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Discover nature and learn about life on an off-grid farm in the wilderness of Tuscany, Italy

  • Última actividad : 15 mar 2025

DISPONIBILIDAD

  2025 

 Estancia mínima:  Al menos una semana

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Detalles

  • Descripción

    Descripción

    Hello!
    We are George, Sophie and our kids Caio (8) and India (6). We are a young family from the UK but living completely off-grid on a mini farm in the Casentinesi National Park in Tuscany.

    George is a high school dropout who found his life purpose at a rundown farmhouse in Tuscany where he's been hosting guests and volunteers since 2005. He loves shoveling gravel, cows, Italian cooking and cheap local wine. He can play classical guitar, bang on a djembe and play a few tunes on the Irish whistle.

    Sophie has a degree in fine art but she now spends most of her time moving cow manure around the vegetable garden and cuddling baby goats. She is obsessed with gardening and whenever there's a spare moment she enjoys running, wood chopping, writing and drawing.

    Caio is 8 and he loves spending time in the workshop drilling random holes in bits of wood and grinding bits of metal on the bench grinder. He loves spending time outside helping out with stuff and talking about trees. If he's in the right mood he loves an epic game of Catan.

    India is 6 and likes dancing, laughing and running around in the rain. She likes keeping random things in her little wooden jewelry box and she sometimes makes bracelets to give to her friends. When she grows up she wants to be a professional treasure hunter and a part time clown. She loves terrible jokes and (unfortunately) hates playing musical chairs.

    In our free time we go on walks, hang out at the waterfall, jump on the trampoline, play board games, paint pictures and have bonfires.

    We're passionate about living off-grid and everything that comes with it; building things, gardening, looking after animals, and the endless woodchopping is forever satisfying. We enjoy the peace and the relatively slow pace of living close to nature and the commitment to the continuous but rewarding work. There's a sense of purpose to everything that goes on here.

    We use entirely solar power for our electricity, heat with wood and we source our water from a natural spring.

    We grow organic vegetables for our own consumption. We have bees so we produce honey and other bee products. We have a cow, goats (two milking) chickens, cats and a dog.

    The farmhouse is in the middle of a forest 3km from the nearest asphalt road and it's only possible to reach the house with a 4x4 vehicle (or of course on foot). We are about a 45min drive from the nearest town so we try to only go into town for shopping etc about once a week. Volunteers usually reach us independently by getting a bus to the nearest bus stop which is about a 1h30min hike away through the forest. We are very isolated so it's a perfect place to enjoy the solitude and peace that this place offers and experience an authentic off-grid life in the wilderness.

    All meals are home cooked and eaten together and we eat from the garden as much as possible.

    On your days off there are many beautiful hikes to do. For example...to the Monastery of Saint Francis (La Verna), the abandoned village or to the many waterfalls and natural pools (the nearest is 20mins walk away)..
    Please be aware that we are literally in the middle of a forest about 1.5 hours walk away from the nearest shop or bar.

    We offer the ideal opportunity to experience an authentic and rustic off-grid life in the nature.

    We look forward to meeting you and sharing this experience with you!

  • Tipos de ayuda y oportunidades de aprendizaje

    Tipos de ayuda y oportunidades de aprendizaje

    Práctica de idiomas
    Jardinería
    Construcción y bricolaje
    Cuidado de animales
    Ayuda en una granja
    Cocinar para toda la familia
    Ayuda doméstica
    Mantenimiento general
    Cuidado de casas
  • Objetivos de sostenibilidad de las NU que intenta conseguir este anfitrión

    Objetivos de sostenibilidad de las NU que intenta conseguir este anfitrión

    Objetivos de las NU
    Fin de la pobreza
    Hambre cero
    Salud y bienestar
    Educación de calidad
    Igualdad de género
    Agua limpia y saneamiento
    Energía asequible y no contaminante
    Trabajo decente y crecimiento económico
    Industria, innovación e infraestructura
    Reducción de las desigualdades
    Ciudades y comunidades sostenibles
    Producción y consumo responsables
    Acción por el clima
    Vida submarina
    Vida de ecosistemas terrestres
    Paz, justicia e instituciones sólidas
    Alianzas para lograr los objetivos
  • Intercambio cultural y oportunidades de aprendizaje

    Intercambio cultural y oportunidades de aprendizaje

    Although we are in Italy we're very isolated so it's not the best place for volunteers to come expecting a Italian cultural exchange, although we do speak (and cook!) Italian.
    We offer the opportunity to learn many life skills from cooking and baking bread to gardening and fixing the roof.
    We live off-the-grid and practice organic gardening and self-sufficiency. So our cultural exchange would be an exchange of lifestyle and knowledge rather than an authentic Italian cultural exchange.

  • Proyectos con niños

    Proyectos con niños

    En este proyecto podría haber niños. Para obtener más información, consulta nuestras directrices y consejos aquí.

  • Ayuda

    Ayuda

    During the warmer months of the year we host volunteers who are passionate about nature, independent, hardworking and enjoy being outside and getting stuck in! We work hard but it makes the beer taste better at the end of the day!

    Depending on your skills such tasks could be....

    Collecting firewood from the forest
    House maintenance and DIY
    Helping to improve the 3km long road to the house (cleaning ditches, filling holes etc)
    Fixing tools and machines
    Gardening

    A certain points in the year there could be times when we are focusing on one specific project...like working on the road or collecting firewood for winter - both are never ending tasks.

  • Idiomas hablados

    Inglés: Fluido
    Italiano: Fluido

  • Alojamiento

    Alojamiento

    The type of accommodation can vary depending how many other volunteers or guests are around. But you will either stay in one of our private guest bedrooms or possibly in a tent during the summer.
    There is a separate bathroom for guests.

    The house is off-grid, which means we are not connected to the mains electricity. We only have a small solar panel system - not a problem in summer but it can mean we have limited electricity supply in the winter months. Our water, comes clean and natural to the house from a nearby spring.

  • Algo más...

    Algo más...

    About the place and your stay...
    We are in a very remote part of east Tuscany called the Casentino. In contrast to the rolling hills, vine yards and the olive groves of what you imagine to be the classic Tuscany, here it is very wild and mountainous and we are surrounded by lush forests. The houses are literally in the middle of the woods within the National Park of the Casentine forests. The houses are reached by a 3km old stone track only accessible on foot or 4x4 vehicle. The houses are fully off grid. Our electricity comes from solar and water is sourced from a natural spring. Hot water is supplied from a wood burning stove. It is an exceptionally peaceful place of untouched natural beauty. The nearest neighbor is a 30min walk away and there is no light pollution, perfect for stargazing. This is a very special place just to be and experience nature.

    Places to visit during your stay....

    La Verna - the medieval monastery of Saint Francis of Assisi. Perched high on a cliff face at the top of the mountain this sacred place is surrounded by some of the oldest and largest trees in the valley in a forest known as the sacred forest. It is here where the Saint retreated in his cave and communed with the wildlife and nature and eventually received his stigmata. It is clear to understand why even to this day many pilgrims still visit this sacred wild place for prayer and meditation... or perhaps for some, just simply to enjoy the view!

    Also nearby is the 'abandoned village' of San Silvestre. This once thriving village was deserted in the 1960’s and since then it has been left open to the destructive forces of nature and has slowly been eaten up by the wilderness. Here trees grow from the middle of the ruins and the only signs of life are the sheep loitering the old lanes and grazing the overgrowth. Beautiful place for sunset!

    There are several waterfalls and pools in the valley.

    ----

    Please be aware that we are isolated and hard to get to. The house is literally in the middle of the woods, it can only be reached by 4x4 vehicles and of course on foot. It is a place to immerse yourself into nature, explore forests and footpaths and to simply enjoy the peace. Fantastic for walkers. It is not a place to use as a base from where you can easily go on day trips to other tourist cities in Italy.

  • Un poco más de información

    Un poco más de información

    • Acceso a Internet

    • Acceso a Internet limitado

      Acceso a Internet limitado

    • Tenemos animales

    • Somos fumadores

    • Puede alojar familias

  • ¿Cuántos voluntarios puedes hospedar?

    ¿Cuántos voluntarios puedes hospedar?

    Más de dos

Número de referencia de anfitrión: 315467944d17

Seguridad Web

Comentarios (52)



Fotos

La imagen muestra a una familia de cuatro miembros en un bosque nevado, todos vestidos con ropa de invierno y los adultos con mochilas.
La imagen representa un paisaje sereno con un grupo de personas haciendo senderismo, rodeadas de árboles y una masa de agua, transmitiendo una sensación de aventura y exploración.
La imagen muestra a tres hombres de pie en una pista forestal, cada uno con una chaqueta y capucha, y el hombre de la derecha tomándose un selfie.
La imagen representa una serena escena forestal con dos individuos caminando por un sendero de tierra, rodeados de altísimos árboles y exuberante vegetación en un día de niebla.
La imagen muestra a un hombre y una niña de pie en un campo, con una vaca pastando cerca, con un telón de fondo de colinas onduladas y árboles.
La imagen muestra a un hombre y un niño recogiendo leña en una zona montañosa, con el hombre cargando troncos en una carretilla.
La imagen representa un paisaje sereno con una cadena montañosa de exuberante vegetación, un río serpenteante y un cielo despejado, que evoca una sensación de belleza natural y tranquilidad.
La imagen representa a una mujer dando de comer a un ternero en un patio vallado, con un gallinero y árboles visibles al fondo, transmitiendo una sensación de tranquilidad rural.
La imagen representa a tres cabras y un perro en un corral, con las cabras de pie y tumbadas sobre heno, y el perro sentado en el suelo.
La imagen representa una serena escena de una pequeña cascada que cae en una tranquila masa de agua, rodeada de exuberante vegetación y rocas, evocando una sensación de belleza natural y tranquilidad.

Comentarios

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Precisión del perfil:
(4.9)

Intercambio cultural:
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Comunicación:
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