Help build this self-sufficient family-size farmstead in Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy

Details

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  Description

  Hi! WE NEED HELP THIS JUNE, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER! 🙂 There is a lot to do: building shelters and fences, create a water reservoir, solar system, artistic works, regenerate our land and olive field, rebuild the annex to host the next volunteers, design the food forest and a micro farm in permaculture.
  
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  Greetings from Tuscany, where we just settled in a magnificent green valley in an old farmhouse.
  
  Inspired by permaculture and traditional practices from all around the world we work everyday to create a respectful, regenerative, self-sufficient microfarm with an agroforestry system and a traditional garden. We co-live with many chickens, geese, guinea pigs, cats and thousands of birds and frogs singing every morning. During this summer 2024 we hope to host a shelter dog, little goats, rabbits and bees. One thing at a time :)
  
  We?
  Ruben (36) and Manon (27) live here with our two daughters (3, 1). They are full of life and creativity, they love to help around and have their hands in the mud. Ruben and I coming from scientific research in Earth sciences and fell in love with regenerative practices, growing food, raising livestock, build and create and consume less. We put all our heart and mind consolidating our project. We learned a lot already, made mistakes and learned from them.
  
  A typical day at the farm?
  We cook an early breakfast, with homemade bread, pancakes, hot beverages, eggs and plan the day. After-that we give food and water to the chicken flock, the newborn chicks, and care for their space. Ruben love to scythe, and start by clearing the land, looking for trees essences and protecting interesting trees, then goes on heavy construction works or maintenance. Manon and the girls care for plants and tidy around, explore the land (if season, chestnuts, mushrooms etc) have creative projects and cook. We then would drive to town to get fresh water from the well. Then to our old garden filled with vegetables, fruit trees (protected by our feral geese!) to mulch, prepare the soil and compost, harvest, dig irrigation paths. It's been three years we are experimenting there, where the grandfather of Ruben planted an orchard many years ago and are still relying on this 2nd land for our summer garden. Finally, we come home to light a fire in the wood oven, bake pizzas and bread, share dinner outside and read.
  
  What about you?
  We are looking for kind people, why not a family, to give a hand on every aspect of our life. A person to do heavy work, building things or play with our children, but also to cook, harvest food (wild or grown), check on the garden and the animals. I guess it depends on you! We love to share opinions about how to do things and integrate art and wisdom in the projects, thus we would appreciate a person to take in charge even a small project and be free artistically and methodologically and complete it.
  For exemple, you could be interested in doing a mosaic in the stairs or the future shared kitchen in the annex; you'd tackle the isolation in the future volunteer space above the annex with innovative material (that we buy off course); or you could help in the garden either by developing a new growing space (build a raised bed, care for plants, trees that you think have a value in the food forest or conventional market garden, grow mushroom... We are interested in it all!), or harvest and help doing the tomato sauce or jam; You could learn to scythe and create the food for our rabbits; design the meditation space down by the lake; help the construction of a solar system... No conventional working time or obligations, but helping us improve things! What else?
  We offer to stay in an off-grid double bell tent, around 24m2, with beds, a workspace, a stove, solar lights. Depending on how we arrange things, it could be a shared space with another volunteer. Finally, we'd offer breakfast and dinner, with homemade goods, breads, pizzas and delicious veggies and eggs, foraged goods... You'll eat like a royal in our typical italian cooking style! For lunch, you have access to the kitchen of course, the various picnic spots, the stove in the tent, and we can agree on the food you can take from the land :)
  
  Where is the farm?
  Downhill Montepulciano, Tuscany, reachable via train and then bus (Montepulciano stazione, Chiusi, Terontola), bike, car. We walk to the city centre through the fields and old roads, it's a 30min stroll.
  
  Cheers!

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  The project consist of helping us building our farm! From creating structures to caring for the animals and the garden, to preparing meals or babysit our girls. Typically you would help us in the morning and have the afternoon free. The meals includes homemade omnivore/vegetarian options, mainly italian, french and asian dishes. We do weekly our sourdough bread, pizza, pasta, pancakes, jams, soups etc. Tell us prior any specifity of your diet or allergy.
  
  Our family is fluent in Italian, french and English, but we need a multicultural and multi language approach for our daughters! You will definitely learn and share a language by coming here! We would love to share experiences with a homeschool/free school family.
  
  The main house has electricity and wifi and a cozy space if you want to relax or work on your computer. You will have access to the whole property, the forest, the lake. It is really peaceful, full of birds, and you can join us for a yoga practice, read a book in the trees, play music, do pottery or learn traditional italian cuisine! Finally, the historical medieval city of Montepulciano is 10 minutes away by bike, and we are also close to the Roman baths, medieval cities and magnificent landscapes of the Val D’Orcia.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  The project is a self-sufficient family-size farm. In our dreams, it includes a lot of animals (silvopasture), a food forest/garden (integrated ecology, permaculture, mindful and traditional agriculture, all year round crops etc), foraging (wild flowers, essences and mushrooms) and a peaceful convivial space (restructuring the house for our family and the barn to host volunteers, meditation and yoga deck, fire pit, agricamping, lake to bathe etc, hosting families and schools, and why-not a homeschool structure).
  
  Main activities with the volunteers :
  - Cutting wood
  - Clear paths and find the essences in the forest (axe, scythe, ecology)
  - Care of the animals in the morning - Fencing and building sheds for the animals (April-May: structures for the geese and the goats)
  - Designing, planting, caring for and harvesting the permaculture garden and food forest. Include bees. We produce most of our vegetables.
  - Preserving food and products (olive oil, wine , soap, infused oils…)
  - Forage wild herbs, flowers, mushrooms, nuts
  - Pruning of the olive and fruit trees (April)
  - Harvest of the olives (November). We are producing our olive oil, almost a year supply.
  - Traditional Italian cooking
  - Play with our daughters : KIDS AND FAMILIES WELCOMED!
  - Building (April-May : solar panels, isolation of the house for the volunteers, create a wood patio, dig and build the greenhouse (a half-buried wood dome), structures for the animals)

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Italian: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  You will be hosted in a cosy 24m2 bell tent with a wood stove, bed/sheets and access to a complete bathroom next door. There is also a parking spot for a camper/car/van/tent with access to the bathroom. We invite you to our table for breakfast and dinnery in exchange of 5 hours of help per day.

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  What else ...

  Montepulciano is 5 minutes away by car, 10 by bike and 40 by foot. You have all public transportations to visit Tuscany (Val d’Orcia, Pienza etc). All year long, you are 30 minutes away from roman termes (with warm blue water) and Monte Amiata (climbing, trekking and ski resort).
  
  We have friends all around town, so I’ll always find an activity to do!
  
  To come: bike, car, buses, train (Chiusi, Terontola, Firenze) or plane (Pisa or Firenze airport).

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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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  Can host digital nomads

  The main house has wifi, and a nice veranda where you can work peacefully.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Our chickens are free roaming : is it fine for your animal?

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

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