Farm work exchange for room and board in Appennine mountains of central Italy

• Accomodation Provided
  Yes
• Meals Included
  Vegetables or Fruits Provided
• Minimum Commitment (In Days)
  7
• Amenities
  Wifi
• Types of Help & Learning Opportunities
  Animal Care, Arts & Culture, Building & Repairing, Farm Help, Gardening & Planting, General Maintenance

About Località il Piano:

Località il Piano is a dynamic family-run farm managed by Darcy Gordon and Adolfo Rosati, alongside their sons Filippo and Benjamin. Nestled in the Appennine mountains of central Italy, just on the outskirts of Spoleto in Umbria, this farm has been their labor of love since 2001.

When they first acquired the property, both the fields and the house were in disrepair. However, they rolled up their sleeves and embarked on a journey of restoration and renewal. Over the years, they have diligently replanted the fields and reconstructed the house, turning it into a welcoming farmhouse where they now reside. They have also transformed part of the farmhouse into two charming vacation apartments available for rent.

Their dedication to sustainability and self-sufficiency is evident in their farming practices. They produce a variety of goods including milk, meat, eggs, vegetables, and fruit, most of which are consumed by their own family, friends, and guests. Any surplus is either sold locally or donated to charity. Their cultivation efforts span several hectares and include orchards of fruit, olive groves, and vineyards. Additionally, they have established a permaculture “forest garden” and cultivated a diverse array of medicinal and culinary herbs. Their focus is on heritage varieties and crops that thrive without the use of chemical treatments or fertilizers.

About Work Exchange & Volunteer Opportunity:

Since 2006 we have enjoyed hosting more than six hundred WWOOFers, from places such as Switzerland, Canada, Mexico, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Belgium, Holland, Serbia, Australia, Singapore, France, Poland, Germany, Lithuania, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, Denmark, Finland, South Korea, Croatia, Portugal and the United States, with an age range of 18 to 62 years. Many have no farming or gardening experience.

Many of our WWOOFers stay with us for about 2 weeks, though we can arrange longer stays in some cases. One week minimum stay. Most of the work that we do is in the fields so it is important to be in good physical condition and to enjoy working outdoors. You can think about WWOOFing here as an introductory mini-internship in sustainable farming, offering hands-on experience in a wide variety of farm chores. It is an amazing experience for people passionate about agriculture and food. Over many years of hosting WWOOFers, we’ve noticed that people who are not genuinely interested in agriculture and who are just seeking a relaxing vacation would be happier at a youth hostel.

No previous experience in agriculture is necessary, just an open mind, willing body, enthusiasm and curiosity about a sustainable way of life. We ask WWOOFers to be prepared to be relatively independent: sometimes we will work together in the fields and sometimes you will work alone or with head interns. Likewise some meals will be together but others we’ll ask you to prepare and eat alone. Generally we host 2-3 people at a time, though in peak season we sometimes host larger numbers. We and the WWOOFers speak mainly English, as this is the common language of most travellers. No young children or pets, please – the WWOOFer quarters are not kid- or pet-proof.

Longer-term internships:

For people with previous agricultural experience and very strong motivation to learn about and participate in sustainable farming , we offer intensive, longer-term internships. These are usually for the summer season though also potentially at other times of year, for 2-3 months or longer. Head interns get intensively into farming and gain hands-on practical experience with either animal care or veg/fruit crops; working alongside us learning and supervising volunteers then gradually taking near-complete responsibility for a wide variety of farm tasks. This is a great opportunity for someone who already has a basic level of experience with animals or crops to jump up a level and to gain the practical experience necessary to start their own small dairy or market garden! WWOOF Italia membership required. We would like to invest in people who one day will need and use the skills they learn here.

Farm tasks:

We enjoy hosting people enthusiastic about sustainable agriculture and have lots of spring, summer, and fall projects for WWOOFers. Our main spring tasks typically include orchard maintenance, weeding, animal care, fence maintenance, clearing brush, moving rocks, planting vegetables, building trellises, putting in irrigation lines, etc. In summer we spend a lot of time irrigating the fruit trees, rotating the animals though the pastures, weeding, maintaining the irrigation system, harvesting vegetables, fixing the fence, harvesting berries/plums/apples/peaches/figs and jam making, etc. In the fall we pick grapes/olives/chestnuts/kiwis/persimmons, cut and stack firewood, care for the animals, do orchard work, etc. There is generally a lot of variety in the tasks that need to be done, both day-to-day and within a day, though there are also times (for example bringing in the hay or picking olives) where we will try work on the given task until it’s finished.

Farm work is mostly outdoors, manual, and is often physically challenging, so we want people to be aware of this before volunteering. Expect to be tired! WWOOFers often comment that in the first week their bodies feel creaky, but after two weeks they feel stronger. We do work hard, but we don’t ask people to do any kind of work that we don’t also do ourselves. We usually do farm work an average of 6 hours a day, 6 days a week. For example, a WWOOFer staying at Località il Piano 10 full days would have 6 days on, 1 day off, then another 3 days on. Hours depend on the season…. we work cooler mornings and evenings with a midday break to avoid summer heat, but tend to start late and work straight through midday in the winter when days are shorter. Outside of working hours WWOOFers are expected to do their part of household chores like meal preparation and clean-up.

Accommodations & meals:

While you’re welcome to bring a tent, most WWOOFers prefer to sleep in a very large apartment in the basement of the farmhouse (cool in the summer, warm in the winter!) which has a bathroom and a kitchen. Accommodations are simple but decent, comparable to a youth hostel. We supply single beds with mattresses (there is one double bed) and can loan you linens/towel/blankets. Remember to pack shampoo, sun screen, insect repellent, medications, etc.  since the nearest store and pharmacy are in Spoleto.

Usually we can offer slow WiFi access via satellite, which is adequate for checking email but not for downloading/uploading large files: please plan on doing any Skyping or video watching in town (Spoleto or Norcia) rather than over the farm connection, or buy your own data plan. FYI: the TIM network has the best reception here, Vodafone is also good, WIND is not so good.

WWOOFers prepare some of their own meals (we provide the food, much of it grown on-farm) and other times we all eat together upstairs in our kitchen or picnic in the fields, mostly vegetarian meals. For example, often we all eat dinner together while WWOOFers prepare their own lunch. If you have special food needs such as being vegetarian, vegan, or having food allergies, please let us know when you contact us. You may want to bring special foods, like soy milk.

Explore further by visiting the website link below.

Contact Details

Exchange Type

• Home for Time

Regions

• Italy

Gallery

Location