Learn new skills and recharge your batteries in Le Marche, province of Ancona, Italy

Infos

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  Description

  Update for May 2026:
  The only must-do task is to keep the garden and plants on the balcony alive from 29 May - 2 June while I am away. This takes about 15 minutes each morning . You would have to come a few days before the 29th in order to get to know the house (the house is old - with that comes lots of little tips and tricks to make your stay more enjoyable). And of course stay for some time after 2 June if you want to.
  Most people come and have a general idea of how long they want to stay: they usually end up staying a little bit longer or shorter than planned. Just make sure you can commit to be here while I am away so that the plants are watered. Of course, I could get a friend to come every day to water, but it's just easier to have someone here.
  
  There are plenty of other of things to do, it all depends on what brings you joy. If you are thinking of visiting please let me know what kinds of things you like to do (and feel confident doing).
  
  I am more likely to host people who are available on short notice. My plans tend to change quickly, so I cannot say yes or no if you want to come in July or later because I have no idea if I will be around or not. I don't want to say YES and then cancel.
  
  Standard info:
  Hello, my name is Kelly. Originally from the US, I have lived in Italy for over 30 years now. I have 3 adult children (and a grandbaby!); two live nearby and one lives in Spain.
  I have been a workawayer (also woofer, SCI/IVS, and similar type things) guest and host for many years.
  In theory I work from home as a translator. Practically speaking, this job has tanked so I am trying to figure out what to do next.
  I enjoy dabbling in arts and crafty sorts of things - none of which I am good at, but I do have fun trying.
  
  Important to note is that we (right now just me) do smoke in the house.
  
  We eat everything (no special diets) so you can expect that there will be pasta, meat and vegetables in the house. All the food in my house is availble to you. If you need anything special, you will have to take care of it yourself. Please make sure to tell me if you have any allergies, special diets BEFORE you get here (like in the FIRST message you send). Don't wait until you are here to tell me that you eat only vegan food, are allergic to nuts, hate vegetables, gluten free, lactose intollerant etc etc. The reason I mention this is because it has happened quite a few times in the past and quite frankly, it's annoying. I eat pretty much everything so I am willing to adapt - but I can only do that if you tell me about your food preferences. Food in Italy is a Very Important Topic - sounds weird, but it's true.
  
  Sometimes we eat together and sometimes we don't . Sometimes the kids and friends come over for lunch or dinner (chaotic but usually a good time is had by all).
  
  Hot water. I have it - just not all day long in the shoulder seasons. My heating and hot water is produced via a pellet stove. Pellets are super expensive right now so I am trying to be conservative. I usually have the stove on for a couple hours in the morning and a couple in the evening (obviously when it is really cold out I keep it on longer - life is too short to suffer). This means that we don't have hot water at our beck and call, we just have arrange the times when hot showers are available.
  
  By the end of May, the outdoor shower should be up and running. It is very easy to use once you know how it works, when the best time to take a shower is for hot water, etc.
  
  I have a bike that one workawayer fixed in part, but it still needs some work on it . As far as I know the front brakes barely work - use at your own risk - it would probably be a good idea to fix it before using it. If you love fixing bikes, I have one waiting for you (actually two, but I think the other one is unfixable).
  
  Finally, many people ask if I can help them getting residency here in Italy. I can't. It is a total hassle and comes with a bunch of rules and regulations and costs that I don't want to deal with. Thank you for understanding.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Projets artistiques

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Événements/vie sociale

  

  Soin des plantes

  

  Bricolage / artisanat

  

  Langues

  

  Jardinage

  

  Cuisine et alimentation

  

  Nature

  

  Plage
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  The house is on the Ancona- Rome train line. The area is safe, the people are friendly, This is a very good spot to take a little break from your travels and recharge your batteries. If you are into outdoor sports, there are lots of rock climbers and cavers in the area.If you want to learn how to make pasta or bake pizza in the pizza oven, we can do that (these things depend on the weather and time). The nature around here is beautiful. If you are into arts and crafts, I have a number of things to play with like paint, polymer clay, wool, a sewing machine (but it needs some adjustments that I have failed to figure out) and some fabric to make things. There is a little bar near my house where the locals meet so if you are an extrovert and looking to learn some Italian, it is possible.

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  Aide

  The endish of May help requested is to:
  - water the garden and plants for the few days I am away
  
  - decluttering and cleaning the house is always much appreciated
  - if you know how to fix things I am sure you will find something to fix/improve here
  
  When you write, please let me know what you like to do (and if you have real experience doing it - not looking for pros, but some experience would be lovely). Or maybe there is something you always wanted to try to do but never had the space to try it. I am open to that.
  
  The only MUST DO task is to water while I am away. No experience required there - if you havenever done that before, no worries I am pretty sure anyone who is able to follow a couple of instructions can learn how to do it .
  
  The more details you provide about in your first message the better. It makes it so much easier for me to gauge if everyone involved will be happy.
  
  Be honest, no need to embellish - this ain't an interview for a 6 figure salary.
  
  For the people I say no to: please do not take it personally, it just means that I don't think you are the right fit for here, but I am sure you are the right fit for one of the many other WA hosts. It could also simply mean that I am not up to hosting anyone at a certain point in time.
  
  I say 3 hours a day per person but it could be less if you are a fast worker. People here usually pick a project and help on it during the day until they want to take a break. Some people help a bunch of hours one day and then spend the next day or two exploring the area. Some people do 20 minute sprints throughout the day perhaps will taking a break from their online jobs. For me it is not about helping out X hours a day but about picking a project and getting it done in a timely manner without killing yourself. I want people here who find joy in doing these things. I don't want people who say "I'm going to do this" and then don't do it but continue to say they will do it.
  If you need a place to stay for a little bit but don't want to help out we can figure something out.
  
  The best type of Workawayers for my situation are people who are independent, have a good sense of humour, do not require constant supervision, and are basically able to figure things out.
  
  If you do decide to come please let me know where you will be coming from, if you are coming by car, train, bike, etc. so I can tell you the best way to get here (and then follow those instruction because they will be the best ones, trust me). Transport strikes are common here, there is a lot of construction works going on the road and train system so google maps might not always be up to date.

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  Langues parlées

  Anglais: Courant
  Italien: Courant
  Allemand: Débutant
  Espagnol: Débutant

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  Hébergement

  I have 2 bedrooms available, everything else is shared.

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  Autres infos...

  Google "Grotte di Frasassi" to get an idea of the surroundings. The train station is about a 10-minute walk from my place. The closest (not the most beautiful) beach is 40 minutes on the train (make sure to buy tix online). The closest biggish town is Fabriano (home to the paper museum and bike museum and Saturday market).

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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

  Unlimited wi-fi . It is not super fast but does the trick - unless synchronizing google drive - that sucks up all the wi-fi when it is on - but it's a good excuse to get off the computer and do something else. Also, if you have a Macbook , for some reason they seem to hog all the internet. If I am working and really need the internet, I may ask you to shut it off for a little bit (or maybe you know why this happens and can fix it). I have a couple desks that can be moved to wherever you want.

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  I do not have private parking but there is a flat parking area near my house. This flat parking area is currently being used by big trucks due to the railroad construction work going on nearby so that space may or may not be available (I can't know in advance). Otherwise, there are regular parking spots on a slight slope.

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  Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

  If they are super chill (not barkers for example), don't eat the furniture, like sniffing around the kitchen to clean up any food that has fallen on the floor, don't escape every time the door is open, and you clean up after them it shouldn't be a problem.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Deux

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  Mes animaux

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