updated   Last minute

Join our friendly community and help create a vibrant vegetable garden in Tuscany, Italy

  • Last activity : 18 Feb 2025

Availability

  2025 

 Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Details

  • Description

    Description

    Come and help us creating a vibrant vegetable garden, pruning trees, collecting wood, making chestnut flour, looking after donkeys, all with a view to make this place more and more self-sufficient and comfortable for the transient community of friends, family and volunteers who pass through here year after year. If you would like to be part of our adventure please sign up - we need help most of the year and there are always a minimum of three or four volunteers sharing our space in the yurt or in individual tents. This is particularly suited to volunteers aged thirty or over as we confer a lot of responsibility on volunteers and ... and we are not getting any younger ourselves ...

    We work for three hours each morning in a stress-free environment, the rest of the time is yours to enjoy the mountains, scenery, walking & nearby villages. If you want to take the full weekend off to travel and see other parts of Tuscany you can. Come with whatever skills you have and learn something from us, we feel we have the work exchange spot on here and you will have scope and time both to work with us and to come up with and try out ideas of your own. MUSICIANS of course always popular we sing many evenings around the fire. Colm is learning Russian, and anxious to practise in the form of a language exchange if you want to learn English or Italian.

    In exchange for your help you will have a space in our 6-metre diameter yurt sharing with a maximum of five other people, or in our bedroom which sleeps up to two. If the yurt is booked especially in summer time there are a two-man and three-man Bell tents tents available for volunteers. Our own chestnut flour pancake breakfast and super healthy dinners are included, with local produce often from our own veg garden, our own hens' eggs, cheese and once or twice a week meat locally sourced. If you have any dietary requirements please let us know in advance. You will always have access to our outdoor kitchen, bathrooms with hot showers, sheltered recreational areas and solar heated outdoor showers. For lunch you are responsible for your own cooking and shopping bill.

    There is a house-sitting option too available for anyone interested in spending a while in our area, the house is available to live in in exchange for a few hour's help per week, would suit couple or anyone self sufficient / anyone looking to buy land or a house in the area.

    The camp is located at 750 metres above sea level in the mountains, in a chestnut and hazel grove, 300 metres from the nearest point reachable by car, with abundant wildlife, sunshine and shade, and more recently ten hens, a roosters, two donkeys and our pastore maremmano dog Rocco. Recently we have opened a small campsite for the summer months, all proceeds of which go towards maintaining the volunteer community programme here.

    Hope to see you soon,


    Colm

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Language practice
    Help with Eco Projects
    Gardening
    Animal Care
    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

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    You will most likely meet people from all over the world. English is the normal language of day to day usage, but this is also a good place to practice your Italian as we are very much integrated into the local community, and very few people in the area speak English.

  • Projects involving children

    Projects involving children

    This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

  • Help

    Help

    Over the past twelve years I have created a campsite in the forest with the help of our own volunteers, so have experience in a range of skills, forestry, permaculture, growing vegetables, cooking for many people and creating an open, communal and friendly environment for our community.

    You can have a look at our project on workaway at the link below . I am also a musician and try to get sessions going whenever there are other musical souls about.

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    English: Fluent
    Spanish: Fluent
    Irish: Fluent
    Italian: Fluent
    French: Intermediate
    Russian: Beginner

    This host offers a language exchange
    I am trying to learn Russian, and can do an exchange or teach English, Italian or Spanish if anyone is interested.

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    Depending on the time of year accommodation is either in a spacious yurt sharing with max four others, with plenty of communal living areas both sheltered and outdoors, or in your own provided tent.

  • 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

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    This host can provide space for campervans.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

Host ref number: 184691945185

Website Safety

Feedback (120)



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)































































































































Help our easy-going family with daily life and spend time in Ostuni, southern Italy
Experience life in a cabin in the woods outside Viú, Italy