Learn new skills and recharge your batteries in Le Marche, province of Ancona, Italy

Details

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  Description

  Update for July/August 2025: The WA spaces are all filled up for June and part of July. I may have some space near the end of July and beginning of August. The main help needed during that time would be de-cluttering/deep cleaning/spiffing up the house and/or garden.
  Please note that it is very hot out right now. Summer time is for early risers (7 am max) to get a few things done before it gets sweltering out. If you are a late riser/ not ready to face the day until 10 am, this is not the month for you here.
  No space is available from around the 15th of August - 14th of September
  
  Standard info:
  Hello, my name is Kelly. Originally from the US, I have lived in Italy for over 30 years now. I have 3 adult children; two live nearby and one lives in Tenerife. I have been a workawayer (also woofer, SCI/IVS, and similar type things) guest and host for many years.
  For the past 15 years, I have been a translator, working from home. The bad thing about working from home is that you (I) get used to the mess and don't see it anymore. The good thing is that I can travel and work.
  I enjoy dabbling in arts and crafty sorts of things - none of which I am good at, but I do have fun trying.
  
  Please note that I cannot help with getting residency here in Italy. It is a total hassle and comes with a bunch of rules and regulations and costs that I don't want to deal with. Thank you for understanding.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  House sitting
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  Interests

  

  Events & social

  

  Plant care

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Languages

  

  Gardening

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Nature

  

  Beach
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  The house is on the Ancona- Rome train line. The area is safe, the people are friendly, This is a very good spot to take a little break from your travels and recharge your batteries. If you are into outdoor sports, there are lots of rock climbers and cavers in the area.If you want to learn how to make pasta or bake pizza in the pizza oven, we can do that (these things depend on the weather). The nature around here is beautiful. If you are into arts and crafts, I have a number of things to play with like paint, polymer clay, wool, a sewing machine (but it needs some adjustments that I have failed to do right) and a ton of fabric to make things. There is a little bar right next to my house where the locals meet so if you are an extrovert and looking to learn some Italian, it is possible :) Now (June) is the time to sleep outdoors - feel free to drag your mattress out to the terrace and sleep under the stars. Now and again we have imprompto parties at my house, sometimes with live music. Of course you are welcome to join in and meet new people of all ages.

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  Help

  The help requested is:
  - help me clean up, spiff up, de-clutter my house and the garden area. Maybe paint something.
  When you write to me, please let me know which part excites you most :)
  The inside part is basic and boring (but much appreciated); the garden is a little weeding and a lot of trimming things back (so you should be gardening confident - kinda know what you are doing)
  
  As you'd expect, pitching in with basic house stuff—like cleaning up after meals or giving the floor a sweep—is just part of living together.
  
  The house stays very cool most of the summer as long as we follow a certain windows/shutters opening and closing routine (it's not difficult - but very important ). Basically all windows are shut during the day and open at night. Otherwise the house gets very hot- and that makes me cranky :)
  Other "rules" are to rinse dishes off before putting in the dishwasher (I know some dishwashers don't need this, but mine does).
  When we talk about food you like to eat, please be honest - I try to buy the food that people tell me they like and sometimes it ends up the person doesn't really like it or doesn't really want to cook it so it festers in the fridge.
  I usually (not always) cook one meal in the day. Of course you can eat more meals that you make yourself with the stuff in the fridge/pantry.
  Please shut off lights/fans when you are not in the room. Electricity is very expensive in Italy.
  We cannot run the oven, dishwasher, and washing machine at the same time because it trips the circuit. I try to use these appliances very early in the morning or late at night (Italy has different electricity rates for different times of the day) - of course this is not always possible, but usually it is.
  As you can probably imagine, the reason I am stating these "rules" here is because some WAs decide that they are not important or forget or that things can be done differently.... trust me, we have tried it all (or most), there are a few things at my house have to be done in a certain way. Not following these simple rules is the best way to make me a naggy, cranky person.
  
  The best type of workawayer for my situation are people who are independent, have a good sense of humour, do not require constant supervision, and are basically able to figure things out.
  
  Important to note is that we (right now just me) do smoke in the house.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Italian: Fluent
  German: Beginner
  Spanish: Beginner

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  Accommodation

  Private bedroom, shared everything else.

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  What else ...

  Google "Grotte di Frasassi" to get an idea of the surroundings. The train station is about a 10-minute walk from my place. The closest (not the most beautiful) beach is 40 minutes on the train (make sure to buy tix online). The closest biggish town is Fabriano (home to the paper museum and bike museum and Saturday market).

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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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  Can host digital nomads

  Unlimited wi-fi (unless you are synchronizing your google drive - that sucks up all the wi-fi when it is on - but it's a good excuse to get off the computer and do something else. I have a couple desks that can be moved to wherever you want.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  I do not have private parking but there is a flat parking area near my house.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Maybe. If they are super chill (not barkers for example), don't eat the furniture, and you clean up after them it shouldn't be a problem.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

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