Join our friendly family home for a language exchange in Martignana, Italy

Infos

• 

  Description

  We are a family with three children aged 16, 13, and 9, and a friendly, playful dog named Zoe.
  We live in the Chianti region, among the gentle rolling hills typical of Tuscany. Our home is a large house surrounded by a garden, olive trees, and a small patch of woodland.
  
  We renovated the house ourselves — with a lot of effort and even more love! Some parts are still a work in progress, but most of it is complete.
  
  Just a 2-minute walk from our home is the small village of Martignana, where you’ll find all the essentials: grocery store, pharmacy, café, restaurant, hairdresser, and beautician. There’s also a bus stop with connections to Empoli and Montespertoli in about 10 minutes.
  If you like, you can use a bicycle we provide to move around more easily.
  By car, the Empoli train station is just 7–8 minutes away, and Florence can be reached in about half an hour.
  From Empoli, trains run every 15 minutes and take less than 30 minutes to reach the heart of Florence. Empoli itself is a small but fully equipped city with everything you might need.
  
  Giampiero (46) is a blacksmith and works with iron. He works from home and is usually around if you need anything.
  Vera (44) teaches cello and works as a music therapist.
  Clara (9) is a sweet and calm little girl — curious, sociable, and loves being around people.
  Riccardo (13) is just entering his teenage years. He’s passionate about basketball, curious, and responsible (at least, as much as a 13-year-old can be!).
  Irene, 16 years old, is currently in Costa Rica for a semester abroad. She’s a lovely young woman with many great qualities — calm, curious, and full of interests. Irene speaks German, English, and Spanish.

• 

  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Pratique d’une langue

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  Baby-sitting et jeux créatifs

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison
• 

  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Dessin et peinture

  

  Art et design

  

  Cyclisme

  

  Politique/justice sociale

  

  Dev. durable

  

  Animaux de compagnie

  

  Culture

  

  Dev. personnel

  

  Livres

  

  Histoire

  

  Musique

  

  Soin des plantes

  

  Langues

  

  Jardinage

  

  Cuisine et alimentation

  

  Architecture

  

  Écriture

  

  Menuiserie

  

  Animaux

  

  Yoga / bien-être

  

  Sports d'équipe

  

  Nature

  

  Camping

  

  Montagne

  

  Plage

  

  Activités en plein air

  

  Randonnée

  

  Sports d'aventure
• 

  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  Our family is happy to welcome guests and share the knowledge and skills we have.
  Ours is an open home, where friends and visitors are often around. If you're curious, Giampiero will be glad to reveal the ancient secrets of wrought iron work, and Vera is always happy to share her musical knowledge.
  
  Grandma Vittoria, who is very much part of our household, is a fantastic cook. She teaches traditional Italian cuisine to foreigners — a great opportunity to learn how to make fresh handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza, desserts, lasagna, preserves, bread and more. Grandpa Sandro is passionate about cycling, and you’re welcome to join him in exploring the Chianti region on two wheels!
  
  In autumn, you can take part in the olive harvest and oil pressing — a true delicacy and cornerstone of Italian cooking.
  With a little patience and independence, it's easy to reach the center of Florence, Siena, the seaside, or even the mountains.
  
  We are looking for someone friendly and open-minded, who is happy to share their own culture and traditions.
  Someone willing to become part of our family with a positive attitude and a spirit of exchange.
  Our hope is that our children can learn English and grow through the experience of getting to know a new person — building both knowledge and friendship along the way.

• 

  Projets impliquant des enfants

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

• 

  Aide

  We are looking for help with daily household tasks — cooking, keeping the house and vegetable garden tidy — but most importantly, we would love someone who can spend time with our kids, speaking to them in English: playing together or accompanying them to their sports activities.

• 

  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Espagnol: Courant
  Italien: Courant
  Anglais: Intermédiaire
  Allemand: Débutant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  We would love for our whole family to improve our English. We’re all at different levels, but very motivated to learn and practice! Spanish and German are spoken only by Irene.
• 

  Hébergement

  We will provide a private and cozy 16 m² bedroom with a double bed, a large wardrobe, and a desk.
  A bathroom next to the room will be for your use, although in particular situations (such as the presence of other passing guests), it might occasionally need to be shared.
  
  In case we are hosting a family, we will offer an entire apartment consisting of a bedroom, bathroom, and a large living area with a kitchen, sofa, fireplace, TV, and an outdoor space equipped for dining.
  
  The house has four bathrooms (three with showers and one with a bathtub; one bathroom is accessible for people in wheelchairs), one bedroom for each family member, and a spacious, very bright living room with a TV, terrace, large sofa, and fireplace.
  There are also two dining rooms, two kitchens, and a terrace used as a laundry area.
  
  We also have a woodworking space, in addition to Giampiero’s blacksmith workshop.
  All around the house, there’s a large lawn and many trees.

• 

  Autres infos...

  In your free time, you can relax in one of the many hammocks hanging between the trees, or take a walk and explore the various trails that wind through the countryside around our home.
  Empoli offers all the comforts of a small city: gyms, cinemas, pubs and restaurants, all kinds of courses, shops, and more.
  If you love to travel, you can easily reach some of the most iconic places in Tuscany, whether by public transport or by car.

• 

  Informations complémentaires

  • 

    Accès Internet

  • 

    Accès Internet limité

  • 

    Nous avons des animaux

  • 

    Nous sommes fumeurs

  • 

    Familles bienvenues

• 

  Espace pour garer des vans

  The outdoor space can comfortably accommodate a camper, offering both shade and sun, as well as the possibility to set up an outdoor area. Access to the house bathroom and drinking water is easy and fully available!

• 

  Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

  Our dog gets along very well with other dogs, both male and female, but unfortunately, she tends to chase cats.

• 

  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

• 

  Mes animaux

  

  Zoe (4 ans)

Sécurité du site