Amy & Giovanni

From: United Kingdom & Italy

Account Type
Couple account
Travelling to
United Kingdom
Travel dates
01/02/2018 - 06/04/2018
Badges

Our status
Travelling
Description
For the past three and a half years we have been working as a professional house/groundskeeper couple for large country homes. We lived in Shropshire, Worcestershire and are now working in Hampshire.
We met whilst travelling in Spain in 2013, and since then we spent a good two years exploring other parts of Europe. We spent one summer in the Midi-Pyrenees area, doing mostly decorating and gardening work. We have worked on renovation projects, using lime, wood and stone and we would like to continue learning new and interesting skills.
We enjoy travelling, walking, photography, learning languages, cooking and sharing cultural experiences.
We hope to share skills and knowledge as much as possible, and to enjoy our time together having fun.
Skills and knowledge we'd like to share or learn
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
General Maintenance
Life at a Farmstay
Eco Projects
Helping around the house
Animal Care
Language practice
Art Projects
Helping with Computers/ Internet
Teaching
More details about your skills
We have worked on numerous projects together, which involve a variety of skills, including animal care, (horses, dogs,cats, goats), wood collecting/cutting, all types of gardening, painting/decorating, house keeping, cooking, and child care.
In 2014 we spent 4 months working on an eco-build in the Scottish Highlands . Here we learnt some basic carpentry such as building a wooden frame structure, how to lime point and plaster, as well as doing some work in the garden building raised beds.
In 2015 we were involved with building projects, doing a cement floor for a barn conversion and some basic framework construction and plumbing. During this year we were lucky to spend some time with people who really knew a lot about gardening and we were able to learn a lot about many aspect of gardening.
Amy is interested in social sciences, arts & crafts, yoga and growing fruit and veg from seed.
Giovanni has had several experiences working in summer camps with children and also working in the hotel and restaurant industry. He is an amazing cook and his signature dish is lasagna.
We are both creative types who love living in the countryside. We are interested in learning about how other people live and picking up skills along the way.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
German: Beginner
French: Beginner
Age
35 & 40
Nationality
British and Italian
What else ...
We are now very busy with our new position, but we don't exclude the idea of workawaying during our holidays!
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
  Shellfish (Amy)
- Special dietary requirements

Photos

Clearing a ruin and filling the holes in the drive... two in one!

Picking olives in Italy (October 2013).

Walking the donkeys in Tuscany.

Building raised beds in Scotland (May 2014).

Lime plastering in Scotland.

Strimming in SW France (July 2014).

Painting gates and shutters is our speciality!

Show all photos

We like running in our free time, here we are in the Pyrenees.

Our small boat during the winter...

...and in the summer after our first restoration project!

Laying the cement floor in France (November 2014).

Posing with a vintage tractor (February 2015).

Amy building a dry stone wall for a garden bed (April 2015).

Feedback

22/04/2018

Left by host (Looking for hand with gardens ...) for Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni)

Amy and Giovanni were such fun. We really enjoyed having them. They helped us with a number of tasks and were practical and enthusiastic. Giovanni is an amazing cook and he really does cook the best lasagne as well as many other amazing dishes. From the start they were easy and relaxed company and we really enjoyed spending time with them. They… read more

(Excellent )

22/04/2018

Left by Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni) for host for (Looking for hand with gardens ...)

Our three weeks with Lara, Pete and Otto were so much fun. We really enjoyed sharing our evening meals together exchanging stories of our travels and adventures. Their home and garden is truly inspirational and its a very peaceful place to do workaway. We did a range of jobs, including landscaping, raking leaves, weeding, clearing moss and leaves… read more

(Excellent )

22/04/2018

Left by Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni) for host for (Gorgeous Modern Eco family ...)

We both had such a fun time with Nicky, Ben and all the family. We enjoyed the work in the garden, helping to remove the ivy from taking over the trees, clearing some space in the wood, weeding the vegetable patch and other odd jobs. We hope that the bathroom and the utility doors are looking a bit better after the paint job as well! The two weeks… read more

(Excellent )

06/06/2015

Left by Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni) for host for (Help with our home and garden ...)

We had such a great time with Kate and David, they are a lovely couple and live in a beautiful part of France. We stayed for four weeks and the time flew by. We helped to get things ready for their summer season, such as painting, gardening and some light building. David was very patient with us, giving us very good, clear instructions and showing… read more

(Excellent )

18/04/2015

Left by host (Help with our home and garden ...) for Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni)

The time spent with this lovely couple raced by. They were cheerful, confident and able with all the tasks they undertook. They were always willing to give anything different a try and keen to learn be it new skills or diy tips . They would work steadily and always clear up thoroughly. We were delighted to be able to tick off a number of… read more

(Excellent )

03/04/2015

Left by Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni) for host for (Rural French farm in Poitou ...)

We have had such an enjoyable time with Paula and John and we would highly recommend them as workaway hosts. We felt instantly comfortable in their company and enjoyed everyday with them and their lovely dogs. It was a great chance for us to learn more about horses, how to look after them and how to handle them. If we got the opportunity to look… read more

(Excellent )

16/03/2015

Left by host (Help with building projects ...) for Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni)

I was delighted that Amy & Giovanny were my first experience of workaways. They helped me for two weeks in October/November 2014. They were friendly, full of fun and had a great work ethic, being self starters and always seeking things to be done. I have not the slightest hesitation in recommending them and would be delighted if they would like… read more

(Excellent )

19/11/2014

Left by Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni) for host for (Help with building projects ...)

We met Robin whilst staying with another Workaway host, and decided to come back to the same village to help him with the reconstruction of his barn. We worked mainly on the foundations, digging and filling it with concrete. We had a great time at Robins, and we were so lucky with the weather, sunny every day. A great place to stay for us, as we… read more

(Excellent )

02/11/2014

Left by Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni) for host for (Never be bored with us in ...)

The three weeks we spent with Suzanne, Paul, Henry and Jack have been the perfect conclusion to our summer adventure in SW France. We managed to agree our stay at the last minute, and everything was arranged in the best possible way. We really enjoyed living here, walking and cycling, playing football and experiencing the traditional local fete.… read more

(Excellent )

15/09/2014

Left by host for Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni)

Well it's not even been a week since Amy & Giovanni left us and we all miss them very much!

They had, as we believe the perfect understanding of what "Workaway" is all about....a cultural, family exchange experience with a flexible outlook and a work play balance!

Always willing to pitch in anywhere they were needed, with a positive… read more

(Excellent )

07/10/2014

Left by host (Help us in our House & garden ...) for Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni)

Well all the feed backs are so good I have a hard time doing better, so I will confirm all that has been said and I will add a few extra. Giovanni can make real pasta and real Pizza which is really unforgettable. And Amy is so English, I mean the good English woman with her charm that is also a plus. So if you need help and good company, there you… read more

(Excellent )

21/07/2014

Left by Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni) for host for (Help us in our House & garden ...)

We had a great time with Sian and Jean-Pierre, they couldn't have been better hosts. While we were there, we helped with some painting and decorating, and also did a bit of gardening.
We really appreciated their relaxed attitude, and were able to have enough free time to explore the local area. Every meal was thoughtfully prepared and very tasty.… read more

(Excellent )

16/09/2014

Left by Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni) for host for (House and garden maintenance ...)

We stayed with Peta and Geoffrey for just over three weeks and we had a great time with them and all the cats. We felt really welcomed, the meals were always fantastic and accompanied with fine wine and lively debates. We felt appreciated for the work that we did, which included gardening and painting. We enjoyed the swimming pool and the… read more

(Excellent )

17/08/2014

Left by host (House and garden maintenance ...) for Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni)

We hosted Amy and Giovanni for three and a half weeks and right from the start were impressed by their work ethic and the cheerful, willing way they set about all tasks. They tackled our louvred shutters with enthusiasm and did a superb job repainting them. In the garden they looked for what needed doing and did it - we rarely had to give them… read more

(Excellent )

21/08/2014

Left by host (Join a couple on five acres ...) for Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni)

We hosted Amy and Giovanni for 2 weeks. They worked very hard, painting shutters, digging drains etc and also took turns at cooking delicious meals. I enjoyed playing darts with Giovanni in the evenings, and trionimos with both. We would thoroughly recommend them to anyone.

(Excellent )

02/08/2014

Left by Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni) for host for (Join a couple on five acres ...)

We stayed with John and Katherine for two weeks and had a wonderful time. We did some gardening, strimming and clearing brambles, we also repainted their shutters, built a drain channel and levelled out their drive. We were given mountain bikes to explore the local area and we also had a morning run with John, the marathon Legend, in the beautiful… read more

(Excellent )

10/06/2014

Left by host for Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni)

Amy and Giovanni were just superb to have around, and are sorely missed. They picked up skills quickly and worked well as a team. In particular, their lime pointing/rendering efforts have made a great difference to the house, the dwangs are solid, and the raised beds look great. At meal times they are fun to sit and chat to, and Giovanni's cooking… read more

(Excellent )

27/05/2014

Left by Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni) for host for (Help with eco building, ...)

Our stay here was one we will never forget. Peter and Jo are wonderful people, and our little friend Mickey is sorely missed. Over the three and a half month stay we got stuck into some lime pointing/plastering, stone wall building, building raised beds, painting the inside and outside of the house, putting in the insulation, and some basic… read more

(Excellent )

09/01/2014

Left by host (We are looking for some help ...) for Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni)

thank you guys for coming to help us, we miss you! Amy and Giovanni were always willing to help and helped in the house too , coming to breakfast and finding the kitchen clean in a real treat when you didn't ask... their care and attention was treaty appreciated, along with their willingness to get stuck into quite heavy work! Thanks again xxxxx

(Excellent )

07/01/2014

Left by Workawayer (Amy & Giovanni) for host for (We are looking for some help ...)

Lucy, Marcus and Lola are a lovely family, we were very lucky to meet them at our previous hosts, and we instantly got on well. We stayed with them for two weeks, helping with road building, clearing out a ruin, helping a local friend with her olive harvest, and painting Lola's bedroom.
We agreed with their philosophy towards the environment, as… read more

(Excellent )

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