Transforming my farmhouse into meeting place and event location

Details

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  Description

  Looking for people to give me a hand reorganising and reanimating a large farmhouse and its garden on its own hill in the Maremma, in southern Tuscany, Italy. I am English but have lived here on and off since 1989.
  
  As of this year, we hold concerts and events in and around the farmhouse, and in its own open air amphitheatre. The neglected garden is becoming a park with footpaths in the woods, two vegetable patches, the first of several sculptures, a tree house, lunch under the shade of a great oak tree ... and plenty of unexploited potential. At the moment, the events are every Sunday, with a lunch followed by a concert, a book presentation, a debate or something "cultural". In summer there will be bigger events at least once a week and many smaller happenings on weekdays - courses, English conversation, games.
  
  We're nearer to Rome than Florence, and 40 kms from the sea and the Argentario. The house is walking distance from the nearby town of Manciano (famous for the Saturnia thermal baths) and a very good place to learn Italian, understand the Italian countryside and farming (but not from me, I'm no farmer) and appreciate (or not) the slow pace of rural Italy.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  General Maintenance

  Help around the house

  Hospitality/Tourism

  Language practice

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Plenty of contact with Italian speakers.
  "Real" Italy - we're not dominated by tourism.
  Unspoilt and uncontaminated countryside, but with plenty of current issues - e.g. the return of wolves.
  Increasing organic farming in the area.

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  Projects involving children

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

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  Help

  The more help I have the more activities we can offer here. I am hoping to find some or all of the following:
  - getting the house ready for events, food preparation, assistance with visitors
  - gardening and maintenance
  - developing content on the Internet in as many languages as possible
  - conversation in your own language(s) with locals and/or visitors
  - stimulation with new ideas for activities and communication
  - art/music/performance

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Italian: Fluent
  French: Beginner

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  Accommodation

  The accommodation would be a double bedroom with its own bathroom in the house. The house has its own website, which I can show you once we're in contact.

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  What else ...

  We're half an hour away from the sea and not far from Mount Amiata. Some of the important places (Siena, Rome) for sightseeing are more than an hour away, but it is all very beautiful here. I'll show you some of the sites, introduce you to friends and I can lend a car for local driving.

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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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