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Host rating
100 %
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 1 day
Feedback
88
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Details
Description
Note: I am booked for the remainder of the year. There could be an occasional cancellation if you would still wish to write.
Please note that you must have proof of a completed Covid vaccination. I cannot host you if you do not. This should be the first line of your message.
In the spring I welcome help repairing, cleaning, sanding, and painting my 8 meter “BBQ” boat and a 6 meter (19’) simple fiberglass fishing boat. The work is not technical, but you should have experience with hand tools, sanding, and painting as well as general cleaning. It’s a major advantage if you have fiberglass experience for the fishing boat. All work is done outside.
I would also like to host those with experience in either voice training or songwriting. My singing voice quality has diminished in the past few years, and I would like to get it back. And I have not written any songs in decades, and would greatly enjoy instruction and collaboration.
In late September and October, I need help bringing my 9m (29.5’) pontoon boat back on land and preparing it for winter storage. I do not need helpers from November 202 through March 2023.
I am a retired dual citizen American/Italian with a small apartment in Italy in a beautiful small village of 100 people a few minutes from Lake Como and thirty minutes from Lugano, Switzerland.
Any non-smoker of any age is welcome to come help, and on free time to explore this beautiful area alone or with me. Please note that I host for only a week or two.
You can reach me by bus from either the city of Como or the Swiss city of Lugano.Types of help and learning opportunities
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Working and being on my boats affords not only a chance to learn about small water craft, but also about the beauty and culture which can be found both on Lake Como and Lake Lugano.
In addition, the village I live in dates from the middle ages. Across the tiny piazza I live on is a large, well-known villa of an Italian baron, and immediately adjacent to the village is an enormous nature preserve (Val Sanagra) with its history of mills which produced silk, metal works, and tiles. Within 20 minutes of my house are cultural centers which offer music, gardens and architecture known the world over.
Finally, interactions with myself allow for interesting cultural exchanges based on my personal history, enjoyment of playing and listening to music, and shared cooking exchanges for different cultures and countries.Help
When you write to me, please confirm that you are a nonsmoker, that you have proof of a competed Covid vaccine, if you have any dietary restictions or preferences, and how you are traveling (train, car).
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Italian: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
I always need help with my Italian.Accommodation
You will have a private bedroom and share the bath. In exchange for your help, you will also receive home meals. I eat meat, but if you are a basic vegetarian, I will try to accommodate you, or you can cook with food I will provide.
What else ...
This is an extremely beautiful area. My village borders an enormous nature preserve with hiking trails, and of course there are the lakes Como and Lugano.
You can reach me by bus from either the city of Como or the Swiss city of Lugano.A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
4 hrs per day for one week, 5 days a week
Feedback (43)
o organize things for the winter concerning his boat and tool space. Mark is a kind and gentle guy who made me feel very safe and welcome into his home in the heart of a small medieval stone village.He is easy to work with and makes sure that things are safe… read more
During her time with me, she repaired and painted the boat supports (bunks) on my large trailer, worked with me to organize my tools, helped me with the… read more
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(4.7)
Communication:
(4.9)
o organize things for the winter concerning his boat and tool space. Mark is a kind and gentle guy who made me feel very safe and welcome into his home in the heart of a small medieval stone village.He is easy to work with and makes sure that things are safe… read more
During her time with me, she repaired and painted the boat supports (bunks) on my large trailer, worked with me to organize my tools, helped me with the… read more
I enjoyed the work, getting to use lots of tools and do hands-on practical tasks which I love, and learning about boats was really interesting as my experience so… read more
Besides all that, it was great to hear of her many adventures around the world, including her current one of a three-month solo motorbike… read more
Dinah is a successful, smart, and focused person, and an exceptional worker. No matter what job she was asked to do, so dedicated herself to it and exceeded all expectations. She even took on tasks on her own initiative… read more
Mark was my second workaway and my first in Europe. From before my arrival, I was having problems with logistics and other personal issues and Mark couldn’t have been more accommodating and thoughtful. I stayed with Mark for more than 2 weeks and the work was light and easy; we worked on his boat, tool shed and garage. When… read more
Mark is a one of a kind, and will always make sure you enjoy your free time by giving you his best advices on the surrounds, places to explore and things to… read more
She helped me reorganize my tool garage and boat work area, and did a number of household projects on her own very well. Unfortunately for the week she was here, I had dental surgery and was unable to work… read more
Even though we managed to get a lot done, it never felt like work and I really enjoyed and appreciated Mark taking me to lots of amazing places.
It was a real privilege to be… read more
The simple fiberglass boat repair that David was brought to do became a very difficult, tedious, and hard demolition and sanding project that was dirty and exhausting in the hot weather we had. Yet he did… read more
I wrote her review within two hours of her departure almost three weeks ago, but somehow it did not get posted, so I will try to recall now all that she helped me with.
She sanded the hulls of my pontoon boat in preparation for… read more
Though not very experienced with DIY/hands-on work, Nathan did quite well with instruction, and willingly did all that was asked of him. He helped me partly demolish a boat to get it ready for a re-build, and help me… read more
I really appreciate all the things… read more
In addition to doing a great job on all tasks she was asked to do, she has a very sweet personality and is very intelligent. Maria was an absolute hit with all my friends, with whom we enjoyed several meals together.
Tasks included help in tearing down a structure… read more
The work was varied and enjoyable. One of our main projects during our time with Mark was helping him bring two boats out of the water to prepare for storage over the winter. We felt very lucky that Mark took us out on both Lake Lugano and Como on these boats last trip for… read more
When they arrived, I was just getting over a cold and was behind in my boat storage schedule. By the end of their one week visit I was ahead of schedule! They work very hard and competently, and even showed me how to do things better than I had been… read more
Even more wonderful was her company. She is an animated free spirit and a good conversationalist. A serious yoga teacher/practitioner, she is also a skilled masseuse, and knows a lot about health and diet.
She is also a super hiker. I… read more
Mark was just fabulous in showing me around the area, driving over into Switzerland,… read more
She came to teach me some vegetarian dishes and to help me feed my friends on the bbq boat. Her student's meat-addled brain did not pick up on the preparation so much, but his stomach appreciated the results.
She got… read more
A good man. Thanks, John, for you help and visit.
Amanda caulked/sealed the most difficult to reach parts of the new pontoon boat floor. She helped me to configure the cover for the… read more
The workload itself was more than fair and to work on the boats was very interesting as well. Mark gave instructions on how to use different tools and what had to be done, but… read more
Even though the weather was bad and my back was out, Leon and Stine got a lot done for me both on the boats and in the house. We reinforced the metal superstructure on the pontoon boat among other tasks, and they did the… read more
Our work was focused on getting the boats ready for the season, as well as some spring cleaning. It was so much fun to learn from Mark, who didn’t just tell us what to do but taught us so much along the way. We… read more
Jen and Em helped get my boat work area cleaned and organized, and they washed the wood Lucia… read more
She helped me take the pontoon boat out of the water, as well as put all four boats into winter storage. Not only is she a conscientious worker, she is a very smart worker. There were many times when she came up with great… read more
Stefan sanded and varnished and also helped clean up and organize my outdoor work area. He also did very good kitchen… read more
The work was not difficult and it was great working outdoors. He is quiet the cook and has a great sense of humor. He is very talented musically as well.
I really enjoyed my time in this heavenly place and would love to return one… read more
She is an exceptional workawayer, fully dedicated to whatever she takes on. She was invited to come and plant my potted garden as well as a "bit of boat sanding." The gardening took her only a few days to make a great arrangement of flowers and herbs, the best it has ever… read more
They were with me for less than a week, but we were able to get so much done on both my pontoon boat (getting it ready for the water) and my hobby "boat yard" in general, including moving my hoist rig,… read more
They were easy to be with and fun. I… read more
He is a great human with an awesome spirit. We had a good time doing manual labor, helping move around boat things and cleaning up his storage space.… read more
I had really good time at there.
Mark are so nice host.
He showed me around the como lake and his town.
I enjoy beautiful town in como.
I will recommend everyone to do this work away.
Thank you so much Mark!!
As a super extra bonus,… read more
He is pleasant to be with, and he seemed to enjoy this area greatly. It was fun watching his expression of… read more
Thank you both!
Mark is a generous host, a great cook, and… read more
Despite not great weather, they were able to help me with a great number of boat tasks, including the completion of the pontoon boat readiness and launching, on the same day, of both my… read more
She stayed with me for 10 days or so, and despite much rain, we got a lot accomplished, including patching and painting walls in my home as well as boat work.
She is an amiable guest, and has lots of stories to tell… read more
Mark is an excellent host, a wonderful person, super… read more
She is an exceptional person and worker. She is of high character and integrity, a very, very good worker who performs all tasks completely and in detail, and a person with whom it is a pleasure to spend time.
Karina sanded and varnished parts of my boats, helped organize my… read more
Hopefully see you soon in the future, Mark!
Great job, Vishnu. Thank you very much.
He is very sociable, and got on with my friends very well. Phil is a scholar, a… read more
As well as that, Mark offered to… read more
He was my first host with Workaway.
My English is poor and I was worried about it before but he was kind and tried to speak simply and slowly.
The work was interesting, i liked working.
he is a punctual for work time.
His house (room) was warm and comfortable.
He took me to some great view places and nice his friends. … read more
She is one of the sweetest persons I have met, and all my friends in the viaage adored her.
Thank you, Yuka, and come back any time.
This was her first… read more
She stayed with me for a week and organized my boat workshop, generally helped with the boats, prepped my home window frames for painting, and always did a great job cleaning the kitchen after meals.
I highly recommend her to anyone seeking… read more
They helped me greatly, first by organizing my disorganized work space, and then by helping to finish my pontoon boat while on the water, even though both got a little seasick on slightly rough Lake Lugano (inland Canadians, eh?).
I highly… read more
The accommodation is wonderful and as the others say Mark is a great cook! He was… read more
She is great company, a… read more
Cablecar and Botanical Gardens wonderfull...
Mark is a generous host. Thank you!
The are very conscientious house guests, and did more than… read more
She helped me design and build a canopy frame for my pontoon boat, as well as… read more
We spent time sanding, varnishing and fixing up one of Mark's boats, helping around the house...cooking (and of course eating!) We had plenty of time… read more
They did many different boat-related tasks for me during their two week stay, including sanding, varnishing, and painting, as well as organizing my workshop. They always did a perfect job cleaning… read more
The work was diverse and interesting, and Mark always… read more
Tiago then spent the… read more
I would recommend her to anyone.
They are interesting individuals, with goals and thirst for exploration and discovering new cultures and knowledge. I would recommend them to anyone.
Good luck on future travels, Alice!