Ecology, wildlife and food on the edge of the exciting Garfagnana, Tuscany, Italy

Details

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  Description

  Come stay on a biodiversity-focussed permaculture small-holding, and join an ecologist restoring wildlflower meadows, rehabilitating native woodland, and growing a sustanable food forest!

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  I am an ecologist with a professional background in nature conservation, and a particular enthusiasm for bats. My priority in life is to leave the corner of this land whose stewardship I am responsible for in a better state for nature than I found it. I will gladly share everything I know about ecological restoration and conservation with you, in the hopes that you can go forth and do good things for the natural world! Besides learning about approaches to sustainable land management, here you can immerse yourself in the natural world, watch wildlife, explore ancient and unique landscapes, enjoy the great outdoors (wild swimming in rivers, gorges and lakes, hiking in the mountains, wandering the coastline), and generally get to experience quiet, rural, Italian life.

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  Help

  There's much to do, plenty to learn, and heaps to share in this lifestyle. Depending on the time of year, we could be developing and maintaining the no-dig vegetable plots, sowing seeds, harvesting, foraging, restoring meadows, taking a hay cut, tackling invasive acacia trees, controlling bramble, pruning fruit trees, undertaking botanical surveying, photographing plants and insects, fencing, maintaining tools, renovating an outbuilding, building furniture...come with enthusiasm and some practical skills and leave with even more!
  
  In the spring and summer we get up early (hello sunrise!), we work with the weather, we talk, we laugh, we eat heartily, and we end each day with a sense of accomplishment.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Italian: Intermediate
  Spanish: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  I'm a native English speaker, learning Italian, learning Spanish, and happy to share all these languages!
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  Accommodation

  Welcome! My home is rustic but comfy. You'll have your own bedroom with a double bed, clothing rail, armchair, and mountain views, and will share the rest of the house with me and my friendly little spaniel (and my Italian boyfriend, when he pops round). There is a spacious bathroom with a compost toilet, shower, sink, and a bidet that functions as a plant pot for an exuberant fern; a sitting room; a space for working out/yoga/pilates; a small, functional kitchen to prepare breakfast/hot drinks; and of course, ever such a lot of outdoor space to lose yourself in.
  
  This place rewards the hardy, offering no comforts like central heating and air conditioning, although wifi is a recent addition. Sometimes there is hot water, sometimes there is not. Responsible, careful use of water and energy resources is a must - if you like luxuriating under steaming showers for 10 minutes a day rather than a practical 2 minute dousing, this isn't the place for you. I like to keep the house tidy and as clean as a house in the mountains can possibly be, and you will be expected to play your part in maintaining this every day.
  
  I am an enthusastic cook, and the preparation (and eating!) of the evening meal is a highly anticipated part of each day. If you're adventurous with your food, and eat with gusto, you won't be disappointed. You'll be able to enjoy simple, healthy and tasty homemade meals every working day (I love culinary cultural exchanges, too, so bring your favourite recipes!). I bake my own bread, make my own pasta, and go through phases of experimenting with fermenting different veggies, so you'll eat well. I rarely eat meat, but am not vegeterian, so eggs from my hens, milk, local cheese and the occasional anchovy or sausage or whatnot make appearances in my cooking. I can accommodate vegeterian and vegan diets, but not food allergies/intolerances/sensitivities, I'm afraid. Everyone is expected to chip in with some kind of help around the place while I prepare dinner - a little tidying around the house, sweeping the yard, and it's always a team effort to do the washing up! :)
  
  Please note that you will not have access to the kitchen for cooking your own meals. On your free days you'll be able to eat out at the marvellous local pizzerias and tiny family-run trattoria in the area ("workers lunches" give you 3 courses for €12 to €15 including wine and coffee, and an evening meal will ring in at about €20). Eating out is a cherished and important aspect of life here. Not only do you get to try delicious local specialities that you won't find in other parts of Italy, but you support local community, help to keep the rural areas alive, and live your Garfagnana experience more fully.
  
  At 600m elevation, halfway up the hills that bring you to trailheads for the less-explored end of the Appenine mountains, my house is a good 15 minute drive from the nearest small town down in the valley. Public transport to or from the house does not exist. The nearest train station and bus stop are in the village at the bottom of the hill (about 4 miles away). Therefore, I generally do not host workawayers who don't have their own transport.

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  What else ...

  You must have your own transport to stay here. Exceptions to this rule will be considered for conservation biology/ecology students visiting for 2 weeks or less.
  
  All in a drive of an hour or less: trailheads into the Apuane alps or Apennines; sublime seaside; canoeing on the lake; wild swimming in the Lima; paddleboarding in the gorge; historical cities (Lucca and Pisa, with Florence, Bologna and Modena a little further away); charming local bars and cafes for aperitivi and caffe; family-run restaurants offering authentic Tuscan cooking.
  
  The house and the land are strictly no-smoking spaces, no exceptions.
  
  You must have a reasonable level of fitness to stay on a cultural exchange here, as the land is terraced and steep in places. Your own work boots/walking boots are absolutely non-negotiable essentials.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Space for parking camper vans

  There's a parking space for a small van.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  One

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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