Experience permaculture and sustainable living with a family near Vitigliano, Italy

Details

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  Description

  We live in the beautiful countryside of Salento, in southern Puglia, surrounded by olive trees, Mediterranean shrub, pine forest and the characteristic landscape of this part of Italy. We have a couple of hectares of land where we are slowly creating a more sustainable, regenerative and welcoming space.
  
  What we love most about our place is the freedom to live closer to nature. We grow and harvest plants, care for our olive and walnut trees, experiment with regenerative and no-dig gardening, and spend a lot of time outdoors. There is always something to learn, build, plant, harvest or simply enjoy.
  
  We want our land to become a place where people can slow down, learn practical skills, share ideas and enjoy a simpler way of living. Workawayers will have the opportunity to experience rural Salento beyond the usual tourist routes and become part of our everyday life.
  We are a simple family homestead and we dont sell produces or products to the public. Everything we produce is for our own consume.
  
  Why you'll love the area
  
  We are close to some of the most beautiful coastline in Salento, with crystal-clear Adriatic waters, small coves, cliffs, beaches and spectacular sunsets. The area around Santa Cesarea Terme, Castro and Otranto is particularly beautiful, with many opportunities for swimming, hiking, exploring small villages and discovering local food, music and traditions.
  
  Salento is a wonderful place for anyone interested in nature, herbs, traditional agriculture, Mediterranean plants, permaculture and sustainable living. One of the things we love most about living here, is the short distance to the sea, which has always been such a relaxing reward after working on the farm.
  
  The people involved
  
  This is a family project. We are Fernando and Joi, together with our young daughter.
  
  Joi is passionate about plants, herbs and natural living, and has a particular interest in herbalism and producing natural products from what grows around us. Fernando has a background in nursing and is passionate about regenerative agriculture, permaculture, self-sufficiency and creating a strong local community.
  
  We enjoy meeting people from different cultures and backgrounds, sharing food , stories, playing music and learning from one another.
  
  It won't simply be helping on a farm and hard grafting— we hope you will feel the perfect balance of work and enjoyment, we accomodate for all skill levels.
  we hope that you will feel as if you are joining a small family project and community, contributing your own skills and ideas while experiencing the slow lifestyle, wild and beautiful side of Salento.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Light maintenance
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  Interests

  

  Van life

  

  Self development

  

  Farming

  

  Photography

  

  Plant care

  

  Music

  

  Performing arts

  

  Hitchhiking

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  Carpentry

  

  Languages

  

  Gardening

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Animals

  

  Fitness

  

  Team sports

  

  Winter sports

  

  Water sports

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Mountain

  

  Sailing / Boating

  

  Nature

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Beach

  

  Dancing

  

  Camping

  

  Hiking

  

  Cycling

  

  Adventure sports
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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

  as previously doing workaway ourselves, we have experienced what felt fair and enjoyable. we want your experience here on our farm to be more than exchanging a few hours of help for accommodation. We hope to create a relaxed environment where people can share skills, experiences, food, stories and different cultures, and simply come as you are.
  
  We enjoy cooking and eating together, having evenings around the fire, going for walks, visiting local villages and beaches, swimming in the sea, and taking part in local events and community activities. We are happy to introduce Workawayers to the people and traditions of our local area and help them discover the Salento beyond the tourist experience. we also enjoy our own time and have plenty of space to accomodate those who wish to have their own space.
  
  There are also many skills we can share. as mentioned before We can introduce you to regenerative and no-dig gardening, permaculture, growing food, composting, caring for olive and walnut trees, harvesting and processing herbs, and simple rural living. Joi can also share her knowledge and passion for herbs and natural products, while Fernando can share his experience of working with people, organisation and practical problem-solving.
  
  At the same time, we don't see ourselves as teachers with all the answers. We want to learn from you too. Every person brings different skills, ideas and ways of seeing, which we love! We are particularly excited to meet people from different countries and cultures, learn about their traditions, discover new approaches to sustainable living and hear their stories.
  
  We hope that, by the end of your stay, you will have learned something from us, but that we will have learned something from you as well. For us, that's what makes a real cultural exchange.

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  Help

  Our project is hands-on and connected to the land, so the activities change with the seasons and with what needs to be done.
  
  Depending on the time of year, Workawayers may help us with:
  
  Gardening using regenerative methods
  Planting, sowing, transplanting and caring for vegetables and herbs
  Looking after our olive and walnut trees
  Collecting and processing herbs and other plants
  Pruning, mulching, composting and preparing the land
  Helping with irrigation and general maintenance
  Helping with the care for our chickens and other small everyday tasks
  Creating new areas of the garden and experimenting with permaculture
  
  We don't expect you to arrive with professional farming experience. Enthusiasm, curiosity, willingness to learn and a positive attitude are more important.
  
  We like to work together rather than simply giving people a list of jobs. We will show you how we do things, work alongside you if needed until you gain confidence, and share our knowledge about plants, gardening, regenerative agriculture and life in the countryside.
  
  At the same time, we love learning from Workawayers. If you have skills, knowledge or ideas that could contribute to the project — whether that's gardening, building, cooking, photography, social media, languages, crafts or something completely different — we'd be happy to hear about them.
  
  The work is generally outdoors, physical and practical, so this experience is best suited to people who genuinely enjoy being in nature and getting their hands dirty! 🌿
  
  Most importantly, we want the exchange to feel like an exchange: you contribute your time and energy, and in return you get the opportunity to learn, experience rural Salento, share our family life and be part of something we are slowly building together.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Italian: Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  The accomodation we offer is 5M bell tent, with a double bed
  ( option to add a single bed on the side also if needed). with a log burner and solar energy for lights and charging points.
  
  . Compost toilet
  .Outdoor shower ( season dependant)
  . Indoor shared shower room in the winter months
  .Your own private kitchen
  
  Bikes available for use also.
  
  Food will be provided fully by the farm
  Part of the food like chicken eggs and vegetables come from the farm
  We mostly vegeterian but we eat fish. Meet get consumed sometimes
  
  We eat a varied and mostly Mediterranean diet. We eat fish, sometimes meat, and plenty of fresh vegetables. We also enjoy cooking with seasonal and locally sourced ingredients.
  
  We often make our own fresh homemade pasta using flour from a local mill. Sharing meals is important to us, as we see it as a great opportunity to enjoy good food together and share our culture. We will be sharing our food coming from the orto and it will be our duty to keep you fed. We may ask for help for preparation or sometimes it could be nice to eat a special meal prepared by yourself if you would like. The food will be provided anyway by our family except for specific request thay will be discus together

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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

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  to discuss

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

  chickens

  Chicken have a lot of free space where to play arond. Our priority is to get them happy every day. They help us turning compost and giving us fantastic eggs!

  

  Baba, Luna, Cloud, Mama

  We adopted 3 cats and their Mama..or maybe they adopted us...

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