Help with gardening and DIY in my little cottage at Lake Iseo, Northern Italy

Details

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  Description

  My name is Laura. I live with my son (23) alternatively in an apartment in the town center, in the Franciacorta area, and a cottage at Lake Iseo, in Northern Italy.
  My younger son is 20 and currently he is studying abroad.
  I work as a translator and teacher: I taught Italian and Japanese to foreigners for many years. Now I am also studying environmental psychology.
  Last year (2023), in November, I bought this cottage at the lake, half concrete made (ground floor), and half wooden made (first floor). I needed a peaceful place to stay and to study, at least on the weekends, far away from the traffic and the noises of the town. For me, this cottage is a little paradise: wonderful view, quiet environment, a lot of green, away from the hectic life of the town but close to the lake and the shops.
  I've just finished (end of March) renovating the wooden first floor of the cottage, where I am going to move in April 2024. It is 65 square meters large.
  However, there is still a lot to do on the ground floor, where there is the basement with a large room + a laundry + a bathroom, and in the "non-garden". Well, currently it is a super steep piece of land, more than a garden. There are some olive trees to take care of, and a lot of bushes to cut. I would need some help especially with cutting grass, bushes and trees.
  A person who knows about green maintenance/gardening would be very welcomed. A person with professional gardening competence/skills would be the best, because the land shape (so steep!) is not simple to cope with.
  Behind the cottage, there is a forest, and at 20 minutes walk, Lake Iseo with its mountains, Montisola island in the middle, and a lot of lovely places to visit.
  Sulzano, the village where it is located, is a good starting point to explore Lake Iseo, Franciacorta, ValCamonica, Alps and the Lombardy region.
  At the lake, you can enjoy good fish cuisine, canoa, cycling, warm temperatures from April to October, and many many one-day-trips to do around the lake.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Lessons in Italian language or Japanese language (if requested), cooking together some recipes of Italian cuisine, suggestions about the places to visit in the surroundings. I can prioritize guests from Scandinavia because I would like to learn Scandinavian languages.

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  Help

  Tree&bush cutting, olive trees' care, gardening (grass cutting, managing invasive plants, simple stairs building, mainly), repairing the wooden facade and some parts of the roof (rain flow related ones), repairing decking/wooden floor of the terrace, painting the iron-made frame/structure of the terrace, and other little things related to the daily maintenance of the cottage.

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  Languages spoken

  Italian: Fluent
  Japanese: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  In the cottage, there is a bedroom for my family and a bedroom for our guests (1-2 single beds). There is a bathroom on the first floor, where the family lives, and a bathroom on the ground floor, that can be used during the summer. On the first floor, there is also a large terrace with a panoramic view of the lake and the mountais, a kitchen, a sitting space and my studying space. The guests can cook with me from Friday to Sunday. I work for 4 days per week, from Monday to Thursday, and I am away from home in those days. So the lunch and the dinner too in those days should be arranged by the guest himself/herself, autonomously. From Friday to Sunday, I am at the cottage to study and to take care of it.
  The guest-workawayer should have a certain grade of autonomy and respect for my need to stay quiet and on my own, too. I am not a chatty person...

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  What else ...

  One day or half day trips around Lake Iseo and Lombardy region, canoa, cycling, visiting Montisola Island in the middle of the lake, Lovere willage, called "the pearl of Lake Iseo", the Zone Natural Park or Torbiere Natural Park and so on.
  The nearest airport is Bergamo Orio al Serio Airport (1 hour by car).

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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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  Space for parking camper vans

  There is a narrow curve before the cottage and big vans can not pass through.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  One

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week