Family in a historic Masseria fortified farmhouse in the Puglian countryside, Italy

Infos

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  Description

  ** We are currently looking for some extra hands to help us in April for around three or four weeks (ideally a couple but also open to either one or two solo travellers). We are also looking for assistance around October time to help around close off the autumn season in the garden and (hopefully!) to assist with our olive harvest. Although the harvest is dependent on the weather during the summer - we will not know until around the middle of October when / if we will start with the harvest. **
  
  # Unfortunately we are not able to host Workawayers who are applying for Italian citizenship and require proof of residency. #
  
  Hi, we are Ian and Lucy an English couple who made our own Italian Escape a few years ago when we left our corporate lives in the UK and relocated to Puglia to restore a 17th century farmhouse. When we arrived the place had been abandoned for 28 years - there were no doors, windows, floors or services and we had a tree growing in the middle of our kitchen. We have spent the last 8 years restoring the main farmhouse into our family home, converting the old stables / farm buildings into holiday apartments and transforming the outside space into a welcoming garden with a small olive grove, fruit orchard, large vegetable plot, formal gardens, BBQ area, outside terraces for our guests and a sunken pool area with a large 12 x 6m saline swimming pool.
  
  We have 2 children (aged 18 & 15) who go to the local Italian school - despite not knowing any Italian when we first arrived. We have also extended our household since we arrived with the addition of 3 dogs and 2 cats.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  S’occuper des animaux

  Aide dans une ferme

  Baby-sitting et jeux créatifs

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  Puglia is a fascinating region of Italy that has a wide appeal to a large number of people with different types of interest. Basically anyone who was anyone in the Mediterranean attempted (successfully or not) to either invade, occupy, plunder or trade with Puglia. This means that we have an incredible melting pot of influences that permeate through everything - the food, architecture, cultures, language and arts all contain influences from all over southern Europe, northern Africa and the middle-east. We have 3 UNESCO world heritage sites nearby, a huge number of medieval towns and cities, one of the Top 10 museums in Italy and ancient ruins & historic sites everywhere. And that is before we even start on the amazing cuisine, wine and extra virgin olive oil that Puglia is famous for. And if that isn't enough - we are also located mid-way between the Adriatic and Ionion coasts and a vast array of fabulous beaches. Great for sun-bathing, swimming in the summer but also a beautiful destination for a quiet picnic or stroll during the winter.

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  Projets impliquant des enfants

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

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  Aide

  We are looking for people to help with a wide range of activities around the house and garden during the year. The exact type of help will vary depending on the season, weather and current priority list (which does have a habit of changing!). However, typically we are looking for people to assist us with: gardening (pruning, lawn-mowing, weeding, training, landscaping, planting & harvesting, etc), general maintenance (painting, minor decorative repairs, etc), tending the olive grove (harvesting, pruning, clearing the land, etc), helping us make soap, jam, etc and cleaning our house. We also have a few projects that we are planning on starting - such as; constructing some extra raised plant beds, grouting our perimeter wall and building some small dry stone walls. Finally, there are always plenty of everyday jobs that we need help with around our house - cleaning, washing up, cooking, minding the children and (for dog lovers only!) dog walking.
  
  We aim to provide a variety of tasks and will usually be working alongside you or near enough to be able to provide assistance / answer questions / provide direction.

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  Langues parlées

  Anglais: Courant
  Français: Courant
  Italien: Courant
  Espagnol: Intermédiaire

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  Hébergement

  You will stay in one of our holiday apartments (exact apartment will depend on the make-up of your group, availability, etc) - unless otherwise mentioned (i.e. if we are fully booked - usually the case in July & August - then you may stay in the house with your own bedroom / bathroom). All our apartments include a separate seating / dining area, kitchen (with fridge/freezer, hob, oven, etc), a private bedroom and a bathroom (with shower). The apartments all have air-conditioning (providing warm or cool air depending on the weather / time of year) and Wi-Fi access. The apartments also have a TV / DVD player. Finally, you will also have an outside terrace with table / chairs.
  
  As mentioned we are hoping that you will see yourselves as part of our family team and that you will join us in the house for family meals, etc. However, with your own apartment you also have the opportunity for your own privacy and some peace and quiet!
  
  If we have rented out all the apartments to guests then we will move you into the main house with us. You would have your own bedroom and bathroom and so there is still a chance to have time and space for yourselves.
  
  Please note that if you are travelling as a pair then in the apartments we have either double or twin rooms available (if you require separate rooms then please do let us know when you make contact with us). We will probably ask you before you arrive whether you prefer a twin or double room - please be assured that this is not a "loaded" question but is just to make sure we can plan / prepare the room(s) properly. In the main house the room we use to host Workawayers only has a double bed.

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  Autres infos...

  Our apartments & house are strictly non-smoking. However, smoking is allowed in the garden by the BBQ area. We are in a quiet, rural area but there are several towns within a short distance that offer all the services you would expect (restaurants, cafes, bank, shops, grocer, farmer's markets, etc). We are happy to take you into town during your time off, or for you to come with us on some family trips, etc. We also have a couple of bikes that you are welcome to use.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  Our apartments all have free wifi access. However, we do require Workawayers to be available from 0900 - 1400 for work around the property and so cannot host anyone with other fixed commitments between those times. We have tried this in the past and it didn't work out - either we ended up working extra hours or we were unable to provide enough support.

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  Except in high season (01/06 - 30/09).

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  Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

  Except in high season (01 June - 30 Sept) but please let us know when you contact us as it does depend on whether we have guests staying at the property.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Deux

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  Nombre d'heures attendues

  5 hours per day, 5 days per week

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