Casa familiare e giardino - rurale, Frutteto, Olivi

Livorno
Casa familiare e giardino - rurale, Frutteto, Olivi
Felce the sweet dog! No dig potato planting
72 • Updated 7 days ago
Azienda agricola di 3 ettari situata in una splendida zona collinare vicino al mare a Castagneto Carducci. Io, Bridget, vivo e gestisco questa azienda da sola, con l’aiuto occasionale di volontari WWOOF e amici. Mi sono ritirata dalla carica di segretaria di WWOOF dopo 20 anni, nel 2021 e sono ospite WWOOF da oltre 40 anni; ho vissuto qui e cresciuto i miei due figli, che ora vivono entrambi all’estero. Abbiamo un cane socievole, 5 galline e un gatto. Il nostro obiettivo è fornire il più possibile i nostri prodotti biologici (ad esempio olio d’oliva, uova e ortaggi) e vendere, barattare o regalare agli amici l’eccedenza. Abbiamo avviato un progetto di agricoltura naturale che è partito nel novembre 2021. L’obiettivo principale del progetto è diffondere la conoscenza della permacoltura e dell’agricoltura naturale e diventare più autosufficienti dal punto di vista alimentare. Il progetto comprende un ampio orto, un food forest e un frutteto di alberi da frutto e agrumi. Dato che ora ho 70 anni e spesso mi trovo qui da sola, riesco a fare molto meno e quindi, in sostanza, cerco semplicemente di mandare avanti il progetto. Come nella maggior parte delle piccole aziende agricole, ci sono stati molti alti e bassi, soprattutto di recente a causa dei cambiamenti climatici, e la coltivazione della terra è stata una vera e propria sfida; purtroppo abbiamo dovuto abbandonare alcune parti del progetto. Il nostro orto è molto più piccolo e abbiamo realizzato un orto a irrigazione autonoma: la sua realizzazione ha richiesto molto lavoro, ma finora abbiamo ottenuto ottimi risultati e richiede molta meno attenzione e il 70% di acqua in meno rispetto a un orto “tradizionale”. Mi piacerebbe ospitare e ricevere aiuto da 2-3 persone motivate e interessate a svolgere i vari lavori da fare. Di solito ospitiamo 2 WWOOFers alla volta; dato che non sono più giovane e in forma come un tempo, non posso lavorare con voi tanto quanto facevo prima, quindi dovrete essere disposti a lavorare da soli a volte – ed è per questo che preferisco ospitare 2-3 persone alla volta. Tutte le mansioni vengono spiegate chiaramente e, naturalmente, sono sempre felice di insegnarvi e di cucinare pasti sani! L’alloggio per 2-3 persone è in una stanza con bagno in comune o in una roulotte vicino alla casa, per un minimo di 2 settimane; cerchiamo anche persone per soggiorni più lunghi dopo un periodo di prova iniziale (per assicurarci che andiamo tutti d’accordo!). I pasti sono prevalentemente vegetariani. Accogliamo nella nostra fattoria persone ben motivate: inviateci il vostro indirizzo e-mail e vi invieremo maggiori dettagli... Non vediamo l’ora di sentirvi! ****************************** ENGLISH Farm of 3 hectares in a beautiful area in the hills near the sea in Castagneto Carducci, I, Bridget live on and run this farm alone with occasional help from WWOOFers and friends. I retired as WWOOF secretary in 2021 and have been a WWOOF host for 40+ years, I have lived here and brought up my 2 children here, both of whom now live abroad. We have a friendly dog, 5 chickens and a cat. We aim to provide as much of our own organic produce (i.e. olive oil, eggs and vegetables) as possible, and sell, barter or give to friends the excess (which is generally olive oil). We have implemented a natural farming project which we started in November 2021. The project's main aim is to teach about permaculture and natural farming and become more self-sufficient in food. It consists of a large vegetable garden, a forest garden and a fruit and citrus orchard. As I am now 70 and often here alone I am able to do a lot less and so basically I just try to keep it going. As on most small farms there have been many ups and downs, recently specially with the changes in the climate, and it has been a real struggle for the cultivation of the farm and sadly we have had to abandon parts of the project. Our vegetable garden is a lot smaller and we have made a self irrigating vegetable garden which was a lot of work to make but we have had great results from it so far and it needs much less attention and 70% less water than a ‘traditional’ garden. I would love to host and have help from 2 - 3 motivated and interested people with all the various jobs to be done. We usually have 2 WWOOFers at a time as I am no longer as young and able bodied as I was I cannot work with you as much as I used to, so you need to be happy to work alone at times - which is why I prefer 2 -3 people at a time. All tasks are clearly explained and I am of course always happy to teach you and cook healthy meals! Accommodation for 2- 3 people in a room with a shared bathroom or in a caravan near the house, for a minimum of 2 weeks, also looking for people for longer stays after an initial trial period (to make sure we all get along!). Meals are mainly vegetarian. We welcome onto our farm well motivated people -please send us your e-mail address and we will send you more details... We look forward to hearing from you!
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Poultry farming
Forestry
Seed saving or production
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Bakery
Methods or systems
No-till farming
Permaculture
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
2.5 Hectares | 6.2 Acres
Accommodation
3 WWOOFers
Bedroom
Camper / RV
Children accepted
Pets not accepted
Meals
Vegetarian
Length of stay
1-2 weeks
3-4 weeks
Over a month
Bridget
Bridget
Member since 2018
Languages spoken: English, Italian
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 100% Response time: typically within 1 day
Livorno
Stazione Donoratico, Castagneto Carducci
Feedback
Alice
Alice
France • October 2026
We were really glad to see how a self-sufficient project has developed throughout the years, with Bridget leading it and many friends, family and wwoofer helping ! It is a beautiful place of transmission, from the olive field labour to the forest garden, and from the care of the chicken to the delicious meals cooked with the garden’s vegetables, prepared with love by Bridget. She is an amazing host, open to receive people into her home and sharing with generosity her connection to the land. It was really inspiring, spending time working and talking about collective organisation, WWOOF , caring for the land and biodiversity. It will leave its mark for our futur project. All of that punctuated by good humour and uplifting spirit ! Oh, and with you like to go on nice walks, you will be well accompanied by Bridget’s amazing dog : Felce 🥰 See you soon Bridget !
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Bridget
Reply from Bridget
What a great review many thanks. We had a great time together and I (and Felce) hope you’ll be back soon!
Daniel
Daniel
United States • September 2026
Incredible amount of love and history await anyone wanting to visit this farm! As with all farms there is no shortage of work to be done including the upcoming olive harvest. Staying with Bridget is a delight. Her cooking is incredible and if you've ever dreamed of living daily life with fresh bread, this is the place for you!
Bridget
Reply from Bridget
Thanks look forward to your next visit already!
Julien
Julien
France • March 2026
We spend a beautiful wwoofing with Bridget, Stefano, Felce and Pingu. We learn a lot in her beautiful garden. And we share good meals together. See you one day. Ciao.
Marion
Marion
France • March 2026
We spend 3 weeks at Bridget and we learned a lot ! We loved the place in nature, the garden was incredible and it was nice having Bridget and Stefano to learn all about gardening. It was good also for us to speak both English and Italian. Thank you Bridget, grazie Stefano and see you soon !
Morgan
Morgan
United States • October 2025
I had the most amazing time here. The jobs were varied, so each day I looked forward to something new. From planting starts to removing brambles from the fence to baking fresh bread and cakes, I learned about the ups and downs of farm life. I also enjoyed delicious home-cooked food at every meal surrounded by the best company. In my free time, I was able to walk the lovely Felce and explore nearby towns with another volunteer. I will truly miss my time and everyone at this farm. I hope to return!
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Anna
Anna
United States • September 2025
My experience working with Bridget and Stephano at the farm is one I will never forget! I learned a great deal about different aspects of organic farming and was exposed to the wonderful local culture in the town and some other local towns with rich histories. Bridget has a wealth of experience with both WWOOF and farming/animal care that will help to provide a fulfilling experience for anyone interested. I also learned about preparing/preserving the produce, learning to cook traditional Italian recipes and more. I would recommend this farm highly to anyone especially those who are doing WWOOF for the first time, like myself. Grazie mille Bridget!
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