Italy
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Looking for help for Spring sowings starting from 6th April 2022.
(ONLY families, couples or women, NO single men).
If you want to learn basics of saffron growing, natural and biological agricolture, and some wild foraging, I can tell you all I know in exchange for some help picking flowers early in the morning, cleaning and drying them (from half October until half November, 4/6 hours per day), or sowing other plants (Spring, 3/4 hours per day).
We are a peculiar family: me, my daughter, her father, grandparents, italian and foreign neighbours, friends... sometimes spread around, sometimes all together!
I started my countryside adventure on summer 2011, when I bought a piece of forest land on central Italy hills: a lot of trees, path walks and old stones.
I fell in love with Valmarecchia valley the first day I saw it, and I thought the land name was a kind of sign: in the local dialect, Boratoja means "with a good will"... in other words "for the ones who wants to trek" as the hill is quite steep!
The land has been abandoned since 60 years, so it is now a wild woods with the ruins of an old stone farmhouse.
I am running a small agricultural activity since 2015, growing biological aromatic herbs (till now mainly saffron, from Spring 2022 more culinary/medicinal plants too).
In the future I would love to have more rooms for hosting travellers (at the moment I can offer just one room or a big tent in the garden) and hopefully transform the solo job into a group activity. In the meanwhile I am working on a community project into my valley about agricolture and female empowerment.
Some interests of mine: outdoor education, yoga and bioenergetic therapy, culinary/medicinale wild herbs, auto-production, training dogs, backpacker travelling (before having two dogs and a baby!), hispanic languages and cultures...
I live 3km away from any food shop, so if you are not coming for a work exchange (i.e. Bewelcome or Trustroots guests) I will kindly ask you a contribution for food costs.
PS: I have one dog, Mina (as the old one, Billo, died) and one cat, Pirata: they are funny, cuddly and adventurous.... while the forest around is inhabited by wolfs, deers, boars, badgers, hares, porcupines... and snakes! (so better bring closed shoes!)
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
When I have time I like to go trekking together or visit nearby historic villages.
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Seasonal tasks (1 or 2 weeks):
WINTER (jan/feb/mar) storage ordering, machinery/materials reparing, house manteinance (interiors).
SPRING (apr/may/jun) sowing new plants, collecting aromatic herbs (wild or cultivated), field and garden general manteinance (weeding, pruning, etc), house manteinance (exteriors).
SUMMER (jul/ago/sep) Saffron sowing (every three years), collecting aromatic herbs and wild fruits, field and garden general manteinance (weeding, watering, etc), preparing marmelades or juices from wild fruits and flowers.
AUTUMN (oct/nov/dic) Saffron harvesting, drying, packaging, garden general manteinance (fallen leaves, composting, ect), ordering cutted wood.
All the year tasks:
-dog and cats necessities (food, water, walking)
-cooking for everybody, cleaning dishes
-cleaning common spaces (kitchen, bathroom, stairs...)
-sometimes baby caring (play, play, play...)
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
This host offers a language exchange
I can offer spanish conversation, while I would like to learn some Portuguese basics.
Hosts will have their private room (2 beds), common bathroom.
I live in a countryhouse, 3km away from any food shop.
You can reach me by train to Cesena + bus (direction Bagno di Romagna, bus stop Montepetra) or train to Rimini + bus (direction Novafeltria, last bus stop), then we will pick you up.
Nearby you can have wonderful TREKKINGS on the hills/mountains (400/1.400mt) or HORSE ridings, you can visit medieval little towns (Sant'Agata Feltria, San Leo, Pennabilli... all reachable by local transports) or NATURAL PARKS...
if you are obsessed from CLIMBING, you will love the rocks around Perticara (3.5 km far)!
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
More than two
4 hours a day 6 days a week
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