Información de perfil
Evaluación del anfitrión
100 %
Last replied
14 mar 2025
Porcentaje de respuesta
100.0 %
Usually responds ≤ 16 dias
Comentarios
112
Correo verificado
Medallas (2)



Busca al anfitrión perfecto
Detalles
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
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
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
En este proyecto podría haber niños. Para obtener más información, consulta nuestras directrices y consejos aquí.
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: FluidoAlojamiento
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...
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
Acceso a Internet
Acceso a Internet limitado
Tenemos animales
Somos fumadores
Puede alojar familias
¿Cuántos voluntarios puedes hospedar?
Más de dos
Comentarios (52)
The work was fun and sociable, the landscape around there is stunning too, and sharing all our meals together was an absolute joy.
I'd definitely drop in to say hi next time I'm in the area. Thanks for a great time!
From the moment I arrived I could feel the serenity in the air. Even as I approached their road, I got a real sense that it was going to be an awesome experience. Supplemented by the outstanding mountainside view, all the truly gratifying work we got to do… read more
Fotos
Comentarios
Son opciones de calificación adicionales para cuando los miembros dejan sus comentarios. Se muestra la calificación media dejada en cada opción.
Precisión del perfil:
(4.9)
Intercambio cultural:
(4.8)
Comunicación:
(4.9)
The work was fun and sociable, the landscape around there is stunning too, and sharing all our meals together was an absolute joy.
I'd definitely drop in to say hi next time I'm in the area. Thanks for a great time!
From the moment I arrived I could feel the serenity in the air. Even as I approached their road, I got a real sense that it was going to be an awesome experience. Supplemented by the outstanding mountainside view, all the truly gratifying work we got to do… read more
George, Sophie, Caio and India are a welcoming and easy going family. The atmosphere is fun, the food is delicious and nutritious, the work is rewarding and the place is beautiful. Highly recommend, and hope to… read more
Would recommend to anyone and everyone!
They helped us a lot with many varied tasks including collecting and splitting firewood, weeding and spreading manure around the fruit trees, cleaning the cow's stable, watering the garden, stripping paint off an old floor...and many more little tasks such as repairing chairs and… read more
We gained new skills, learned how to care… read more
They helped us a lot with many varied tasks including collecting and splitting firewood, weeding and spreading manure around the fruit trees, cleaning the cow's stable, watering the garden, stripping paint off an old floor...and many more little tasks such as repairing chairs and… read more
Hosting Stefan was one of the best workaway experiences we've had. He's a proper willing and… read more
The farm is old and very pretty. The spacious (workaway)room with a view has its own entry and (at a lower level) its own shower/toilet. During my… read more
every day after working with a super volunteer group it was nice to see a positive change. In Addition I like to remember being together at lunchtime.
great thank you and greetings
Elias
Together with the hosts and… read more
An huge hug <3 (obviously) :D
Matteo
This place really is magical, in the forest and away from everything. The house is beautiful and the surroundings so peaceful.
Work was varied and interesting, we could do what we enjoyed with no pressure, we always wanted to help as it… read more
She's great company and had lots of stories and experiences to share. She's very independent and appreciates the quiet and spending time in nature,… read more
They are both hard workers, always happy to teach and help, I learnt a lot from them.
These weeks were full of fun and lots of tea! They were flexible and understanding and truly terrific hosts. We worked on renovating the house and garden getting it ready for summer time, we made a list of tasks and… read more
During the 3 weeks that she stayed with us we enjoyed hanging out in the evenings… read more
Jamie is very strong and fit so he's… read more
We had lots of clearing out to do, taking down roofs, patching up areas of walls/roofs with cement and stones, as well as cooking. There was also lots of tea that needed to be drank, games that needed to be played (ask him about The Book Game.… read more
When i first arrived someone… read more
I wouldn't never imagined a place like this, there my cells became alive.
Full of serenity and crazyness the love that george and all the surroundings radiated took my full heart.
The nature itself is a perfomance each second. The forest was powerfull and softly realising, the most magical trees i ever observed and… read more
We had an… read more
I really hope that i'll come back one day because it is a very special place.… read more
George was exceptionally kind, helpful, patent and knowledgeable. From the moment we were picked up from the station to the moment we left a month later we felt completely at ease, welcomed and safe. The house is in the most unbelievable setting and George made me feel… read more
george is an inspiring, hardworking person with an awesome vision for the paradise he's making in the mountains. he's really open to new ideas and encouraged my creativity a lot. he liked to base our projects off of our skills and interests, and was… read more
Please come back!!
Both work with good initiative and integrity.
Their complimentary personalities are a pleasure to be around; John's humble and sincere nature vs Adam's sharp rational intellect (his ability to read novels in a number of hours is extrordinary!?)
But their differences are bound together by their… read more