Italy
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Hi, the mission is to transform a peace of land in a marvelous garden, and we are looking forward to have magic, reliable and interesting guests to help us a lot (one at a time) !
Do to the world situation and to our age, a Covid test is kindly required. We hope for a person able to understand the need to protect yourself, so please do not reach out if you are not willing to have it done and show it to us before you come.
Hi, my name is Carlotta (58). I live in the countryside 7 kilometres far from Tivoli and about 30 kilometres from Rome, in Italy. I share my life with Marco (63) and three dogs. Our home is a small country cottage with its four thousand meter of land. My job is to keep in balance the wellness and caring of myself, with my man Marco, my house, my animals, my plants and my land.
The property is divided into three, one part is house-courtyard-lawn-laboratory-patio and above and below, especially on slopes, there are olive groves and little paths among fruit trees, bushes, vegetable gardens and flowerbeds still in the making. Until 13 years ago when I bought, all the land was virtually abandoned and uncultivated. I, with great patience and like a good turtle (Tartarughina), slowly try to fix everything, working for the 90% by hand and alone. By myself because we have little money and cannot afford to pay aid, and by hand because the terrain is steep and unmanageable for tractors or the like.
Please bring shoes and clothes suitable to work in the countryside; the weather can be hot but rainy as well. It is better to work dressed light but covered and safe. Be sure to have shoes with not slippery sole (plane good rubber boots are the best).
We do require our helpers to have personal travel insurance.
We do not provide any support for obtaining Visas or any Residential matters.
Unfortunately, we can afford to feed only one extra person at a time.
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
I am reasonably good at cooking, so you will be able to learn a bit about Italian food.
There is a tiny village at about 2 km with a bus stop; a bar/pizzeria and a 'piazzetta' where few people usually meet in the evening.
Tivoli (that have two UNESCO sites, Villa d'Este and Villa Adriana) is at 7 km, Rome is at 30 km and the railway is at 6 km.
All around us you have nice walks among field of olive's trees.
We will be glad to teach you some Italian and you can borrow some of our Italian books.
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
No shorter staying than three weeks at a time. From our experience, the better working-cultural exchange is of about 50 days (6/7 weeks).
You will help to tear off the wild weeds and keep clean and tidy the flowerbeds, the courtyard and the walkways, built wood steps and fencing off my property, move stones and other heavy things, using the grass trimmer, the shredding machine and other similar things.
I usually need help with heavy works, with the cleaning up from weeds in my flowerbeds, with gardening in general, in hoeing (or dig?) the earth, and in various specific tasks, such as building small dry terraces or building objects with wood. I need a great deal of help to fence off the property to take out animals that do damage (like a nightmare in previous years we have been plagued by wild boars (pigs?) and hedgehog). By finishing the fence, our dogs will be able to run and play more and the property will be better defined.
It is important you are ok to work hard with your hands, like hammering while standing on a stair, hand hoe the vegetable garden, plant trees or build dry stone walls. You could be required to learn for example how to use a use a whisk to cut the iron.
In exchange for 25 hours outdoor help per week outside plus 1 hour every day as cohabitation contribution, we offer a cute small apartment not completely independent and meals. We hope for helpers that are not too picky on food, our last helper was a bit too fussy, no vegetables, no fish, no this, no that ... ufff. We enjoy sharing our food with people who can and love to eat a little bit of everything (including meat).
Helpers are supposed to help and share breakfast, lunch and supper with us. If from time to time they can cook, it will be much appreciated but not mandatory.
If you were good at taking pictures that would help me at tracking the working progress!
Please remember that the help we need is all to be done outside, so your free days will mandatory be the rainiest ones.
In addition to the 25 hours per week help in the fields, I will need daily help with the dogs’ needs, setting the table for meals tidying the courtyard and the lab, emptying the compost and ashes buckets and the trash.
Those who choose to live with us, in addition to the settled 5 hours of help in the countryside, shall participate daily in common life. You will take care of your assigned areas and have your part in the maintenance of the common ones, Carlotta will tell you what and how to do; please remember us to send you the list ‘To do for helpers’, knowing that it may be tedious as by its very nature is a summary memo. Many of the tasks and requests listed, although considered intuitive, are specified to coordinate the different ages, experiences and cultural backgrounds of our guests and for future correctness and quiet coexistence.
Good manners are welcome, for example during meals please do not use a lot your phone, not even for data, as it is rude to your guests.
No food is allowed in the guest floor nor around the house.
No smoking inside, ok outside only if you don't leave the butts around but put them always in the trash.
It wouldn't be bad if boys learned to pee while seated, as etiquette and hygiene suggest.
We look for helpers willing to learn and respectful of our balance and love for details, even the seemingly minor ones. STRONG and delicate, honest and responsible people, curious and in need of knowledge, who are able to grasp the added value of good education, cleanliness, care and the search for beauty with the due respect of what surrounds us.
English: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
An internal staircase leads to a tiny loft on the third floor, with bedroom and bathroom for our guest.
The guests, in addition to daily work, are supposed to help fixing the table for meals and the clean after (breakfast, lunch and dinner), they are expected to keep daily clean and tidy everything around them, in the house and outside the 'To do list for helpers' will help you to better understand and then memorise what is expected.
No smoking nor food is allowed in the guest area.
We do not have air-conditioning.
We are surrounded by nature, the train station in Guidonia is at about 6 km, there is a bus stop at about 2 km so you will need to walk (maybe we could find you a bicycle). The train take you down town in Rome in 45 minutes, and the busses can take you to Guidonia train station or to Tivoli in 15/20 minutes (but unfortunately, their timing is not reliable).
We wish you realise in advance that this is not a place recommended if your need for socialising and partying is strong. We like to be quiet and live in a peaceful place far from the city.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
One
5 Daily hours in the fields 5 days per week ++ (read above)
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