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

Infos

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  Description

  Update for March 2026:
  I might need some green thumbs to get the veggie/flower garden prepared for planting time.
  I also need some help getting rid of some English ivy on the roof of my brick oven shack (access to the roof is from the back of it, no ladder required; the roof is about 2.5 m at it's highest point from the ground)
  
  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; two live nearby and one lives in Tenerife. 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. If you have diet restrictions, it would be awesome if you are a little bit flexible (e.g. I don't usually eat meat but I can handle a little bacon in my carbonara) . All the food in my house is availble to you. If you need anything special, you will have to take care of it yourself.
  
  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.
  
  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 March help requested is to:
  - get the garden up and running (or prepared for planting)
  - remove most of the English ivy from a low roof
  - decluttering and cleaning the inside of the house is always much appreciated
  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).
  If you do not have experience with any of the above, please let me know how you want to help out. The more details you provide in your first message the better.
  
  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 her who find joy in doing these things. If you need a place to stay for a little bit but don't want to help out we can figure something out.
  
  Personally, I break the garden into thirds and try to get a third done a day (the plot it is only about 4 x 8 m / 10 x 25 feet). The prep tasks for each third usually takes me a couple slow hours to get done.
  
  Near the end of March I will be away for a week (but nearby, dogsitting) so you would have the house to yourself.
  
  The best type of Workawayer 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. For March, I would add people who have experience in gardening (no need to be a pro, but at least some practical knowledge).
  
  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. 2025 was the year of every single WA having issues getting here (mostly not their fault).

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  Langues parlées

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

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  Hébergement

  Private bedroom, shared everything else.

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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). I have a bike that a couple workawayers have been fixing up. I think it is in the last stage of fixing the front brakes. If you get that sorted out you are welcome to use it. Finally, 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.

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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 (unless you are synchronizing your 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. 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.

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  Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

  Maybe. 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, 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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