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

  • Activité récente : 18 mars 2025

Disponibilité

  2025 

 Séjour min. souhaité : Au moins une semaine

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Infos

  • Description

    Description

    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 cows, shoveling gravel, digging ditches and drinking 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. 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.

    When we're not working we like going on walks, hanging out at the waterfall, jumping on the trampoline, playing board games, painting pictures and having 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!

  • Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

    Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

    Pratique d’une langue
    Jardinage
    Bricolage et construction
    S’occuper des animaux
    Aide dans une ferme
    Cuisine/repas pour la famille
    Aide à la maison
    Entretien général
    Home sitting
  • Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

    Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

    Objectifs de l’ONU
    Pas de pauvreté
    Faim «zéro»
    Bonne santé et bien-être
    Éducation de qualité
    Égalité entre les sexes
    Eau propre et assainissement
    Énergie propre et d'un coût abordable
    Travail décent et croissance économique
    Industrie, innovation et infrastructure
    Inégalités réduites
    Villes et communautés durables
    Consommation et production responsables
    Mesures relatives à la lutte contre les changements climatiques
    Vie aquatique
    Vie terrestre
    Paix, justice et institutions efficaces
    Partenariats pour la réalisation des objectifs
  • Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

    Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

    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.

  • Projets impliquant des enfants

    Projets impliquant des enfants

    Ce projet peut impliquer des enfants. Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos directives et conseils ici.

  • Aide

    Aide

    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.

  • Langues parlées

    Anglais: Courant
    Italien: Courant

  • Hébergement

    Hébergement

    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.

  • Autres infos...

    Autres infos...

    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.

  • Informations complémentaires

    Informations complémentaires

    • Accès Internet

    • Accès Internet limité

      Accès Internet limité

    • Nous avons des animaux

    • Nous sommes fumeurs

    • Familles bienvenues

  • Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

    Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

    Plus de 2

N° de référence hôte : 315467944d17

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Photos

L'image représente un groupe de personnes posant pour une photo dans une zone boisée, avec un tas de grumes coupées et un camion à l'arrière-plan.
L'image représente un paysage serein avec un groupe de personnes en train de faire de la randonnée, entouré d'arbres et d'un plan d'eau, transmettant un sentiment d'aventure et d'exploration.
L'image représente une famille de quatre personnes se tenant ensemble dans une forêt enneigée, toutes vêtues de vêtements d'hiver chauds, les adultes portant des sacs à dos.
L'image représente trois hommes debout sur un sentier forestier, chacun portant une veste et une capuche, l'homme de droite prenant un selfie.
L'image représente une scène de forêt sereine où deux personnes marchent sur un chemin de terre, entourées d'arbres imposants et de verdure luxuriante, par une journée brumeuse.
L'image représente une femme nourrissant un veau dans une cour clôturée, avec un poulailler et des arbres visibles à l'arrière-plan, ce qui donne une impression de tranquillité rurale.
L'image représente un homme et une jeune fille se tenant ensemble dans un champ, avec une vache broutant à proximité, sur fond de collines ondulantes et d'arbres.
Un homme conduit une pelleteuse jaune dans une zone boisée, entourée d'arbres et de buissons, le bras de la machine étant tendu pour creuser le sol.
L'image représente trois chèvres et un chien dans une basse-cour, les chèvres étant debout et couchées sur du foin, et le chien étant assis sur le sol.
L'image représente une scène sereine d'une petite cascade se déversant dans une étendue d'eau tranquille, entourée de verdure luxuriante et de rochers, évoquant un sentiment de beauté naturelle et de tranquillité.

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