Azienda agricola biologica a Marsala

Trapani

3 reviews • Updated 26 days ago

Buongiorno, mi chiamo Gianfranco faccio l'agricoltore dal 2012 in Sicilia Occidentale più precisamente a Marsala ad 1 Km dal mare e dalle spiagge. Conduco un'azienda agricola biologica con vigneti, uliveti, frutteti e orto. Dal 2022 portiamo avanti, insieme ad Antonino, un progetto in permacultura che prevede la creazione di una fattoria didattica con annessi animali da cortile ( avicoli ), domestici ( cani e gatti ) e api. Con me all'interno della casa padronale vive anche mia madre. Le attività agricole che svolgiamo dipendono dalla stagionalità, ma una costante è la pratica nell'orto con tecniche di minima lavorazione e rigenerazione dei suoli. Un elenco di attività svolte durante i vari periodi dell'anno possono essere: 1) Raccolte ( Uva, OIive, Frutta, Ortaggi ecc. ) 2) Potature ( Vigneto, Uliveto, Frutteto ecc. ) 3) Trattamenti Fitosanitari a base naturale ( Macerato di ortica, Jadam, Compost ecc. ) 4) Gestione del suolo ( Inerbimento, minima lavorazione, rigenerazione ecc. ) 5) Gestione animali ( Galline, Tacchini, Arnie ecc. ) 6) Trasformazioni alimentari ( Salsa pomodoro, caponata, marmellate ad uso casalingo ) 7) Laboratori didattici (panificazione, saponificazione, micro vinificazioni ecc ) Vorremmo trasmettere ai nostri ospiti, in primis l'ospitalità ed il calore dell'accoglienza siciliana, fornendo inoltre una visione dell'agricoltura e delle sue pratiche più in linea possibile con i processi naturali che sono alla base della creazione della fertilità dei suoli, nel rispetto della natura (ecosistema) e di tutti gli elementi che la compongono. Giornata Media: • Colazione • Pranzo • Cena Le esperienze lavorative e compiti (di circa mezza giornata) potranno essere svolte sia al mattino che nel pomeriggio in base alle condizioni climatiche o ad eventi che si svolgeranno in fattoria. I WOOFER verranno ospitati nella casa padronale ed avranno a disposizione una camera da letto, un bagno ed una cucina. I pasti offerti potranno essere svolti in famiglia oppure nella cucina messa a disposizione per gli ospiti. La maggior parte delle materie prime per i pasti sono prevalentemente prodotte in fattoria. La colazione di base sarà composta da the, tisane, latte, confetture e uova. Il pranzo e la cena sarà a base vegetale o principalmente tipici di una dieta mediterranea. I miei interessi sono tra i più disparati, sono sicuramente appassionato di piante ed agricoltura, suono la chitarra e mi piace leggere e disegnare. Inoltre mi diletto in cucina e sono rimasto affascinato dall'astrologia. ---o----o-----0-----o----o--- Good Morning, my name is Gianfranco and I have been a farmer since 2012 in Western Sicily, more precisely in Marsala, 1 km from the sea and beaches. I run an organic farm with vineyards, olive groves, orchards and vegetables. Since 2022, with Antonino, we have been working on a permaculture project that involves the creation of an educational farm with farmyard animals (poultry), domestic animals (dogs and cats) and bees. My mother also lives with me in the farmhouse. The agricultural activities we carry out depend on the season, but one constant is the practice of minimum tillage and soil regeneration techniques in the vegetable garden. A list of activities carried out during the various periods of the year may include: 1) Harvesting (grapes, olives, fruit, vegetables, etc.) 2) Pruning (vineyard, olive grove, orchard, etc.) 3) Natural plant protection treatments (nettle macerate, Jadam, compost, etc.) 4) Soil preparation (grass cover, minimum tillage, regeneration, etc.) 5) Animal husbandry (chickens, turkeys, beehives, etc.) 6) Food processing (tomato sauce, caponata, jams for home use) 7) Educational workshops (bread making, soap making, micro-winemaking, etc.) We would like to convey to our guests, first and foremost, the warmth and hospitality of Sicily, while also providing an insight into agriculture and its practices, which are as closely aligned as possible with the natural processes that form the basis of soil fertility, respecting nature (the ecosystem) and all its components. Average day: • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner The tasks (about half a day) can be carried out either in the morning or in the afternoon, depending on weather conditions or events taking place on the farm. WOOFERS will be accommodated in the main house and will have a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen at their disposal. Meals can be eaten with the family or in the kitchen provided for guests. Most of the ingredients for meals are produced on the farm. The basic breakfast will consist of tea, herbal teas, milk, jams and eggs. Lunch and dinner will be plant-based or mainly typical of a Mediterranean diet. My interests are wide-ranging. I am passionate about plants and agriculture, I play the guitar and I enjoy reading and drawing. I also enjoy cooking and am fascinated by astrology.

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Fruit or nut farming

Poultry farming

Viticulture

Forestry

Wild foraging

Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas

Seed saving or production

Vegetable or fruit preservation

Food justice / sovereignty

Methods or systems

Community-supported agriculture (CSA)

No-till farming

Permaculture

Regenerative agriculture

Host type

Production farm

Certified organic

10 Hectares | 24.7 Acres

Accommodation

3 WWOOFers

Bedroom

Children not accepted

Pets not accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Vegetarian

Vegan

Length of stay

3-4 weeks

Over a month

Gianfranco

Member since 2025

Languages spoken: English, French, Italian, Portuguese

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Response rate: 53% Response time: typically within 2 days

Trapani

Aeroporto di Birgi/Trapani

Reviews

Garance

France • December 2025

My 2 weeks stay at Gianfranco's place was really nice, cheerful and chill. I met an open-minded and generous guy whose life goals and projects are very inspiring. We mostly worked in the vegetable garden together with Gianfranco, Nino and the other wwoofers. We also went to harvest the olives a few times, in a cool and collective work atmosphere, and we had the chance to see how they are pressed to make a delicious oil. Gianfranco cooked for us everyday, delicious meals with the garden products. I shared a room with another wwoofer, it was a nice little community we had together with Allison and Leo :) the atmosphere was pretty free and relaxed concerning work and schedules (also because it rained a lot when i was there), and we had plenty of time to discover other places around Marsala and Trapani, and Gianfranco even took us to wild hotsprings one day. Spending time to pet the numerous cats (so cute) and the dogs was also a part i enjoyed very much. I warmly recommend to everyone who wants to discover a cool project and welcoming people to have a stay at Orto Infesta. I learned a lot and spent fun moments there, thank you veryyy much Gianfranco !

Jennifer

United States • December 2025

This was my very first experience WWOOFing. I feel like I have a new family in Sicily. I have never felt so welcomed and so instantly part of a family as I did with Nino and Gianfranco at Orto Infesta. Gianfranco and Nino are building something very special at their farm….a place for people to visit, learn, volunteer, and mangia…a place for people to purchase local, organically grown fruits and vegetables. A place where kids can come and learn. And a future agritourism destination where visitors to Marsala can connect and experience real food. During my WWOOFing experience we harvested and boxed vegetables and fruits. I was also so fortunate to visit them during Olive Harvest season - so we spent many of my days at the different olive tree farms. And, after those harvests, we brought the olives to the oil production facility to see our hand picked olives turned into some of the best, most delicious and certainly most authentic olive oil in the world….from olive tree to table in its purest form! As I mentioned to Nino and Gianfranco, some of my favorite times took place at our daily meals. A time for sharing and connecting…whether at the home table or sitting under an olive tree. That’s where the real Sicilian magic happened…as people from different parts of the world came together as a family. Once again…thank you Nino and Gianfranco for your innate kindness, your authentic desire to give to me, to all of your visitors, and to your community.

Alexandra

Germany • November 2025

I had an intense time at Orto Infesta harvesting olives and doing garden work. I learned a lot about myself and gained a deeper understanding of permaculture thanks to Gianfranco and Nino! They are really really passionate about what they are doing. Both always gladly shared their knowledge and experience. We worked mostly together in the field and in the garden. Gianfranco was also a caring host, p.e. he cooked a lot of delicious food for all of us (mostly twice a day) and took us at the weekend to places of interest in the area. The meals were mostly made out of their own produce. Working conditions were pretty fair (6x4 hours), for a whole day harvesting we could take a day off, whenever we wanted to. Orto Infesta is a true suburban wonder and an ambitious project that deserves all our support. I would love to come back.