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Gianni House
Working in our hostel spiritually enriches you. You will make new friends, know people from all over the world and learn how to approach guests in the best way possible! Moreover in exchange for work you will obviously have your free time to enjoy Sicily, Mt. Etna, Taormina and all the beautiful places Sicily offers.
I'm Gianni, Gianni House's manager: it is a family run hostel located in the area of Giardini-Naxos/Taormina. Our aim is to create the meeting point is Sicily, that's why we are searching for people from all over the world who can help us in our project: we deeply believe that anyone of you could be helpful to us and could add something special to our hostel! Volunteers will be treated as they're part of the family, they will have accomodation and a typical Italian breakfast included. Moreover the atmosphere here is really friendly so it will be easy to make friends with the family, the staff members and all the guests.
Some of the mansions include welcoming guests at their arrival giving them tips about the places they can visit, helping them in case they need suggestions, showing them the room where they'll stay and the hostel, and finally cleaning the common areas.
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About the experience in: Taormina, Italy
United Kingdom
The tasks and hours were totally fair and as agreed, and I had no issues with how I was treated personally. However, I ended up leaving after a week instead of staying the full month. The owner unfortunately more often than not created quite a stressful environment and at times I saw other volunteers treated unfairly, which made the atmosphere uncomfortable. Working front desk was also pretty rough with no AC in a pretty hot reception area.
about 1 month ago
About the experience in: Taormina, Italy
Brazil
The relationship with the owners was good until I informed, with two weeks' notice, that I would leave earlier. They didn't like it and asked me to leave the next day. There was a lack of maturity and professionalism in handling the situation, especially since all hostel workers are volunteers.
Besides that, the hostel is quite quiet, with few guests, so there are few activities most of the time; it's a calm job. Weekends are not allowed as days off, so if you work remotely, be aware that you will have to work every weekend.
about 2 months ago
About the experience in: Taormina, Italy
United States
The location is quiet for plenty of beach time, while being close to taormina and catania. cool rooftop and of course cool volunteers. however, i wish i had a better experience with the hostel. in my time, i found it frustrating to talk with him due to his communication and attitude towards most of the volunteers. any attempt to have an open conversation regarding issues with our experiences or the hostel were shut down and responded to defensively and disrespectfully. a lot of the volunteers i worked with left early because of this. just a heads up: not all the volunteers stay at the hostel.
about 2 months ago
About the experience in: Taormina, Italy
Austria
The hostel is an arrogant stubborn man who is going to intimidate and bully you every chance he gets if he doesn't like you. I felt very uncomfortable in his presence and that ruined the whole experience for me. This hostels old way of functioning made the shifts extremely exhausting. The sacrifice was too big and the reward too small. Many other volunteers also felt this way and I wish everyone would be more honest when writing reviews so that unwanted experiences can be avoided. If you want to visit Giardini/Taormina I highly recommend it, but stay away from this place.
2 months ago
Gianfranco replied
Aleksandra, we're sorry to read this, as you never told us you were unhappy. You left without saying goodbye and never replied when we asked why. Maybe we weren't a good match, but the bullying accusations are very serious and offensive: we don't recognise ourselves in them. When we tried to connect, you seemed distant: you skipped our arancini night and never said a word. It was a quiet season with few tasks, as other reviews say, yet many went undone. We struggle to see what was exhausting.
About the experience in: Taormina, Italy
Brazil
I really enjoyed this experience, I recommend it!!!
2 months ago