General help and housesitting in le Marche, province of Ancona, Italy

  • Last activity : 25 Oct 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least a week

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    UPDATE FOR END AUGUST/ SEPTEMBER 2024: I will be leaving for a trip on 4 September; see the "help" section below for details.

    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.
    For the past 15 years, I have been a translator, working from home. The bad thing about working from home is that you (I) get used to the mess and don't see it anymore. The good thing is that I can travel and work.
    I enjoy dabbling in arts and crafty sorts of things - none of which I am good at, but I do have fun trying.

    I am happy to leave my house with people who are responsible, easy-going, independent, and have a good dose of common sense.



    Please note that I cannot help with getting residency here in Italy. 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.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Art Projects
    Language practice
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
    House sitting
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    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. There are a couple of restaurants that you can walk to. If you are into outdoor sports, there are lots of rock climbers and cavers in the area. I can help you get in touch with them or find ways to join in with what they do. If you want to improve your Italian or hang out with the locals, there are a couple bars/cafés/little hangout places here. Most of the people are friendly and ready to meet new people.

  • Help

    Help

    The help requested is:
    I am leaving for a trip on Sept. 4th. I am looking for a person or couple (partners/friends) to arrive to my house by max. Sept. 2nd so I can show you the ropes.

    The help requested is to "winterize" the house. By this I mean eating all the food in the house, taking down the outdoor shower, putting the few pieces of outdoor furniture indoors, giving the house a good clean, doing the last load of laundry (sheets), shut off the gas before you leave, etc.

    The outdoor shower may still be working, it depends on the weather. Otherwise, I have a pellet stove for hot water.
    The pellet stove has a few issues so you will need some instructions (perhaps even make a video if you are into making videos) on how to start it, how to clean it, and how to prevent it from breaking.

    As for the "how many hours per day" stuff: I wrote 15 hours a week. It would probably be less. I am less concerned about how many hours per day and more concerned about just getting the list of stuff done in a reasonable amount of time.
    If you stay longer, I would hope that you find some project you would like to do here and go for it.

    At any rate, you will have plenty of time to do your own thing. You may decide you want to go on a trip to Rome, for a few days, that is fine by me.
    I don't have any pets or things that must be attended to every single day.

    The best type of workawayer for my situation are people who are independent, have a good sense of humor, are able to help out without supervision, and are basically able to figure things out.
    Currently, it would be better if you speak some Italian because almost all of the people I deal with - when it comes to potential house issues- only speak Italian. Having said that, there is always google translate and my kids (they speak Italian, English, and some French) live a couple towns over so they can help out if need be.

    For this period, I will only be offering accomodation and whatever food is in the house and garden.

    If you were to stay for a longer period of time, I would also ask that you buy pellets for the stove if you are using a lot of them.

  • Languages spoken

    English: Fluent
    Italian: Fluent
    German: Beginner
    Spanish: Beginner

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    Private room, shared everything else. After I leave you will basically have the place to yourself - unless I happen to have friends visiting. In that unlikely case, y'all have to figure out the best sleeping and living arrangements for the situation. The house has 3 bedrooms (1 with a single bed and 2 with double beds). Obviously, one room is mine but after I leave anyone can use it.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    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 or at the bar called 747 which is on the way to the station).

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    This is an excellent WA opportunity for digital nomads considering the flexibility of helping out for a few hours at whatever time works best for you. 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, plus my work area (a table in the living room) that will be free to use.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    I do not have private parking but there is a flat parking area near my house.

  • Can possibly accept pets

    Can possibly accept pets

    Maybe. If they are super chill (not barkers for example), don't eat the furniture, and you clean up after them it shouldn't be a problem. Everyone thinks their pets and kids are the best and sweet and no trouble at all but just think about when you are the person sitting in front of the sweet kid kicking your chair or the neighbor that has to listen to a barking dog much of the day. Be objective. You know your pet. I really don't want to have any troubles with the neighbors, locals or cops.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    Two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    15 hours/max

Host ref number: 855121127693

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