Experience my off-grid homestead permaculture project - enjoy rustic simple life on Etna eastern slope, Italy

Detalhes

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  Descrição

  ***Looking for help in december***
  
  ***Wintertime companion*** December and January need much less work than the others. But it's long, cold and dark 🥲 I look for someone that can be independent on the few daily tasks, that likes to cook, read books, do woodworks, also come and meet my friends...more than a steryle exchange. I look for serenity more than anything, and being self-managed and reliable are necessary for a win-win situation.
  In any case we'll know each other, and after two weeks we'll have our answers. There's people passing by often, so you are not doomed to talk only to me. But of course we'll spend lot of time togheter.
  I do look for only a person at this time because the amount of work is too low for two 🙏
  I still look for people staying two weeks like usual, but if you are about to stay more your request is prioritized 🙏***
  
  
  *** DIY Opportunity*** Looking for two volunteer for the last half of February: we build a shed with canes! A rare occasion to follow all the process, from harvest to build! It's going to be tiri...fun! 😁***
  
  ***Gardening Opportunity*** March and April are months where you can learn how to prune and graft, expecially on plums, citrus and olive trees. A rare occasion to learn high skills all at once 💪***
  
  ***If you are willing to learn building with natural materials you are in the right place 😁 from late may to july we'll build something for sure 🥳***
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  Welcome to my page! Thanks to be here 🙏
  
  My name is Alberto, a guy born in a big city of the north of Italy that one day decided to change his life by moving to Sicily, between the Vulcano and the Sea, spending all the savings in a land and start living inside it, working every day on its maintenance and development.
  I started this in 2019, and the first years have been hard. Now life's here is quite easy, there's all the essential, and even more 💪
  
  I didn't go to university, and when I have bought this land I was not knowing anything...about everything!
  I can say this project is my university! I have learnt how to use tools, build, prune and graft, make an irrigation system, a solar system and build things big enough to live in 😁
  My english became fluent, I am increasing my self esteem and exploring my subconscious, developing manual skills every day and new capabilities every season. I always have help and company, I couldn't ask for any better 😁
  I am the only person living here.
  
  The project is 100% off grid,with water from the sky and electricity from the sun 💪 and from 2025 I can say I am indipendent 🥹 Finally!
  
  I have two trailers, a cozy shower, a fancy compost toilet and a little shelter for myself 😌 most of the things are built following the quincha method, just clay and straw 😁
  I have a chicken coop that has shown to be resistant to any possible attack 💪 It makes me proud 😁
  
  We have heaters to be warm in winter and a small small pool to be cool in Summer 🥹
  
  I give every meal, I guarantee a short hot shower everyday, I have friends passing by every other day, the sea is 4 kilometers far, and at just one kilometer there's a village where meet the Sicilian food culture 😁
  
  Life is easy here, and the work isn't stressful when everyone does his part 🤸
  
  FYI Before you read I would tell I host volunteers for two weeks then we can decide togheter if make it longer 🙏 from April to September I host up to 4 volunteers at time, 3 as average.
  From October to March usually 1-2 people, in depending on the request.
  
  December and January are the coldest and shortest days, I usually host only one volunteer, two most rarely.
  
  To be sure to find space in here you should contact me within 1-2 months in advance.
  There is a big dog, cats, chickens always around us, and lot of mosquitos (from April to October).
  
  The land is 7000 square meters, with many lemon trees, olive, pears, grapes, clementines, grapefruit, a few tropical trees, and herbs.
  I am few kilometers far from the sea, and some more kilometers far from Etna. We are 160 meters above sea level, and the subtropical climate allows us to grow many exotic fruits and live outdoors 9 months per year.
  Anyway we live outside 12 months per year 😎😎😎
  
  We are not a company, everything we produce is for self-sufficiency.
  
  Inhabitants of this land are Acab (the dog), Dima (the big one, half cat and half puppet 🥹), Azolo (the black cat and, the king of the Land 🫣), Gilda (the new arrived, a little female that always follows Azolo 🙂‍↔️) 20 chickens and Alberto (the only human) 😁.
  I have friends over often and you'll have the chance to know other good souls 🙏
  
  As you can read I am an easy going person, outgoing and funny, also empathetic, open minded and caring 🙂‍↔️
  I behave as a kid when I am happy and relaxed, as an "adult" when we work on priorities 😌
  I Just ask to the volunteers to wake up at time, keep the kitchen clean and honour all the small daily tasks, and be focused during the explanations I give, expecially for how to use water 🙏🙏🙏🙏 our most important good here 🥹
  
  The help I look for is, in order of frequency:
  Light gardening;
  Animal care: walk the dog, feed the animals etc...;
  Clean and tidy up;
  DIY projects;.
  
  I often cook because I am Italian, I must keep the honour high 🤣. I am not a chef but whatever I make gets finished every single time 😎 But honestly I would completely delegate this, so if you are about to cook for everyone everyday (with help when needed and dishes) with a good cooking skills please indicate it in the presentation 🙏🙏🙏🙏
  
  I am Sagittarius, Aquarius rising, for anyone interested in knowing 🙏
  
  My first goal as host is make the workawayers feel comfortable, relaxed and safe, then make them independent in the land, punctual and focused.
  I look for respectful and easy-going people that love DIY, wildness, manual labour, curious to learn and happy to be completely involved in someone's life, kinda of au pair experience.
  We'll live in the same environment, share the same food, work in team, and become friends.
  I can tell my story, share my experience, teach what I've learnt throught observation and experience.
  I can teach you a bit of everything, but I'm not expert in anything 😁
  
  The time here is different: days are longer, and weeks are shorter 🤔 Remember It!
  
  So, what are you waiting for? 🥳

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  Tipos de ajuda e oportunidades de aprendizado

  Ajuda em projetos ambientais

  Jardinagem geral

  Projetos DIY criativos

  Cuidar de animais

  Ajuda em fazenda

  Criar/cozinhar refeições caseiras

  Ajuda a cuidar da casa

  Manutenção geral
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  Interesses

  

  Vida na estrada

  

  Caminhada

  

  Tecnologia

  

  Cuidar de plantas

  

  Blogs

  

  Esportes de equipe

  

  Camping

  

  Naturaleza

  

  Atividades ao ar livre

  

  Animais

  

  Praia

  

  Criação de vídeos

  

  Vegetariano/vegano

  

  Sustentabilidade

  

  Autodesenvolvimento

  

  Mascotes

  

  Fazenda

  

  Fotografia

  

  Jardinagem

  

  Faça você mesmo

  

  Carpintaria
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  Objetivos de sustentabilidade da ONU que este anfitrião quer atingir

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  O que é isso?
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  Oportunidades de intercâmbio cultural e aprendizado

  You could learn that you can feel at home even far from your house 😌
  This project is about developing to be off grid, so you can gain plenty of information around permaculture, gardening, building, solving problems et cetera et cetera 😁
  If you wanna start a project I can give plenty of tips 🙏
  
  DIY is the keyword here, and you could expect any kind of work here, in depending on what we are building (or fixing 🥲).
  Everyone here becomes familiar with the pickaxe, the shovel, the rake, the wheelbarrow and their proper way of using them without wasting calories 😁 then gardening is a big task, so you can learn how to prune, to graft, to plan a plantation ect.. in depending on the season you come here.
  Beside that there is always the weekly maintenance of the vegetable garden, so boooring! 🥱
  What else? I do not know yet, but I know will be tiring, that's why I am here 😁
  Life here is as a small familiar environment that turns strangers in siblings, and people here are totally involved in my life, knowing my friends and coming with me the few times I get out from here 😁
  I have used to go with volunteers to many projects around the area, that's why some feedbacks talk about that, but I found this exhausting and I slowed down this a lot 🙏
  
  This project is still rising, so by coming here you'll put your hands in something meaningful that will expand roots and will get bigger and bigger every year 🙏
  
  *Photography: in one of my previous lives I have been a freelance photographer, so I am able to teach everything about whatever camera you'll bring with you 🤗*

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  Ajuda

  We work 4-5 hours per day, waking up at dawn, ready to work straight after breakfast.
  Daily tasks are mostly gardening,
  then cooking and clean up the facilities, feed the animals, walk the dog, collect eggs, water the plants, and prepare meals togheter 😁
  
  Every saturday morning we deep clean the shower, the toilet and the roulottes, we sort the garbage and handwash clothes, we clean the chicken coop and we do light maintenance on the vegetable garden.
  
  Help in the land is very varius, I cannot make a list 😭.
  Some days are scheduled as rituals, but weather is the chief manager, everything could be postponed or changed 🤷
  Just be ready for workouts 😁 pickaxe, shovel, rake, gloves will be part of your dress code for half of a week 😁
  
  I am also building a lot of little things, as I said, so we'll do some carpentry, woodworking, plasterings, we use lot of clay, straw and sand for making walls, this usually happens from late spring to early september.
  
  Mondays and Fridays are off.
  I give every meal in working days.
  We all eat every meal togheter in days of work.
  I do not provide for meals in days off, but you can use the kitchen anyway, and there's always a pack of pasta or rice you can take from my pantry, but you must be an independent ninja 🤸Days off could change for few important jobs (like a harvest) or some very bad weather, but we compensate choosing another after.
  I am no flexible with changing these days off because I always make plans and I can't be here working with you. And of course, we can eat togheter every time can happen.
  Some changes could be done, but this depends on how indipendent the volunteer can be when alone.
  Another exception could be with religions: if there is a day where you stop working because of religious choices, just write it on the application message 🙏
  Saturday is a ritualistic day were we clean and tidy up everywere.
  So we all wear latex gloves and we make the facilities shine like suns 😁 even the coop 😜 than we do very relaxing weeding with hands in the vegetable garden till it's time for lunch 😁
  
  *July and August are crazy hot, with temperatures over 35 degrees for 8 to 10 hours per day, fighting against mosquitos, flies, ants and sunburns (expecially for really light skins).
  This temperatures affect the energies more than you think, and some people from cold countries have given up after few days because of that, discovering also new allergies they didn't know before 😬 I would say that insects bites and sun radiations are on a different scale here 🙏
  Please consider this advice 🙏🙏🙏 and choose another season if you ear whistles 😜 March-April and September-November are the best options, trust me pleeease🙏🙏🙏*
  
  The land every year requires some big jobs that I ask for help with:
  
  January: prune grapes, dig out oaks and blackberry shrubs;
  February: prune olive trees, pear trees, ivys, canes;
  March: graft olive trees, prepare the summer vegetable garden, seedings etc.;
  April: graft and prune citrus trees, harvest lemons;
  May: look after the vegetable garden, harvest medlars, weedings, work on safety against summer bushfire;
  June-July: build with mud 😍 water new plants, weedings, dig out oaks and blackberry shrubs;
  August: water new plants, make tomato sauce (1 to 3 days)
  September: harvest grapes (1-2 days), make grape juice, harvest hazelnuts (3-4 days), harvest prickly pears, new plantations (trees and vegetables)
  October-November: harvest olives (biggest task of the year! 3 days of heavy work and 2 extra days of rest after 😁), plant onions, fennels, peas, broad beans;
  December: harvest lemons (2-3 days);
  
  Almost everything here has been built by me and is runned by me, so for every random question about anything you could point your finger at there's a 15 minutes answer for that 🤣 Fun fact: many workaway hosts in the area have something in their land that I've built, like sheds, benches, sometimes compost toilets, irrigation systems, tree grafts etc...and this is how I make the money to run this land 😁
  So if you are about to trade comforts with this kind of knowledge you have found the right host 💪😌
  
  As I've learnt in a facilitation course, Dreams have more chances to become true if you tell others, so here they are 😁:
  - I am planning to build a little sauna with wood, clay and straw🥳
  - I would love to make a documentary of what we are doing 🥹 a good one! 60 minutes! 🥳
  - I'd love inviting Keanu Reeves here, do anyone has his number? 😂

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  Idiomas

  Inglês: Fluente
  Italiano: Fluente
  Espanhol: Iniciante

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  Acomodação

  Volunteers will sleep in a cozy roulotte (with heating system in wintertime) 🤙 It's made for two volunteers (always same gender), with independent lights and spaces 🦸
  
  The outdoor shower has hot water every day 🥹 and It has been made to work 100% on passive energy.
  The water tank is few meters above the shower, so the water gains good pressure. Then a pipe gets into a boiler inside a old fridge full of rocks and the sun heats it during midday. If it's cloudy or rainy I can switch to another boiler over a old wooden stove to heat with the citrus prunings!
  Oh, forgot! The water is from rain collection 💪
  
  One thing to know about the compost toilet: I ask to pee in it as less as possible, and pee behind the tree you prefer that day 😁 this drastically reduce bad smells, emptying it is much easier and we do not have to find a way to get rid of tons of urine 🙏🙏🙏 and ensure the plants get their nitrogenous 🤣
  Curios fact: we use coffee grounds for absorption, because a friend of mine has coffee vending machines and we both have found a way to get rid of it! It works very good!!
  
  Water is really precious, so we ask to use it very very carefully :) A daily hot shower is guaranteed 🤸
  If you bring shampoos, soaps ect., please look for biological ones, because water goes directly to the trees 🙏 I provide natural soaps anyway 😁
  Water is microfiltered 🥳
  
  Kitchen requires lot of water and I have developed methods to reduce water consumption at his minimum, be sure to follow exactly the instructions I will give 🙏🙏🙏
  
  ***I can provide you all the working clothes you need (tshirts and trousers), safety shoes (must be used for many tasks), extra towels and extra warm clothes. I have a full closet of all kinds of clothing (sweatshirts, pants, bathing suits, blankets) so pack extra socks and underwear rather than an extra heavy layer 🙏***
  
  ***Volunteers MUST have a head lamp (USB recharge), plastic shoes and one towel for the shower, single bed sheets and a pillow case 🙏***
  
  We handwash underwear and socks, be sure you have enough for at least a week. I'll provide you warm clothes to destroy during work 🥳
  
  I would suggest to travellers outside Europe that stay more than a month in Italy that it's worth buying an italian simcard. It cost around 25 euros with a month of service included. You can use its data keeping your old number 😎 be sure there's space for a second simcard in your phone 🙏
  
  We'll always cook and eat togheter. I give every meal. I have a big pantry always full of stuff, enough for surviving months 😁 Alcohol and processed food are on your expenses.
  Getting dizzy here is tolerated, getting drunk is forbidden 🧐 among all my jobs here I am also the safety manager here 😁
  
  In this place animals are completely free, so don't be scared of a chicken try to jump to the table to chase your food, or the dog sitting next to you gently waiting for you giving him a piece of what you are eating 😁 and then...cats! 😼

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  Algo mais...

  We are 30 km north from Catania, not far from the Giarre exit of the A18 highway.
  It is possible to reach us by train from Fontanarossa Airport (CATANIA! 🤪)
  Take a train going toward Messina that stops at Carruba (is a minor station half an hour far, and not all the trains stop there, so double check this please and ask to me if you have any doubt 🙏).
  Plane+train usually is the best solution for reaching me. Purchase tickets only throught Trenitalia site, double check also this 🙏
  I will come and pick you up at the station, no worries 🤗
  
  If you come by plane you must buy one that lands before 17:00 (5PM), would be better of you get to my Land at least a hour before dusk 🙏
  For leaving Sicily: unless you wanna sleep at the airport don't purchase flights before 9:00 (AM) 😏
  
  Walking around the surrounding area is possible but a bit awkward because the roads are not suitable for pedestrians 😟 use bikes is possible but remember all the roads here are pretty steep 💪 we are over a Vulcano 😁.
  
  There is San Leonardello Village, only one kilometer far from the land, that has a bar, a bakery, a tobacco shop, a fruit and vegetables shop, and a post office. Much closer to the land there is a chinese store that sells any kind of stuff, good if you need a mosquito spray, a charging cable, a memory card or just the pillow case you forgot to bring 😜
  There are two grocery stores twice the distance of San Leonardello Village 🙏
  
  I will pick you up and drop at Carruba station when you'll travel by train in your days off.
  You can reach Taormina, Acireale, Catania, Siracusa, Messina and other beautiful cities for nice one day-trips 😎
  Buses can bring you everywhere in Sicily, they departure from Catania station.
  
  Weather:
  Here humidity is high all year long, but you can manage it. Lowest temperatures are in January-February, going less than 4 degrees during the night, and maybe reach 15 at lunch time. The highest are in summer, we can go over 40 degrees...yes! Forty! But we go to the sea everyday when this happens 😁 and days are so long and nice that you forget everyday you have worked that morning!
  
  Mosquitos...we deal with them from February to November, being really annoying in May-June and September-November 🤷
  Ants! A summer nightmare!
  
  Spring is always the best season, unless you have allergies to pollens 🥺 sun, rain, wind, everything growing fast with colours and scents everywhere 🤩
  Summer is very hot, and that humidity makes you sweat all day long. But temperatures at night are just perfect 🥹
  Fall is intense, with lot of various works that change everyday, and is the chance to learn many little things instead of a few but big, as can happen in Winter and Spring.
  
  Heigth: Being more than 185 cm (6 feet) means feel a giant here 🤣 I didn't build the trailers but i do the prunings and I am 170cm (5'7"feet) so be ready to hit some branches with your forehead and be ready to harvest the lemons I couldn't reach 😁🤸
  
  Every candidate will have a half an hour videocall to make me show the Land, give further explanations and ask you some questions to be sure we are creating a win-win situation 💪
  
  *******BEFORE YOU APPLY*******
  the help I look for is real: it's 4 to 5 hours of help, with scheduled meals and breaks. We get dirty, we get scratched, we get tons of mosquito bites. Most of the activities are outside, and work isn't always fun. I do my best to make the right environment and plan something different every day or two, but is always work 😅
  That's a harsh place for people used to comforts, and it's a paradise for people can forget about those for a while and dream about being more independent in the future.
  So please before applying answer yourself to these questions:
  -Am I capable to stand 4-5 hours of help?
  -Am I willing into listening and follow someone else direction?
  -Can I tolerate direct sunlight exposure and insect bites?
  -Can I be happy using a compost toilet and live mostly outside?
  
  I tell this because many people realize they are not ready for this the very first hour after they step on this land, and they ask to leave after a day or two, bringing me lot of unease, and have no time to look for a sobstitution.
  Please be honest with yourself so you'll be with me 🙏
  I needed to write this, because my description cannot be more detailed than it's now, and lots of feedback mention this, but it still happens 😅
  If you have read this message please write "roger that" in your message to get absolute priority on requests 😁
  
  I have hosted more than a hundred people in these years, and more than half of them come from workaway ❤️ I love this site and the wonderful work of moderators, that make everything simple but also efficient and transparent 🙏
  
  Tip: what hits my attention more than anything else is real kindness, a detailed profile I can read and watch, and a presentation that makes me understand my description has been read before writing me🙏 Have no feedback isn't an issue for me, feel free to write me if you want to 🙏
  
  My description is so detailed because in the time I always ask to the volunteers if there was something missing till they started to say no 😎😛
  I always have times more requests than the ones I could accept, this means that I always can choose good souls, eager to learn and help, and keep a high-vibe mood in this little paradise we are making 🙏
  
  Thanks for your time reading me 🙏
  
  
  Alberto

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  Mais alguns detalhes

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    Acesso à internet

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    Acesso à internet limitado

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    Temos mascotes

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    Somos fumantes

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    Pode hospedar famílias

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  Pode hospedar nômades digitais

  We work in the morning here, if you can work digital from the afternoon it's deal. 🙏There is no wifi here,but signal is very good 🙏 and italian sim cards fares are way more convenient than most of the european ones (you can have 150 gb per month for 8-10 euros) I can make you use my phone data sometimes, I always have few more gigabites than I need every month. If you need constantly we go to the mall togheter 😜

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  Espaço para estacionar campervans

  Can't make you throw any water here 🙏 The maximum lenght could be 6,5 meters to fit 🙏 After some experience I ask to see a picture of it before confirming 😁🙏

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  Pode aceitar animais

  I have a big dog, is a "complete" male, he's a gentleman with females and old males, or way smaller than him. BUT he can't absolutely stand other males his size if not sterilyzed. If your dog chase or disturb chickens or cats I cannot accept your request 🙏🙏🙏 Be sure of it 🙏🙏🙏

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  Quantos Workawayers pode acomodar?

  Mais de 2

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  Meus animais / animais de estimação

  

  Rina

  The youngest one, born in April 2026, supercute! And no, you can't bring her with you back home when you leave 🤣

  

  Chickens

  Free range chickens always ready to steal food from your hands 😁
  Their eggs are so superlative because they have the best life ever, and several long-term vegans have decided to try them 😌

  

  Gilda

  She's scared of anyone, rare to spot! She has been saved from the streets when she was 2/3 months old, and she has being treated same as the others, but she's the only not-friendly cat I have, no chances to get confident with her 🥲

  

  Azolo

  The King of the Land. He's everywhere, he knows everyone and everything, and every time you look for him you have to look up, because he's always on the very top of things 😁

  

  Dima

  The Prince, the first one coming at the very beginning, he doesn't like how busy the Land became throught the years 😜 He's spoiled but cute and friendly, I suspect he has a second family 🤔

  

  Acab

  The Mascotte! Almost 40 kilos of pure laziness, he's the best dog ever! I have witnesses! He also "terapied" people scared of dogs, because it's impossible to be scared of him 🥹 The only creatures that should be scared of him are other male dogs his size 🥳

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