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29 Sep 2024
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Description
ABOUT THE PLACE AND MYSELF
A warm welcome to all those people who wants to share a transition towards sustainability and ecological life
In 2010 me and my partner decided to quit our jobs and buy a small piece of land facing Mt. Etna and the Mediterranean sea.
The garden was owned by Don Alfio, who immediately was giving us all his personal know-how on how to run a vegetable garden, maintain an olives orchard and making wine.
The garden has 120 olive trees, 100 various fruit trees, a small vineyard and a vegetable garden. Here we produce a small amount of organic Olive Oil EVO, Natural Red Wine and the veggies necessary to our diet.
My project want to involve as many persons as possible to choose an ecological way of life for the future of our planet.
WHAT WE DO WITH THE VOLUNTEERS
I try to always work aside with volunteers, sharing my knowledge about how to live in a more sustainable way. The timetable can not be perfectly fixed in advance as it depends from the kind of work we are going to do, the weather, the season and our personal willing to stay outdoor. Normally we work 6 hours per day for 5 days, but hours and timetable depend from the season, the amount of task to finish, how much energy we have, ect. If you need a regular timetable or a perfect settled life, this is not the right place.
There is an every-day routine in which you could be involved: feeding and walking cat and dog, cleaning of the kitchen, trash and compost management...and according with the different seasons of the year we have different task for you.
In January/February/March, we work mainly on pruning the olive trees and the vineyard, we take care of the winter veggies and mushrooms, and eventually we work on some maintenance.
In April/May we work on maintenance of the house, and prepare the summer vegetable garden.
From June to September you will be asked to take care of cat and dogs, watering and managing the veggies, and time by time to look after the house as housesitter, meanwhile I am out working as skipper on my sailboat.
In October/November we will work on the olive harvesting. This is the most intense moment at the farm. Once that the olives are ready we have to harvest it quickly. In this period we strictly work with our special timetable, it is 2,5 days working and 1 day rest, so that none of us will be too tired. Beside the harvesting you will learn everything about the Extra Vergine Olive Oil, with a lot of tasting and dishes based on this incredible product!...
Any kind of volunteers are welcome, maximum 6 during the harvesting and 2 in the others periods. Especially in spring/summer, we prefer to host long terms helpers, at least 2/3 months, in order to have the possibility to enjoy the best period of the year at the farm and get involved in the various daily life tasks.
Here we speak Italian and English.
About ACCOMODATION:
You will be hosted in a comfortable caravan with a private bathroom and a separate sharing kitchenette.
About FOOD:
I share with the volunteers lunch and dinner during the working days. During the day off or in "Housesitting" mode you should provide your own food. These terms are flexible, so I am always happy to accept new proposal about exchange of time and food according to different needs.
I love to cook Mediterranean food (of course mainly with veg garden products), I am not vegan/vegetarian but here we eat very few meat or animal product and only when we are sure that the animals had been growing in nature. I'm strictly seasonarian, that means we eat only what grow in the season, no products from green houses or coming from far away. This make our diet very unique and testy.
I can support vegetarian diet or special diet due to a disease, but any other special "request" or food restriction is not welcome.
My actual diet and cuisine is the result of more than 40 years of cooking experience, the cooking culture coming from my ancestors and my personal studies and research about quality and healthy food. I'm open and interested in any "different" cooking culture and sharing all my knowledge.
We kindly recommend you to show up when you take an engagement. When someone reserve a period and then disappears, it creates a damage to other volunteers who will receive a negative answer for the same period. Thanks!
To live in a better world, we don't need too many rules and laws, but just respect for others and nature.
Waiting to share good time together,
See you soon
Angelo
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
You will stay in a farm where 80% of the food is provided from the garden, you will learn, how to grow your own season vegetables and you will experience a self sufficient style of life.
Help
Help needed in maintenance of the garden, no special skills are required but just strong arms! MINIMUM STAY 2 WEEKS
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
Accommodation
You will be hosted in a vintage caravan with a queen size bed, private toilet, shower and a panoramic deck. There is separate sharing kitchen that you can use, few meters away from the caravan.
What else ...
From the farm you can visit the surround by bus, train, car...nearby you have the beautiful beach of Marina di Cottone, Month Etna, The Alcantara gorge, Taormina, ect...
When possible you will join our sailing tours.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
In summer we have a decent wi fi connection and you are welcome to "digital working" during your spare time.
Space for parking camper vans
Campervan are welcome, maximum 6 mt.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
5 hours per day, 5 days a week maximum...depending from your attitude! and which kind of work is going at the moment.
Feedback (12)
Cristina and Angelo are open-minded, kind, and attentive hosts, but most of all have great attitudes and energy. Their sustainable farming project is truly based on living with a flexible balance, and it shows in the way they relate to guests, too. They were able to create a… read more
I had great communication with them from start to finish, we went over expectations on the day of my arrival so we were operating on the same page,… read more
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Feedback
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(4.9)
Cultural exchange:
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Communication:
(4.7)
Cristina and Angelo are open-minded, kind, and attentive hosts, but most of all have great attitudes and energy. Their sustainable farming project is truly based on living with a flexible balance, and it shows in the way they relate to guests, too. They were able to create a… read more
I had great communication with them from start to finish, we went over expectations on the day of my arrival so we were operating on the same page,… read more
Mi è piaciuto fare una passeggiata con TOTO ogni mattina e pomeriggio, Cristina ci ha insegnato il giardinaggio e la vita sostenibile, è stato un peccato che durante il nostro soggiorno abbiamo avuto… read more
Thank you Juliene and all the best!!!
They are such lovely and welcoming hosts and very creative people, who focus on living sustainably and (re-)using and repairing what they have. They are smart and open-minded, I had very interesting coversations with them and you can particularly learn a lot about issues… read more
With immense gratitude we wish you all the best guys!
Have fun and take care:))
Cristina e Angelo
