with Liguria.
I chose to radically change my lifestyle, inspired by a sense of real freedom, of concrete sustainability and reconnection with Nature, which I love and which I consider the mother of us all, and then inspired by the need to move away from a consumerist and destructive system that distances us from nature, from authentic contact with people, and also from ourselves.
I have done many different jobs in life, but in recent years I have been a socio-pedagogical educator, a nature guide, a tutor-coordinator in a Permaculture school and a gardener.
I love and respect all forms of life other than my own, from microbiology to large animals and plants. I try to disturb the surrounding nature as little as possible and I do not have large machinery to work the land because I apply natural agriculture and horticulture on a small scale, inspired by Permaculture.
My project therefore starts from the desire to be as self-sufficient as possible in the long term from a food and energy point of view, to get to know people whose values are compatible with mine, to be able one day to offer hospitality for ecotourism, to organise short periods of hospitality for people with psychiatric disabilities to increase their autonomy, educational courses to bring children closer to contact with nature and their manual skills and creativity, training courses in Permaculture and to approach the practical and sustainable care of the land, workshops on self-production and transformation of the products of the earth, basket weaving, recognising wild animals and the traces of their presence, edible and medicinal plants and mushrooms, rediscovering manual skills and creativity, etc.
Apart from these and other activities, my project aims to foster animal and plant biodiversity (or at least try not to hinder it).
The land I am taking care of is about five hectares, including one hectare of meadow in which there is a vegetable garden and an orchard, and about four hectares of forest all around, from which I respectfully procure wood for the stoves and fireplaces, edible plants and mushrooms, and then a small pond one year old and another that will be created with friends at the end of April.
In parallel with the work I would need your help with horticulture, the cultivation of fruit trees, the collection of wild edible plants, the production of firewood for self-consumption and small buildings, and all the priority work of daily and seasonal life in the countryside, to be able to realise this project, (which could also expand over time), I still have to fix up some parts of the farmhouse in parallel, do some masonry work to make the structure more efficient and cosy, but for this last masonry work I will get help from professionals and craftsmen. There is also a walnut grove gone wild that I would need help cleaning.
Physical work aside, whether you are Italian or from anywhere on the planet, to me every person is a world, so for me having the privilege of hosting you is like taking a trip somewhere.
I am a practical and manual person, I know how to do a few things, I am actually learning a lot and I still have a lot to learn, so apart from teaching or learning some practical jobs together I could pass on my knowledge on wildlife, green management and Permaculture.
I am a vegetarian and in the future I would like to expand the family with a few chickens for eggs, a couple of goats for cheese and 2 donkeys for help in the fields, but at the moment I am still here alone with my cat Bandita so I wouldn't be able to manage everything yet, we'll see in the near future...
The ‘green district’ is inhabited by roe deer, wild boar, wolves, foxes, porcupines, badgers, etc. and many birds, so I am in good company. In addition to these forest dwellers, I know some wonderful people who live a few kilometres away.
The land in the small valley where my farm is located is beautiful. Where I live is a hilly area where there are few cultivated fields and a lot of woods, streams and within a 10-minute drive there is a beautiful little swimming river.
In about an hour you can reach Milan, Turin or the sea in Liguria. the mountains are close by and full of paths.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Interests
Politics / Social justice
Events & social
Vegetarian or vegan
Sustainability
Culture
Van life
Self development
Farming
Charity work
Plant care
Languages
Gardening
Cooking & food
Animals
Nature
Camping
Mountain
Dancing
Outdoor activities
Hiking
Cycling
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
I am a practical, hands-on person,I know how to do a few things, i can teach you something but i am actually learning a lot and i still have a lot more to learn, so in addition to doing some practical work together i could pass on my knowledge of wildlife, green management and Permaculture.
Wherever you come from it will be a pleasure for me to host you and get to know other lifestyles and cultures, share personal life experiences and practice languages
Help
i’d need help with: Cutting and splitting wood, help in repairing or building simple fences and small wooden structures, creatively enhance certain parts of the house :-)
in the garden i'd need help taking care of plants, watering, seeding, transplanting, preparing for the next season, preparation and management of compost and other preparations for the accumulation of microorganisms for soil fertility,help cleaning a walnut grove gone wild …
Apart from the many things there are to do here, (if you know how to do them ok, if you don't, I can teach you or we can learn them together), your human presence is very valuable to me...
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Intermediate
Spanish: Beginner
French: BeginnerThis 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
Here you can have a room to yourself or a shared room with two beds, depending on the period.
In the kitchen we'll be free to choose some options: i can cook for for me and you (I like cooking, mostly simple and genuine plant based things or eggs.); If you feel like cooking too, we can also do a culinary exchange in the kitchen; if you sometimes feel like cooking something and eating alone, you can also use the ingredients and the other kitchen in the house.
when you feel like it we can take turns washing dishes, I don't use harsh chemicals for cleaning, respecting the environment
What else ...
here I have bicycles that you can use to get around or explore the area or reach the river.
in 15 minutes by van I can accompany you
to the Ovada station from where you can get to Genoa,
Turin or Milan and then anywhere.
living in the house with me there is Bandita, my black n'white sister-cat
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
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