Help us become self sufficient in our 17th-century farmhouse near Florence, Italy

Details

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  Description

  Giulia is from Verona and is a qualified pastry chef and Louis is from Munich who studied economics and organised classical music concerts.
  
  In winter 2020 we decided to come and live in a 17th-century farmhouse and work the surrounding 24 hectares, 25km south-east of Florence.
  
  Our aim is to sustainably become self sufficient. For now we are cultivating vineyards, olive orchards and the vegetable garden giving us wine, oil and vegetables. We also have goats, chickens, geese and ducks which give us milk, eggs and meat.
  Here we are confronted with all kind of tasks, no day is like another! From pruning to harvesting, from felling trees to rebuilding old stone walls, from dry cover cropping the vegetable garden to preparing the evenings dinner, from making apple vinegar to jams.

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  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
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We are trying to learn as much as possible, primarily from nature and by confronting old farming practices with new ones. We are pretty much every day seeking advice from our neighbour, a 75 year-old farmer. From him we not only discover old farming practices but also how people lived and what the cultural practices of the area were.

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  Help

  You will be helping us in whatever task needs to get done that day! No specific experience is necessary. However, you should not be shy of getting your hands dirty or of any physical tasks.
  We are about to start a new year and with it a new cycle in our land. In January we will be making wood for the next winter and fixing the infrastructure of our vineyards, specifically fences, poles and wires. In February we will start with the pruning of the vines; this, depending on the number of people, will approximately take 1.5 months. Come March, our aim is to approach the pruning of our ca.1500 olive trees; we expect to be finished by the end of April. The last duty before the harvesting season begins in September is the spring pruning of the vines - this will take place between May and June.
  Throughout the season, we will also be taking care of our vegetable garden.
  As a last detail for whoever would like to join us this winter, we want to mention that as of today our only heating system is the fireplace.
  We are very much looking forward to meeting you all!

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Italian: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  Always interested in learning something new but primarily offering to speak italian for you to learn
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  Accommodation

  The farmhouse has three rooms (the photograph with the bedroom is one of them).
  We are always cooking and eating together.

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  What else ...

  The closest train station is a 10-minute drive from the farmhouse. From here the train takes 25 minutes to get to Florence. Should you be arriving by train, it is here that we will pick you up.
  
  The upper Valdarno valley not only has a wonderful landscape but is also home to an incredible culture. The next main road from the farmhouse was already used by the Etruscans to commute from Arezzo to Florence. Along this road churches named Pievi were build roughly 1000 years ago. These are real architectural masterpieces and unique to this area. Absolute breathtaking is the Castello di Sammezzano, an 18th-century castle build in the moorish revival architectural style.

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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?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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