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Join our friendly family in a truly amazing place in Tuscany, Italy

  • Last activity : 22 Apr 2025

Availability

  2025 

 Min stay requested: at least a week

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    Dear All,

    Each year, spring and autumn, we reach out to the Workaway community to offer a meaningful cultural exchange of helping us out with a variety of rural land based projects . We are looking for self motivated, imaginative and creative people to join in. We are very open to new methods and original thinking. Experience is not necessary, enthusiasm is all that we are looking for !

    The location is a spectacular - an ancient dry stone walled olive grove on the lower slopes of the Monte Pisano over looking Pisa, The Leaning Tower and The Mediterranean Sea. This location provides a wonderful backdrop for truly meaningful cultural exchanges with fun and original people from all over the world.

    We will be asking you to help us out in the olive grove with tasks such as olive tree pruning, path clearing, allotment planting & gardening, fence setting . On rainy days we will concentrate on other tasks such as basic woodworking. We will teach you about pruning techniques, the life cycles of the trees and the important history of the olive tree in human cultural evolution. We adhere to the Workaway exchange guidelines of 5 hours a day, 5 days a week, so there is plenty of time to hang out and see and experience this magical part of the world.

    Hi, we are Colin and Luisa and our son is Max and he's 22 years old and at university. We've lived here for 23 years - we love it ! We upped sticks from London to start a new life and don't regret that for a minute. We love life, we love people, we love what we do. We harvest olives on a small non commercial scale - completely organic - of terraced and tree covered hillside. We have an allotment. We have fruit trees. We have water from a mountain spring. We are surrounded by forest above and fields below. We love to play music - we've built a cool recording studio in an old animal shed - this is freely open to you. We run a holiday business during the warmer months which helps to pay the bills.

    We love the land and we love to share this beautiful place. Being a beautiful place it needs love and attention and we ask for hands from time to time to help out. In exchange for the help you'll learn some cool skills which will help you in your travels and more and you hang out in an amazing place meeting amazing people from all over the world ! We do not ask you to help us out in the business related activities and please note that the olive tree maintenance is non commercial - it is a duty to history and culture which, for us, is important to keep alive.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Language practice
    Help with Eco Projects
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Farmstay help
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • Interests

    Interests

    Sustainability
    Self development
    Politics / Social justice
    Movies & TV
    Farming
    Charity work
    Events & social
    Culture
    Writing
    Plant care
    Photography
    Music
    Gardening
    DIY & crafts
    Cooking & food
    Books
    Carpentry
    Winter sports
    Yoga / Wellness
    Team sports
    Sailing / Boating
    Outdoor activities
    Nature
    Mountain
    Hiking
    Cycling
    Camping
    Beach
  • UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN goals
    No poverty
    Zero hunger
    Good health and well-being
    Quality education
    Gender equality
    Clean water and sanitation
    Affordable and clean energy
    Decent work and economic growth
    Industries, innovation and infrastructure
    Reduce inequality
    Sustainable cities and communities
    Responsible consumption and production
    Climate action
    Life below water
    Life on land
    Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Partnerships for the goals
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Travellers benefit from a cultural exchange by spending energizing and life affirming time in a beautiful place, surrounded by nature, meeting people from all over the world, learning lovely skills like olive picking and pruning, responsible fire making, path laying, fence setting, pizza making & Italian cooking and great conversations around the dinner table - all beneficial skills that can help them travel and offer worthwhile help on the way! If there are any musicians - we have a cool recording studio - great fun laying down a live track after a day in the olive grove. If you meditate, there is a cave - sit inside the mountain and get in touch with yourself. There are great walking trails in the hills above with fabulous forested countryside, abandoned castles and nature on all sides.

  • Projects involving children

    Projects involving children

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

  • Help

    Help

    Hi, We own a terraced hillside site, recording studio and hillside olive grove in Tuscany on the hills just outside Pisa called The Monte Pisano. It's divine, it's paradise! We need some light help in the autumn and the spring to harvest the olives, clear land and pathways, plant trees, prune the olive trees, cut the grass, paint a few fences and some light general maintenance tasks here and there. We like to host teams of people so if you traveling with a mate or two, even better! If you have any of these skills - cool - if not - no problem - we'll teach you. Get in touch - thanks!

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    English: Fluent
    French: Fluent
    Italian: Fluent
    German: Intermediate
    Spanish: Beginner

    This host offers a language exchange
    I speak English and Italian, as Italian is similar to Spanish, it would interest me to have the opportunity to learn some Spanish !

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    Very comfortable. We offer travellers two beautifully restored and very well equipped farmhouses that are used in later in the holiday season for guests the world over. You get to stay in your own farmhouse which has two big bedrooms, two bathrooms, large kitchen, spacious lounge. You share the bedrooms. Females in one room, males in another. Everyone gets their own bed. Outside we have an original wood fired stone build pizza oven - learn how to make top pizzas - very cool. The place has Wifi, Smart TV, gorgeous views, amazing location - we can see The Leaning Tower of Pisa which is 10 kms away from here and The Mediterranean Sea. We're close to Pisa & Lucca, an hour from Florence and 30 minutes from the beach.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    We follow the Workaway guidelines of no more than 5 hours a day 5 days a week, so there is plenty of time out and loads to see and do both on the doorstep and further away. We are just a 20 minute bus ride from Pisa and Lucca and an hours train journey to Florence. We are 30 minutes from the coast and the beaches are fantastic. All of these are amazing places - must sees - absolutely! We are located on the Monte Pisano - great hillside walking - old castles, birdwatching, nature trails - right outside the door!

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    Hi, we’ve got stable cable based internet about 16 Gig a second. Good for videos and some smart working. Heavy files get sent overnight.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    A small VW type camper van works fine, big ones no. You’ll have access to running water, electricity and a safe parking place - you’re welcome!

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

Host ref number: 428954877391

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