Profile information
Description
Hi there,
I'm Alessandro, from Italy.
I've lived around Europe for my undergrad and postgrad and then in Hong Kong for my PhD. My work was in science/engineering, materials science and nanotechnologies. I am still very passionate about science, but working in research and getting a real insight into academia, I decided that spending most of my time in a lab producing publications is not for me. Happy to share my experience with that, it wasn't all bad :)
After leaving academia I've become a certified diving instructor and I've been working underwater in Maldives and on the Australian Great Barrier Reef, which I absolutely loved! On solid ground, I've been working with plants in Malta taking care of a community garden, in southern Italy designing and realising an experimental permaculture vegetable patch, on the Australian east coast restoring and maintaining several private gardens, and on a tiny Indonesian island close to Timor trying to establish a reliable food source for an off-grid project. I would love to continue working with both diving and plants during the next years!
I love nature and silence, but I am also sociable and I really like to be together with people most of the time. Walking and swimming are among my favourite activities, possibly with a good company. I have lots of experience with hiking and trekking, water sports, I like skiing and climbing and in general anything that allows me to be outdoor. I like sharing my passion for nature with others, and I've always enjoyed organising outdoor activities for my friends.
I have done many workaways in the past and I'm very happy to share my experiences if you are interested. Other than the work with plants that I've already mentioned, I've volunteered in a couple of guesthouses for general help and guiding local tours in nature.
Interests
Carpentry
Beach
Farming
Gardening
LGBTQ
Writing
Water sports
Vegetarian or vegan
Sustainability
Politics / Social justice
Plant care
Photography
Nature
Outdoor activities
Mountain
Hiking
Cooking & food
Camping
Books
Animals
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Italian: FluentMore details about my language interests
This workawayer has indicated that they would be interested in sharing their language(s) or learning a new language. You can contact them directly to discuss this.
Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
Some knowledge of:
Gardening
DIY and building projects
General Maintenance
Eco Projects
Hospitality/Tourism
Art Projects
Teaching
Able to teach about:
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Languages
Helping with Computers/ Internet
More details about your skills
After years of research work in chemistry and engineering, I am confident in being able to pick up technical skills in most fields very quickly.
I am a certified diving instructor, and anything water-related usually comes quite natural to me.
Working with plants during the past few years I've got to learn a lot. In particular, I spent last winter studying and planning a whole experimental permaculture garden for a workaway farm in southern Italy where I had previously been, and then I went there in spring to realise the project with the help of some other volunteers. It was a very interesting and formative experience that I would love to repeat!
I can take nice pictures, I am pretty good with computers, and I have some basic skills in electrical work.
I have been a teaching assistant in university before, I enjoy teaching.
Also, I love cooking :)
Age
32
Some more information
Smoker
Driver's licence
Allergies
Special dietary requirements
Vegan
Feedback
Loved the community feeling with the other volunteers, lots of new friendships and connections being created. The location is great, view on the ocean and walking distance to Puerto de la… read more
Since Alessandro has already visited a few other fincas, he already has a lot of experience.
His interest and his motivation are great. He likes to learn new things, but you can also learn from him - not only about gardening, but f.e. about… read more
I have had many workaway experiences and this was definitely one of the outstanding ones where I could feel the project as my own and where I would find myself using "we" and "us" instead of "I" and "me". When I got there we were a team of four and the project was at its very beginning, we faced lots of… read more
Photos
Friends
Feedback
Loved the community feeling with the other volunteers, lots of new friendships and connections being created. The location is great, view on the ocean and walking distance to Puerto de la… read more
Since Alessandro has already visited a few other fincas, he already has a lot of experience.
His interest and his motivation are great. He likes to learn new things, but you can also learn from him - not only about gardening, but f.e. about… read more
I have had many workaway experiences and this was definitely one of the outstanding ones where I could feel the project as my own and where I would find myself using "we" and "us" instead of "I" and "me". When I got there we were a team of four and the project was at its very beginning, we faced lots of… read more
The accomodation is just incredible, right next to the ocean, and the trips we had with them on their boat were definitely one… read more
In the short time we spent with them we managed to create a wonderful connection, have some amazing dinners together, and we left feeling like we wanted to stay more.
Our accommodation was a separate flat within the house, which guaranteed privacy and convenience.
Our… read more
The work had a lot of flexibility: we renovated part of the garden, started an area for vegetables, made new terraces, planted bananas, the whole thing while exchanging ideas with Tracy and having her feedback… read more
Gianmarco is a great person, chill and understanding, his friends became our friends too, the dogs and cats were so damn cute, and the masseria itself was a beautiful place to be!
There's no fixed timetables, which was great as we could work when we felt like it… read more
