Come and help us to pick our olives in beautiful Umbria, Italy

Details

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  Description

  COME AND HELP PICK OUR OLIVES IN BEAUTIFUL UMBRIA
  
  It’s just a few weeks now before the olive picking season starts in Umbria where the olive harvest is a major event and we’re looking for volunteers to help us with ours. Our olive grove is a mix of some very old trees and some younger ones which we planted ourselves, wishing to continue this wonderful old tradition of hand picking using basic tools and nets. We should point out that we are not commercial olive growers - we just pick for ourselves, family and friends. But we do need help.
  
  The process is simple. We start by preparing the ground under and around the olive trees to make the job of spreading the nets easier. We then rake the olives from the trees onto the nets before transferring them into crates to be carried to our store room.
  Once we’ve picked all the olives, we take the full crates to our nearby local olive mill in Lugnano to have them weighed and milled. We usually collect the oil the following day.
  
  Once the olive picking has started it needs to be completed in 3-4 days, whatever the weather. We usually pick for around 5 to 6 hours a day, with a break for lunch - a good hearty Italian soup with home made bread. Then there’s dinner at the end of the day. So do come and join us! At the moment we plan to start picking around 24 October though this is a flexible date. Volunteers are welcome to stay for a few days before or after the harvest.
  
  If you have any questions or need any more information, let us know. We will be happy to provide more details.
  
  We are a couple from England who love Italy. We live in a most beautiful part of Umbria where we have restored a stone built Umbrian farmhouse . The setting is wonderful: we are within walking distance of the medieval hill top town of Lugnano in Teverina, of which we have a full view from our house and garden. We are one hour north of Rome by train and two and a half hours south of Florence, also easy to reach by local train. Siena is just under two hours to the north.
  
  Our background and main careers have been in town planning and social work. I am Eric, a town planner by profession, now enjoying garden design and landscaping, olive growing and creative writing. Helen, who has Greek origins and a background in social work, now works as a silversmith and jeweller as well as being involved in our project.
  
  We welcome helpers who are conscious of climate impact and although not entirely vegetarian we appreciate a thoughtful approach to the food we produce and consume.
  We also welcome and encourage an interest in the local community and culture. We have welcomed around 30 volunteers from all around the world during our time here and we always offer to include them if they wish to join us in cultural and social events, right down to meeting our friends and getting to know the surrounding countryside.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Light gardening
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  Interests

  

  Politics / Social justice

  

  Culture

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Books

  

  Plant care

  

  Gardening

  

  Cooking & food
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  The lifestyle around us is predominantly agricultural with small family farms, olive groves and vineyards, mostly cared for by local families who grow their own food and raise livestock sustainably. There is a network of ‘white roads’ , largely traffic free, giving opportunities to explore the Umbrian countryside and nearby villages.
  Culturally the area is alive with traditional festas in the surrounding towns and villages especially during the summer. They often include re enactment of historical events and can be spectacular. There are also free concerts, a film club in a nearby town and great opportunities to mingle in the local culture.
  We are both keen cooks and always share our knowledge and skills focusing on Italian and Greek cuisine using locally and sustainably grown ingredients and traditional ways and methods.
  We encourage and often facilitate volunteers, to make day trips to nearby towns and cities in Umbria, Lazio and Tuscany including Rome, Orvieto, Arezzo, Viterbo, with their long history of art and architecture. All of them can be easily visited by public transport.

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  Help

  We employ local Italian workers to carry out the heavier tasks, but over time our volunteers of many nationalities have made significant contributions to our project: The main tasks, depending on season, are:
  cultivating and preparing our vegetable garden; harvesting vegetables and fruit, pruning fruit trees and grape vines.
  None of the tasks require special skills just an interest in the natural environment and in growing food sustainably, a willingness to learn and a practical approach.
  
  In late October we harvest our olives, usually with the help of family members , and we welcome helpers with an interest in olive growing. We aren’t commercial olive oil producers so we don’t sell our olive oil - family and friends much appreciate receiving some as a gift!
  We also have other tasks such as painting, decorating and small repairs, maintaining garden paths, steps and walls.

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  Languages spoken

  Greek: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Italian: Intermediate

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  Accommodation

  Our volunteers stay in one of two twin bedded room on the top floor of the house, with its own shower and toilet and plenty of privacy.

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  What else ...

  There are many walks in the local countryside amongst the beautiful landscapes and olive groves. Lugnano in Teverina is within walking distance and it has local shops - grocery, supermarkets, post office, bank with ATM, pharmacy, cafes, restaurants, a weekly market, church, a public outdoor swimming pool and a bus service connecting to Orvieto, Amelia and Narni. Day trips by train to Rome, Orvieto and Viterbo are easily possible from our nearby train station.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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