If you are not an EU Citizen and planning to visit Italy to work, volunteer or study, YOU WILL NEED THE CORRECT VISA. To find out more information please contact the embassy in your home country BEFORE travelling.
Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
27 Nov 2025
Reply rate
96.2 %
Usually responds within 2 days
Feedback
32
Email verified
Badges (3)
Give the gift of Workaway
read more
Details
Description
Enjoy outdoor help in the spring in southern Tuscany, Italy
Our place is a big house with 20 ha of land in the hills behind the town of Cortona in southern Tuscany. We are a German/English couple and have owned the house for 50 years. we could do with the help of one or two practical helpers with a bit of muscle and some experience. There are all the usual autumn tasks, the vegetable garden to dig over, leaves to rake, wood to stack and general maintenance. We can host people from Oct. 23 to Dec 15 for a one or two weeks stay.
John is very practical and has a lot of skills in building, carpentry, plumbing, gardening. He used to be a model maker and Sabine a language teacher. We both love to have people around and had many very good experiences with helpers from all over the world.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
Interests
Culture
Sustainability
Events & social
Beach
Yoga / Wellness
Hiking
Languages
Cooking & food
History
DIY & crafts
Gardening
Books
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We speak english, german and italian and french. We are happy to share our experiences with you and to take you along to places and cultural events and to meet interesting people from our neighbourhood and Cortona. Sabine can show and accompany you on many nice hiking tours in the area.
Help
We plan to work roughly 4 hours per day 5 days a week. Times can be flexible, according to weather and task.
It will be mainly outdoors and physical.
We are not looking to replace locally paid tradespeople with unpaid volunteers,
but we enjoy the help and company of people travelling around with different backgrounds working together with us as a team and having fun.
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
French: Intermediate
Accommodation
The house is divided into 2 apartments, the helpers stay in the upstairs apartment , each with their own room, good wifi and a breakfast kitchen. Our cooking is mainly Italian, vegetarian mostly, but also meat and fish sometimes. We are also curious to experience new dishes from your country!
What else ...
Cortona is on the main train line from Florence to Rome and near to many interesting cities and sights, such as Montepulciano, Arezzo, Siena, Perugia, Lake Trasimeno. There is a school bus to Cortona that stops right by our house. There is good hiking on old roman roads right from the house and everywhere in the area.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
My animals / pets
Host ref number: 859339534558
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
+9
Feedback (16)
1 Dec 2025
Left by Workawayer (Andrew & Erica ) for host
We had such a lovely time with John and Sabine. It was so cool to experience mountain life in Tuscany and enjoy the beatitude views. The accommodations were 5 star and the food 6 star (out of 5 stars :). We started work at 9 until 1 and it was mainly helping John build his electrical shed. It was rewarding work and we learned a lot from John. They… read more
27 Nov 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (Andrew & Erica )
we really enjoyed the company of this couple. It was a joy to have them around. We hardly had to ask them doing things, they had already seen it and started doing it, although the weather was very inclement. They were with us for 10 days together with other helpers and it for made a very harmonious and pleasant time and at the same time we got a… read more
(Excellent
)
27 Nov 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (Charles)
Charles came with his friend Guillaume, they were fantastic! Having studied civil engineering, they fitted exactly into what we had to do with knowledge and ability. Among several other jobs, we put up a small solar pannel system on a bank below the house and built a small technical room out of concrete blocks. They were excellent helpers, very… read more
(Excellent
)
9 Nov 2025
Left by Workawayer (Julie & Harry) for host
We spent one week with Sabine and John at the end of October helping them split firewood for their winters to come.
This Workaway experience was truly special. We felt like we were a part of their family by the time we left Cortona. John and Sabine brought us into town to see live Jazz, the Thursday market, and classical music on Halloween night… read more
This Workaway experience was truly special. We felt like we were a part of their family by the time we left Cortona. John and Sabine brought us into town to see live Jazz, the Thursday market, and classical music on Halloween night… read more
8 Nov 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (Julie & Harry)
This couple was a delight to have, hardworking, fun , good company. Amazing how much got done in only one week. We now have enough firewood stacked away for several years. They were very practical and organized, interested in culture, food and history , they also cooked a delicious meal and held the kitchen and everything absolutely spotless and… read more
(Excellent
)
Photos
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
+9
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
1 Dec 2025
Left by Workawayer (Andrew & Erica ) for host
We had such a lovely time with John and Sabine. It was so cool to experience mountain life in Tuscany and enjoy the beatitude views. The accommodations were 5 star and the food 6 star (out of 5 stars :). We started work at 9 until 1 and it was mainly helping John build his electrical shed. It was rewarding work and we learned a lot from John. They… read more
27 Nov 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (Andrew & Erica )
we really enjoyed the company of this couple. It was a joy to have them around. We hardly had to ask them doing things, they had already seen it and started doing it, although the weather was very inclement. They were with us for 10 days together with other helpers and it for made a very harmonious and pleasant time and at the same time we got a… read more
(Excellent)
27 Nov 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (Charles)
Charles came with his friend Guillaume, they were fantastic! Having studied civil engineering, they fitted exactly into what we had to do with knowledge and ability. Among several other jobs, we put up a small solar pannel system on a bank below the house and built a small technical room out of concrete blocks. They were excellent helpers, very… read more
(Excellent)
9 Nov 2025
Left by Workawayer (Julie & Harry) for host
We spent one week with Sabine and John at the end of October helping them split firewood for their winters to come.
This Workaway experience was truly special. We felt like we were a part of their family by the time we left Cortona. John and Sabine brought us into town to see live Jazz, the Thursday market, and classical music on Halloween night… read more
This Workaway experience was truly special. We felt like we were a part of their family by the time we left Cortona. John and Sabine brought us into town to see live Jazz, the Thursday market, and classical music on Halloween night… read more
8 Nov 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (Julie & Harry)
This couple was a delight to have, hardworking, fun , good company. Amazing how much got done in only one week. We now have enough firewood stacked away for several years. They were very practical and organized, interested in culture, food and history , they also cooked a delicious meal and held the kitchen and everything absolutely spotless and… read more
(Excellent)
25 May 2025
Left by Workawayer (Irene & Alberto) for host
Our stay with Sabine and John was simply wonderful (the perfect first Workaway experience! ) We spent a week with them and felt welcomed from the very first moment. The accommodation was beautiful, the food absolutely spectacular, and the long conversations and stories we shared were truly enriching. We learned to cook some delicious Italian… read more
7 Apr 2025
Left by Workawayer (Lucie & Mohammed Riyad) for host
We just left John and Sabine's beautiful house near Cortona and we miss it already! From the moment we arrived, we immediately felt welcomed by their warmth and hospitality. We really enjoyed spending delicious lunches and dinners in their company, exchanging stories and having good laughs together! in their spare time they were kind enough to… read more
8 Dec 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Joseph )
Joe stayed with us for a week in November and was absolutely fantastic! Did way over what was expected from him and was very pleasant to have around. He is a handy guy with the chain saw and absolutely knows how to handle and maintain them. When it came to pruning the olive trees , although he had never pruned an olive trees before, he got it… read more
(Excellent)
11 Apr 2024
Left by Workawayer (Barbora & Petr) for host
At John and Sabine's, we had the opportunity to try a workaway for the first time, and it exceeded our expectations. We were warmly received. John and Sabine are very helpful, kind and always agreed with us on everything. They explained the work clearly and we always knew what to do. After work we were always rewarded with a wonderful lunch from… read more
13 Nov 2023
Left by host for Workawayer (Romain)
Romain stayed with us for two weeks. He was an excellent worker, one of the few helpers who would look around and see what needed to be done and did it very willingly without having to be asked, always washed up and cleared away. As we were at the time somewhat restricted in our movements, he was able to amuse himself quite happily in his free… read more
(Excellent)
3 Nov 2023
Left by host for Workawayer (Isabel & Steven)
Isabel and Steven are awsome helpers and very good and interesting company. They stayed with us for 10 days and we got so much and very varied stuff done and had a lot of fun. They speak perfect English, Isabel also mother tongue German. They came with their van and 2 dogs who were no problem at all. They left their apartment spotlessly clean and… read more
(Excellent)
1 Nov 2023
Left by Workawayer (Isabel & Steven) for host
John and Sabine are awesome hosts here is stunning!
Communication about work was clear and simple, tasks were satisfying and exciting. We even had the chance to participate in olive harvest from the beginning to the end.
Freetime was all about sharing stories, spend time together, meeting a lot of friends.
PS: John's stories are hilarious,… read more
Communication about work was clear and simple, tasks were satisfying and exciting. We even had the chance to participate in olive harvest from the beginning to the end.
Freetime was all about sharing stories, spend time together, meeting a lot of friends.
PS: John's stories are hilarious,… read more
16 Dec 2022
Left by host for Workawayer (David)
David stayed with us for 3,5 weeks in November/December. It was very pleasant having him as a helper, good company and always there ready to help. He also got on well with the other helpers. Although the weather not all too good, we got a lot done, cutting, splitting and stacking the winter's wood pile, various projects around the garden, digging… read more
(Excellent)
15 Dec 2022
Left by Workawayer (David) for host
I had a fantastic three weeks working on a variety of outdoor projects and getting a fascinating glimpse into all the years of work John and Sabine have put into developing their corner of paradise up in the Tuscan mountains!
From building bamboo fences and concrete steps to splitting wood, cracking open almonds, and working on the vegetable… read more
From building bamboo fences and concrete steps to splitting wood, cracking open almonds, and working on the vegetable… read more
20 Nov 2022
Left by Workawayer (Anne & Santiago) for host
I spent two beautiful weeks with John and Sabine, who were very kind hosts. There were two other Workawayers there and the five of us became good friends. The house was beautiful and located in gorgeous Tuscan mountains with an amazing view. We all had comfortable rooms to ourselves. John and Sabine cooked delicious Italian food every day, shared… read more
7 Nov 2022
Left by host for Workawayer (Anne & Santiago)
Anne stayed with us for two weeks and helped with various outdoor jobs. She was a very willing and cheerful helper with a good sense of humour. We enjoyed her company and can certainly recommend her.
(Excellent)
16 Nov 2022
Left by Workawayer (Matthew) for host
I stayed with John and Sabine for 2 and a half weeks and absolutely loved my time at their place! They were very hospitable from the beginning, even picking me up from the train station late in the evening when I arrived. The food was always excellent and both John and Sabine have great stories from their travels and time living in Tuscany.
Work… read more
Work… read more
7 Nov 2022
Left by host for Workawayer (Matthew)
Mathew stayed with us for 2,5 weeks and helped with various outdoor jobs. He was a very good helper, hardly needed any instruction at all, carried out what was required quickly and effectively. He is easy to get along with and we enjoyed his company. He always saw what was needed to be done and cleared up without being asked. He also made a wicked… read more
(Excellent)
24 Apr 2022
Left by Workawayer (vishalschandel) for host
I had intended to stay for two weeks at John and Sabine's place but ended up staying longer as I really liked it there.
John and Sabine are attentive, welcoming, and great hosts. The house is located in a beautiful area surrounded by nature with the accommodation being really comfortable.
I mostly helped John with the swimming pool which at times… read more
John and Sabine are attentive, welcoming, and great hosts. The house is located in a beautiful area surrounded by nature with the accommodation being really comfortable.
I mostly helped John with the swimming pool which at times… read more
13 Apr 2022
Left by host for Workawayer (vishalschandel)
Vishal stayed with us for a month and was a willing helper and pleasant to have around. He put his hands to things he had never done before, like operating a cement mixer, smoothing and plastering the surface of our new pool, laying out rolls of grass and preparing the soil for it and did many other minor jobs. After that he found still the time… read more
(Excellent)
13 Mar 2022
Left by host for Workawayer (Philipp)
Philip stayed with us 3 weeks in February/March. He helped mixing cement, laying tiles and plastering the walls of the swimming pool. He was an excellent helper, fast learner, who you only had to show once what to do and then he did it on his own. you never had to ask him to do things, he had already anticipated you. He was very easy and pleasant… read more
(Excellent)
7 Mar 2022
Left by host for Workawayer (Carlos)
Carlos, Martin e Manuel (il fratello di Martin) sono stati da noi quasi 4 settimane ed erano eccelenti aiutanti e ottima compagnia! Eravamo tristi di vederli partire. Ci hanno aiutato molto, anche in situazioni difficili, quando John aveva un incidente. Hanno fatto di tutto per far andare avanti i lavori che consistevano per la più parte in… read more
(Excellent)
15 Feb 2022
Left by Workawayer (Carlos) for host
Il Nostro messe con John e Sabine è stato pazzesco!!! Tanto loro come la casa dove abitano sono bellissimi! Loro sono sempre molto attenti, non ci è mai mancato qualcosa, mangiavamo quasi sempre insieme (cibi molto buoni!!!), dove chiacchieravamo e ci divertiamo molto, a volte giocavamo a domino dopo la cena e mangiavamo con i suoi amici. Anche… read more
6 Mar 2022
Left by host for Workawayer (Frédéric)
Frederic helped us out on very short notice for a week and we were very grateful for his effizient help. He dug the vegetable garden and worked perfectly well with an Italian swimming pool professional without common language. His english is excellent. Although much older, he fitted in well with the other helpers. he has a great sense of humour.
(Very good)
5 Mar 2022
Left by Workawayer (Frédéric) for host
With Sabine and John, we connected immediatly. What a wonderful place, fantastic region !
I couldn't imagine giving a hand to built a swimming-pool in the mountains.
We had good evenings exchanging about their countries (Scotland an germany), France for me, Iran for the two young students and obviously Italy.
John has a great experience in… read more
I couldn't imagine giving a hand to built a swimming-pool in the mountains.
We had good evenings exchanging about their countries (Scotland an germany), France for me, Iran for the two young students and obviously Italy.
John has a great experience in… read more
27 Feb 2022
Left by Workawayer (Manuel) for host
Ho passato un mese con jhon e sabine nella loro fantastica casa facendo un lavoro con mio fratello e un amico. buon ambiente di lavoro jhon lavora quasi sempre al nostro fianco condividendo le sue conoscenze. Sabine cucina molto bene ed è sempre attenta alle nostre esigenze. Abbiamo condiviso cene con vicini e amici, ottima compagnia, abbiamo… read more
25 Feb 2022
Left by host for Workawayer (Eigil)
Hjalte and Eigil sadly stayed with us only for one week, due to other commitments, but that week was very effective. They helped building a stone wall, carrying stone and servicing the concrete mixer, always very willing and fast. They were excellent company, always good natured, helpful and very interesting to talk to despite their young age. We… read more
(Excellent)
20 Feb 2022
Left by Workawayer (Eigil) for host
These guys are great! From the minute we met them we were welcomed into their home. Even though we only stayed for a week, we had a great first experience as workawayers and it felt like we had known them for a lot longer.
The house, surrounding nature and accommodation is simply amazing and you get a lot of space. They manage a great balance in… read more
The house, surrounding nature and accommodation is simply amazing and you get a lot of space. They manage a great balance in… read more
24 Jan 2022
Left by Workawayer (Philipp) for host
I had a realy good time at Jon and Sabines place. They are realy funny, open minded and welcomming. I can Recommend them as Hosts and its a great Place to stay and spend time.
Thank you for such a nice time.
Thank you for such a nice time.
13 Dec 2021
Left by host for Workawayer (Philipp)
Philipp was with us for a month and it was a very good experience to have him here. He is very open, understanding and communicative, very willing to help with various jobs, in the house and outside. The outside jobs required quite a lot of muscle which he never complained about and did very well. He got on exceedingly well with us and our other… read more
(Excellent)
27 Dec 2021
Left by Workawayer (Nicholas) for host
John and Sabine are very welcoming and made me feel part of their family.
I learnt useful practical skills from John, assisting on his land, clearing tree branches, stacking wood, and helping moving sand etc. on works for a new swimming pool. He has wide knowledge and experience of every kind of useful skill.
Sabine cooked delicious meals, which… read more
I learnt useful practical skills from John, assisting on his land, clearing tree branches, stacking wood, and helping moving sand etc. on works for a new swimming pool. He has wide knowledge and experience of every kind of useful skill.
Sabine cooked delicious meals, which… read more
13 Dec 2021
Left by host for Workawayer (Amin & Fatemeh Sadat)
Amin and Fatemeh stayed with us for the month of November. It was their first workaway and they had only been in Europe for a month before. Even though it must have been a big step for them with all the cultural differences, we were surprised how well they fitted in and what great company they were. Amin was a very willing and good helper, ready… read more
(Excellent)
