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Host rating
85 %
Last replied
9 Jun 2025
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Details
Description
I am restoring the original Garden of Eden on a plot facing a huge beach on a major lake with the clearest of waters (the reserve of drinkable water for Rome), in a vibrant little village with plenty of lovely restaurants and aperitivo cafés, 50 min away from Rome but immersed in unbelievalble peacefulness.
The name I use since 15 years now is Dafne, the tree-woman. I teach Food Culture to american university students, I am a journalist and the author of 4 books on natural living and specifically food, I have been woofing long ago and kept studying the practicalities of ecology since 20 years now. I live here since 2019 with my daughter Isabella who is now 8 years old, very outgoing and loves to socialize. I was reborn when I moved here and decided to push my roots into this land! I bought a plot of 5000sqm facing the lake at walking distance from the center of this little town, Trevignano Romano.
I have already planted 29 adult olive trees, ad another 100 exotic and autoctonous fruit trees are to come. I am a cook, expert of wild edible greens and sourdough and lover of prime quality ingredients. While I do pick only grassfed animal's meat from farms I know, I do not simpathise with strict vegan diets and lifestyles, I rather believe in the importance of the animals as a part of a farm's ecology. A straw bale house is being built and the construction process needs attention and thought.
I am a single mom with a great deal of knowledge and experience, but I need company, help and some additional motivation changes everything. It is extremely urgent to plant another 50 trees before the end of the winter, with the correct amount of manure mixed in the soil and watering bassin dug into it, set up an irrigation system for the trees, trim the grass here and there. I would also like to host a farmers' market starting in spring, I have ALL the contacts but we need to set up a tunnel for shading etc. The fence towards the lake still needs some work, the container where I store tools, I am covering up with wood barks that make it much prettier and the work needs to be finished... Dig a draingage for rainwater etc etc... Oh, and we need to drive around Italy to go fetch some second hand windows for the house!
Types of help and learning opportunities
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
Interests
Mountain
Yoga / Wellness
Cycling
Camping
Photography
Plant care
Music
Writing
Performing arts
Drawing & painting
Gardening
DIY & crafts
Cooking & food
Carpentry
Pets
Van life
Culture
Farming
Self development
Sustainability
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
I have a great deal of knowledge myself about farming, cooking (I teach Italian cuisine and food culture at university level), edible wild greens. I speak 6 languages: Spanish, French, Portuguese, Modern Greek and Italian besides English. Me and my daughter are opened persons, willing to exchange and to put you in touch with the right people around. I am eager to learn form you especially if you have more knowledge than I do in building techniques or fruit looms, and to expose my daughter to english and frenchspeaking people!
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
I am a single mom with a great deal of knowledge and experience, but I need company, help and some additional motivation changes everything. It is extremely urgent to plant another 50 trees before the end of the winter, with the correct amount of manure mixed in the soil and watering bassin dug into it, set up an irrigation system for the trees, trim the grass here and there. I would also like to host a farmers' market starting in spring, I have ALL the contacts but we need to set up a tunnel for shading etc. The fence towards the lake still needs some work, the container where I store tools, I am covering up with wood barks that make it much prettier and the work needs to be finished... Dig a draingage for rainwater etc etc... Oh, and we need to drive around Italy to go fetch some second hand windows for the house!
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
French: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
Greek: Intermediate
Portuguese: IntermediateThis host offers a language exchange
I'd love to share with native greek or portuguese people.
Accommodation
You will be hosted at home in my daughter's room in a single bed - she sleeps with me: not much storage space but good privacy. We usually all need to be up at 7.30-8.00 AM especially on weekdays. You might need to baby sit from time to time, and/or work with me on the plot and share our daily routine. The house is 10 min away from the plot by foot, and I might find you a bike.
What else ...
I will be flexible and expect you to be as well, I would love to get to know you on zoom before you come to get a sense of our connection, but the internet has trouble getting us to really know each other so once you are here, remember both parties can decide to drop out at any time if we feel that the experience is not fulfilling our expectations, so take this risk into account when planning. Some jobs might take longer than expected, and some days can be free, I might be unavailable sometimes due to family commitments. While I will shop at the market for all of us, I won't be always able to cook: meals are casual, whoever is hungry gets the meal started.
Let's put our best energies into the Eden project, standing squarely between theory and practice of ecology!!!
As Gary Snyder said once: each place is the center of the world...
The longer you stay the better, until June when I shall have another volounteer coming.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
What I LOVE about this place is that you get it all: nature and peacefulness, but also a vibrant community, cultural life, events and facilities, it's like the divorce between town and countryside had never occured.... You can cycle around the lake (3.30h if you are lazy like I am, 1h if you are a professional), visit etruscan thumbs, see open air concerts, canoe towards the shores of a natural park... A number of foreigners also LIVE here and it will be lovely to get together.
How many Workawayers can stay?
One
My animals / pets
Federica and Carletto
Two lovely black cats
