Italy
Favourited 442 times
end of oktober - beginning of november 2020
Our small farm is not commercial, it's too small for that, at the same time it's too big for a hobby, the only thing we get from the grid is electrical power, we have to take care of our own water, sewage and the road to get here. In other words we don't make money with this project and we have to put in a lot of passion and love (which means hard work), in our spare time to get stuff done around here. So we don't exploit you as cheap labour and we ask of you to share our passion for living an independent lifestyle. Cultivating a terraced slope to provide olives, almonds, fruit and wood for the stove is part of that.
I am a Dutchman and I have been living in Sardinia for 18 years on a small olive farm. The olive farm is situated in a beautiful cultivated valley surrounded by mountains, close to the center east coast, and 6 km out of town. Besides olives we have a lot of almond trees and some fruit trees like prunes, figs and apricots.
The valley is covered in vineyards and olive groves and only few families live here. The closest town Dorgali has 9000 inhabitants and the beach is 15 km away, on the other side of the mountain, there are plenty of hiking possibilities, the Gorropu canyon is one of the best known hiking trails around here.
We have 3 dogs, 2 medium sized ones, mix terrier - rough haired tackle- type and the third is a mix of border collie and Sardinian sheep dog, Zara. All are well educated and used to walking on the leash. Zara is very protective and doesn't allow strangers near us, after a couple of days however when she gets used to you you'll start to discover that she's very affectionate.
The house has a kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedrooms that are all on the same floor and the wood heater is in the center. There are beautiful sitting areas outside that overlook the valley and the mountains where you can lunch outside on sunny days.
Don't be afraid to come in autumn and winter because November to April is a beautiful time of year here as days are crisp in the morning and can warm up to between 12 and 18 around lunchtime, the views in this time of year are crystal clear. In winter there is always enough to do outside, so no lack of fresh air.
Gardening
DIY and building projects
General Maintenance
Farmstay help
Help around the house
Animal Care
Cooking italian dishes based on vegetables from the season.
Learn all about olive cultivation and olive oil.
Discover that eating vegan meals is quite an adventure.
We are looking for people that collaborate with us, and that outside of the working hours do not create extra work for us.
We need a team of 3-4 volunteers for picking olives, either singles or couples, important is that everybody helps out with the work and with the general household tasks. This means first of all cleaning up after yourself ;) , people that are used to other people cleaning up after them should not apply. We ask people to be present, (not day dream) and help out instead of play guests and create work for us.
Be prepared to "work away", not "holiday away".
By using this site, you get the possibility to look in other peoples life through helping them out, through the act of sharing their tasks and in this way get a broader perspective on the world and on your own life.
We ask you for 4,5 hrs of work per day on the land and take part in the normal household chores on top. We take two days per week off from work so you have time to discover the area, on the days off we still provide meals and if there are household jobs you're still invited to help out. For both work and household tasks we ask people to observe how we do things, and concentrate on what we ask them to do and finish doing it, in other words we ask people to be present and help out instead of play guests and create work for us.
In return for your help, we take care really well of you, Teresa cooks great vegan meals, we give you a warm and comfortable room and the common living spaces (living room, bathroom, kitchen and terraces) are orderly and clean. (the dogs are always around to play and try to turn things into a mess, but we like their company and clean up after them every day)
So far so good. However, we find that a lot of people are distracted and leave the tools and other stuff lying around the house and the terrain, often they don't put things back where they find them, and for example only wash part of the dishes and forget to clean the kitchen top, or light the wood burner without sweeping up the mess they just made. Who's supposed to clean up after them? Me? Maybe they think their mum came wit them to clean up? Who knows..
So to save both of us embarrassments like this, if you did not have a good laugh about what I just wrote, don't apply to come over and help us out :)
In the olive - picking -season (November) and throughout the whole winter there are plenty of things to do around the house and terrain so help is welcome.
Besides picking olives we try to cultivate a vegetable garden, we have a lot of different fruit trees like figs and peaches that we use for making jam.
Some of the things I need some help with is:
- cutting grass and shrubs
- light building jobs in wood around the house.
- EVERYBODY HAS TO TAKE THEIR SHARE OF HOUSEHOLD CHORES, OUTSIDE OF WORKING HOURS, JUST LIKE IN EVERYDAY FAMILY LIFE.
During the picking days we expect you to work from 09.00 - 15.00 with one hour for lunch, this is 5 hours of work. We work for 3 days, then take one day off. In the afternoon you have some time off to go to town or go for a walk on your own or with one of the dogs or go for a bike ride.
In the common spaces we expect you to help with the normal household chores, like sweeping the floor, cleaning the kitchen and the bathroom. We also expect you to keep your own sleeping quarters clean. So when you come you get a clean place and when you leave you leave it clean.
In short, we are looking for people that collaborate with us, and that outside of the working hours do not create extra work for us.
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
French: Intermediate
Bedroom in the house, possibly shared with another person.
Independent room next to the house that can be heated, but without bathroom.
The farm is 6 km out of town, you can hitchhike to town which is easy around here.
The area is excellent for hiking, mountainbiking and climbing. We have mountainbikes for your use.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
This host can provide space for campervans.
More than two
5 hours a day, 5 days a week (2 days off)
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:
(4.8)
Communication:
(4.8)
