Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
12 Feb 2025
Reply rate
96.8 %
Usually responds within 2 days
Feedback
72
Facebook verified
Email verified
Badges (3)




Find your perfect host
Details
Description
# Unfortunately we are not able to host Workawayers who are applying for Italian citizenship and require proof of residency. #
Hi, we are Ian and Lucy an English couple who made our own Italian Escape a few years ago when we left our corporate lives in the UK and relocated to Puglia to restore a 17th century farmhouse. When we arrived the place had been abandoned for 28 years - there were no doors, windows, floors or services and we had a tree growing in the middle of our kitchen. We have spent the last 10 years restoring the main farmhouse into our family home, converting the old stables / farm buildings into holiday apartments and transforming the outside space into a welcoming garden with a small olive grove, fruit orchard, large vegetable plot, formal gardens, BBQ area, outside terraces for our guests and a sunken pool area with a large 12 x 6m saline swimming pool.
We have 2 children (aged 19 & 16) who go to the local Italian school - despite not knowing any Italian when we first arrived. We have also extended our household since we arrived with the addition of 5 dogs and 2 cats.Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Puglia is a fascinating region of Italy that has a wide appeal to a large number of people with different types of interest. Basically anyone who was anyone in the Mediterranean attempted (successfully or not) to either invade, occupy, plunder or trade with Puglia. This means that we have an incredible melting pot of influences that permeate through everything - the food, architecture, cultures, language and arts all contain influences from all over southern Europe, northern Africa and the middle-east. We have 3 UNESCO world heritage sites nearby, a huge number of medieval towns and cities, one of the Top 10 museums in Italy and ancient ruins & historic sites everywhere. And that is before we even start on the amazing cuisine, wine and extra virgin olive oil that Puglia is famous for. And if that isn't enough - we are also located mid-way between the Adriatic and Ionion coasts and a vast array of fabulous beaches. Great for sun-bathing, swimming in the summer but also a beautiful destination for a quiet picnic or stroll during the winter.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
We are looking for people to help with a wide range of activities around the house and garden during the year. The exact type of help will vary depending on the season, weather and current priority list (which does have a habit of changing!). However, typically we are looking for people to assist us with: gardening (pruning, lawn-mowing, weeding, training, landscaping, planting & harvesting, etc), general maintenance (painting, minor decorative repairs, etc), tending the olive grove (harvesting, pruning, clearing the land, etc), helping us make soap, jam, etc and cleaning our house. We also have a few projects that we are planning on starting - such as; constructing some extra raised plant beds, grouting our perimeter wall and building some small dry stone walls. Finally, there are always plenty of everyday jobs that we need help with around our house - cleaning, washing up, cooking, minding the children and (for dog lovers only!) dog walking.
We aim to provide a variety of tasks and will usually be working alongside you or near enough to be able to provide assistance / answer questions / provide direction.Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
Spanish: IntermediateAccommodation
You will stay in one of our holiday apartments (exact apartment will depend on the make-up of your group, availability, etc) - unless otherwise mentioned (i.e. if we are fully booked - usually the case in July & August - then you may stay in the house with your own bedroom / bathroom). All our apartments include a separate seating / dining area, kitchen (with fridge/freezer, hob, oven, etc), a private bedroom and a bathroom (with shower). The apartments all have air-conditioning (providing warm or cool air depending on the weather / time of year) and Wi-Fi access. The apartments also have a TV / DVD player. Finally, you will also have an outside terrace with table / chairs.
As mentioned we are hoping that you will see yourselves as part of our family team and that you will join us in the house for family meals, etc. However, with your own apartment you also have the opportunity for your own privacy and some peace and quiet!
If we have rented out all the apartments to guests then we will move you into the main house with us. You would have your own bedroom and bathroom and so there is still a chance to have time and space for yourselves.
Please note that if you are travelling as a pair then in the apartments we have either double or twin rooms available (if you require separate rooms then please do let us know when you make contact with us). We will probably ask you before you arrive whether you prefer a twin or double room - please be assured that this is not a "loaded" question but is just to make sure we can plan / prepare the room(s) properly. In the main house the room we use to host Workawayers only has a double bed.What else ...
Our apartments & house are strictly non-smoking. However, smoking is allowed in the garden by the BBQ area. We are in a quiet, rural area but there are several towns within a short distance that offer all the services you would expect (restaurants, cafes, bank, shops, grocer, farmer's markets, etc). We are happy to take you into town during your time off, or for you to come with us on some family trips, etc. We also have a couple of bikes that you are welcome to use.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Our apartments all have free wifi access. However, we do require Workawayers to be available from 0900 - 1400 for work around the property and so cannot host anyone with other fixed commitments between those times. We have tried this in the past and it didn't work out - either we ended up working extra hours or we were unable to provide enough support.
Space for parking camper vans
Except in high season (01/06 - 30/09).
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Feedback (38)
They are very hardworking, every day by our side or attended to the daily tasks like shopping, cooking,… read more
This has been one of my favourite stays! I went with my friend and joined 2 other lovely women for our first month there. We were welcomed into the the family and enjoyed living together in one of the units( as it was off season). As described by Ian over our pre WhatsApp phone call, we spent 5 hours… read more
Photos
Feedback
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:
(5.0)
They are very hardworking, every day by our side or attended to the daily tasks like shopping, cooking,… read more
This has been one of my favourite stays! I went with my friend and joined 2 other lovely women for our first month there. We were welcomed into the the family and enjoyed living together in one of the units( as it was off season). As described by Ian over our pre WhatsApp phone call, we spent 5 hours… read more
My duties were not technical, usually the type of things you would do at your own home such as… read more
We stayed with Ian and Lucy for three weeks during October and November 2022. During our stay at the Masseria we did a variety of tasks such as putting stone faces on brick walls, gardening, painting and also helping out with the olive harvest. We had a very structured day… read more
Our activities were to help with the… read more
Ian e Lucy sono sempre stati veloci e precisi nella comunicazione e mi hanno accettato nonostante non avevo nessun feedback.
Il lavoro era molto vario: raccogliere foglie, tagliare erba, pulire la piscina e tanti altri lavoretti che facevo… read more
They impressed me by the fact their where able to leave everything in England to get a better life in Italy. Their two daughters : Millie and Freya are absolutely lovely, they are smart and very friendly. I miss them very much.
Concerning the work it is very honest, I usually… read more
Ian, thank you for everything you taught me on the outdoor projects. Wanting to learn more about farm work was the main reason… read more
Quin helped me massively with a couple of garden landscaping projects and I am delighted with the results. Definitely not something that I could have done on my own. He worked really hard… read more
They worked as a team,everyone help each other.Nice to see that in these days.
They are… read more
We achieved so much during Tracy’s stay that it is hard to know where to start. But that is only part of the story. Tracy stayed with us for 4 weeks – something that I had been a little nervous about as previously people have tended to stay for around 2 weeks. However, our time with Tracy flew past and I think we were… read more
We really… read more
All the family is nice and cool. For example Ian shared with us his wine passion, Lucy is a really good cooker and the girls are full of energy and always want to play or to do activities. And if you love dogs it's… read more
I feel so grateful I had the chance to join Ian, Lucy and their two daughters during two weeks in their masseria. The place is very pretty, in the middle of olive groves, you will experience the real puglian life! I slept in one of their holiday apartment which provided more comfort than I could ever dream. They really… read more