Some content was translated automatically. Show original
Join Podere La Miniera, a beautiful sea-view farm in Tuscany with more than a hectare of olive trees. We’re looking for help with gardening, pruning, caring for the olive groves, and restoring walls and paths around the estate. A perfect opportunity for nature lovers who want to enjoy peaceful countryside life with a stunning terrace overlooking the sea. ✨
25 hours of help per week
Cleaning: Help clean the kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms and common areas.
Building & Repairing: Help with a wide range of repairs or building.
Farming: Plant crops, sow seeds and help in outside tasks.
Gardening: Help grow plants and cultivate gardens
2 days off per week
Private Room: You will have a bed in a private room. In other words, a room just for you.
Breakfast: You are entitled to a free breakfast, every day of your stay.
Dinner: You are entitled to a free dinner, every day of your stay.
Free Tours: We’ll take you on tours and rides around town. For free!
Free Hiking Tours: We’ll take you on excursions and hikes around town. For free!
Yoga classes: Take free yoga classes at our place.
Language lessons: Take free language classes at our place.
Holistic Therapies: You can take part in any of our therapeutic activities for free.
Basic Internet Access: Basic speed internet for you to work remotely
Beginner Italian or Beginner English
Between 18 and 36 years old
Only hosts solo volunteers (doesn’t accept couples or partners)
Flights, Travel Insurance, Internal Transportation and Visa
The place is fantastic, the house is very welcoming, the farm is located in a splendid medieval village called Gavorrano. There is a bus stop and the train station not far away. From my farm it is possible to reach the town center on foot in a few minutes, where there is also a supermarket if necessary. The land covers more than one hectare, planted with olive trees (about 120 trees), and is located 15 minutes from the most beautiful beaches in Tuscany; furthermore there is a splendid lake very nearby, and there are natural thermal pools and other wonderful places in the surrounding area called Maremma Toscana. In exchange for help with gardening and tidying up the olive groves, I can obviously offer hospitality, food and cooking, and above all companionship, company and experiences. I speak many languages, I work online for a tour operator based in Ethiopia, I have published twelve books so far (translated into several languages), I am a great traveler and I have had the privilege of traveling on all continents. I am an excellent cook and a tireless storyteller, and I love good company and serenity.
The help requested is very simple: keep the land around the house in order, do a bit of gardening, remove bushes and keep the garden clean, rearrange the dry stone walls, clean the path, rearrange the fence of the land, prune the plants, shape the land of the olive trees and depending on the season help in the olive harvest (October/November). The house has been abandoned for many years, and the land has also remained uncultivated and is now in a wild state. So not only do I have no animals or fruit trees, but I only have some olive trees (about 120 or so) that have not been pruned for years. In short, I am a private individual, and I have no business with my farm: the farm is my home, I just live there, maybe one day I will be able to harvest some olives, but for now there are weeds and bushes to remove, plants to prune, etc., and I can't do it all myself, so I need help. I don't have any products to sell, it's just a house with a big piece of land, and I am completely alone, so I could really use the help. So for now I don't produce or sell anything, and if I get help maybe in a few years I will only be able to produce something (oil, olives) for personal consumption / friends, certainly not for selling. I can therefore reassure you that my approach to my farm is absolutely non-professional and non-profit.
The house has two large bedrooms in Tuscan style, with terracotta floors and exposed wooden beams. Furthermore there is a large living room with a huge fireplace which is very useful in winter, then there is a bathroom with a small bathtub, a hallway and a lovely kitchen with a wood-burning oven. From all the windows of the whole house you can see the sea very well, with breathtaking sunsets. The person who comes to collaborate with my farm project by offering their help will obviously be able to have their own private room. The bathroom is shared with me, because there is only one bathroom at the moment, but in the future I would like to create a second bathroom, perhaps a dry one. In addition to the rooms in the house there is a huge terrace to see the sea, and also a small annex currently used as a laundry and craft room. I can offer food and I can also cook, a help in the kitchen is not necessary. I am a vegetarian and I would like to underline this. I honestly eat eggs and dairy products, and I also cook excellent pizza. I don't require many hours of help a day (about 5 hours per day), and you can adapt according to the needs of the things to do at the moment, without stress. Feeling good, cheerful and in company is very important, in addition to being industrious.
