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Description
The House, the Area, and Us
We’re an American and an Irish-Italian-Scottish couple — renovating a Tuscan-style hillside house in a small village above Lucca in northern Tuscany, perched along the historic Via Francigena pilgrimage trail.
The house is around 100m², three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchen that was completely rebuilt in 2025 and is a real joy to cook in. Outside there’s a terrace where most summer meals happen. Shared meals on the terrace are one of the genuine pleasures of life here. You're more than welcome to eat with us, the kitchen is also fully at your disposal.
Getting around and getting out: We’re 12km from Lucca — one of the most underrated cities in Tuscany, with intact medieval walls, great markets, and none of Florence’s crowds. Florence, Pisa, and Cinque Terre are within an hour or so by train. The Ligurian coast and numerous beautiful beach towns are within comfortable reach on days off. There’s limited public transport directly from the village, but getting to the train network is straightforward and from there most of Tuscany and the Italian Riviera opens up.
Between the two of us we bring an American sensibility, an Irish passport, Italian roots, and a Scottish upbringing — which in practice means a relaxed, open, internationally minded household with some British humor to boot. One of us speaks Italian and basic German; we both speak some French. Language practice is a real priority for us this summer — we’d love to spend as much time as possible speaking Italian and/or French, so if you’re a native or fluent speaker of either, all the better. Also interested in rekindling my Swedish if the stars were to align.
When we’re not in Tuscany, we live in Paris — and for the right person, a visit to our apartment in the 17th arrondissement could be a natural extension of the experience. Something to discuss if there was interest.
We’re looking for people who are handy, good-humored, and actually interested in helping us turn this house into a home. Light handy-work experience and a willingness to get into the garden are very useful. LGBTQ+ travelers will also feel completely at home here. Must love dogs!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Interests
Pets
LGBTQ
Culture
Movies & TV
Events & social
Writing
Animals
Gardening
Languages
Sailing / Boating
Hiking
Fitness
Cycling
Beach
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We’re looking forward to a summer of great interaction. And we’re happy to bring Workawayers along when we’re exploring locally, whether that’s a market in Lucca, a village sagra, or a Sunday drive somewhere interesting. As mentioned, we're actively improving our Italian and French — so if you speak either language you’ll be doing real cultural help just by having dinner with us.
What we hope to get back is equally simple: perspectives we don’t already have. We’re genuinely curious about how people from different places think about work, food, travel, and what a good life looks like. Some of our best conversations in places like this have started over something one person took completely for granted that the other had never considered. That kind of exchange — unhurried, over a meal, in a beautiful place — is honestly just as important as the work.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
We’re renovating a Tuscan hillside house and need capable, hands-on help to keep the momentum going through the summer. Help is varied and we’ll match tasks to your strengths — no one needs to do everything — but expect a mix of the following:
• Pergola screening — help fitting mosquito mesh panels to an outdoor pergola
• Painting projects — walls, trim, doors
• Gardening — clearing, shaping, and general maintenance
- Hanging pictures and shelving
- Helping to re-organizing a storage room
- Helping to clean out a small storage house on the property
• Occasional dog sitting — we have two dogs who are very much part of the household; sometimes we’ll need an extra pair of hands (and a willing lap)
We’re looking for 1–2 people who are relatively handy with some DIY experience, and don’t mind getting their hands dirty in the garden. Curiosity and a willingness to learn go a long way here.
Languages
Languages spoken
French: Intermediate
Italian: Intermediate
German: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
I would love the chance to practice my French and Italian.
Accommodation
You will have your own room and will share a bathroom with the other person helping out. The kitchen will be open to you for cooking, we’ll shop weekly and we’ll also be cooking for and with you regularly.
What else ...
There will likely be others in the area doing the similar programs that you will likely be able to connect with. Lucca, our nearest town (12hm) is a fountain of things to do a there are people of all ages living there so meeting new people is very possible. And as mentioned, the Mediterranean beaches are easily accessible in as little as 30 minutes away from the house.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have very reliable Starlink internet and several desk working areas in the house.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Haggis (5 years)
A very happy and friendly dog who wants anything you’re eating - hahaha 😂
Franca (8 years)
She’s a total cuddle bug and is more like a human than a dog
Photos
