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Host rating
100 %
Last replied
13 Feb 2025
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Usually responds within 8 days
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Description
During the winter months, we are looking for 2 people who would like to come and stay, do some general maintenance and feed the cats. If this is you, please make contact. We will also being looking for our usual support.
We took over our place in April 2022 from someone who had been running creative retreats in this corner of Umbria for many years. Julian and his team will continue to work from our house and we will be adding further creative and wellness retreats
We typically look for 2 workaways for our seasons - one to help cook for our groups and one to help with guests (preparing rooms, serving meals, etc). Groups are around 6-8 guests only and we live in a beautiful hill overlooking the iconic Tuscan landscape.
Some people join in during retreats, offering guided foraging walks or yoga. When the guests arrive, all staff are expected to behave in a professional and calm, customer focused manner. You will be invited to join in on any appropriate activities. We all drop to retreat speed when the guests arrive.
Sometimes you will be cooking for guests and sometimes it may be cooking for and supporting the practitioners providing healthcare for the guests. We pay €7 an hour per person.Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We have had cooks/chefs here for a number of years, and all have benefitted by gaining a true understanding of Italian food in a low pressure, small-number environment, with simple Italian cuisine - enabling them to gain experience of the traditional food of this country. This would be a paid position with lovely accommodation.
While on retreat, there are many opportunities to be involved, learn, meet and make friends with the creatives or health care professionals on site.Host offers payment in line with the minimum wage
This host offers accommodation and payment.
Help
The main jobs needed, include helping us run this retreat business abroad - cooking / serving meals for guests, cleaning guest rooms, maintaining the yard / garden and vegetable patch, helping with various up-keep projects around the property. Workaways need to be self-motivated, personable, detail-oriented, and flexible.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Italian: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
English - Italian exchange is greatly valued.Accommodation
For the retreats we run, we have guest accommodation in 6 rooms, mostly located downstairs in the restored farmhouse. Upstairs is the private quarters where you will live, there is a shared living and kitchen room for staff and the workaways. Workaways have a room upstairs and a private or shared bathroom. The property is a large restored Italian farmhouse with a few guest common areas, terraces, an upstairs loggia, art studio, and a friendly atmosphere.
What else ...
We live near a beautiful Tuscan hilltop town, Chiusi, and the railway station there serves all the major cities in Italy. Around an hour away are Rome, Florence, Arezzo, Siena, Perugia, Assisi. In the summer months there is a swimming pool and an amazing natural environment in which to wander and unwind. This is a stunning and classic tuscan landscape where people travel thousands of miles to be able to photograph and paint. The art studio is available during off-class times that you can use.
Above all, we would like help from someone with a friendly and positive disposition, happy to turn their hands to whatever is needed knowing that all help is greatly appreciated. It is fair to say that many of our workaways come back to work, or stay much longer than they expected, or sometimes just pop by to say hi for a week or so and get stuck in again. There is always plenty to do, and we work hard, but it's lovely here and we make the most of the opportunity to live in a beautiful place with a visiting dog, a few cats and lots of smiles.A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Out of season, Nov - March, we are happy to welcome digital nomads in exchange for some cat feeding and love
Space for parking camper vans
Workaways with a car or van are welcome to stay
Can possibly accept pets
Providing your pets are social and well behaved and do not chase cats
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Feedback (4)
They were adaptable and capable, easily able to follow instructions and take the lead when necessary.
We enjoyed both the busy and quiet times and I wish them all the very best for their future… read more
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
They were adaptable and capable, easily able to follow instructions and take the lead when necessary.
We enjoyed both the busy and quiet times and I wish them all the very best for their future… read more
Would happily have them back.