I am going to set the scene: I am sitting in a day bed under a pergola. The evening sun is taking over changing the strong bright rays into a golden hour. I have out a book I found in one of the agriturismo’s rooms. I am surrounded by oleander, lavender, and roses. I had just pruned them that morning. Eventually I would go inside to clean the the red currants I had picked earlier, but for now I was enjoying the view of the rolling hills of Emilia-Romagna all while listening to the sounds of nature. Now you may be wondering how I got here? Let me tell you.
How I decided to WWOOF
It began a few months perviously. I had decided I needed to go to Italy. It was weird because usually my trips revolved around visiting people or whatever opportunities came my way. The only country I had actually picked because I needed to go there was my study abroad in Ireland. Now I had exhausted my options of friends in Belgium, Germany, and Ireland. It was time to go somewhere new. All of a sudden the universe was directing me to Italy. It wasn’t super obvious, as it was more that I just starting noticing everything Italian, from a play set in Florence to an Italian food truck parked at the local brewery. That is how I decided I was going to go to Italy that summer.
I looked into a couple options for this. I am not the kind of person that just plans a vacation to place with just hotels and hoping for an authentic experience. Nope, I make sure its an authentic experience. I book trips to get to know the culture and the people. That’s why I studied abroad in Ireland, au paired in Spain, and visited friends in Germany and Belgium. For Italy, I needed to come up with a new experience. I was really leaning towards working at an English Language camp. I had completed my TEFL certificate at one point and I thought it was finally time to put it to use. I applied for English Camp Company, but things completely fell apart.
I had completed the lengthy application process that consisted of getting letters of recommendations, writing a cover letter, and creating a unique project along with filling out the application. I had scheduled my interview when I discovered some bad reviews on Reddit about the experience and how they take down the negative reviews on other websites. I was panicking. It was really bad because these reviews basically confirmed the fears I had about doing something like this. They talked about the terrible screening process for host families and how the tutors felt like they didn’t have any support when it came to not only host family issues, but also in teaching the students. There was much more that made me think that maybe this company is not entirely transparent. I did the interview anyway in hopes that maybe I would get a better vibe of the whole situation. I was honest though and asked about these concerns of mine after reading these comments. Lets just say I never heard back from them after the interview. I probably would have done it if I had been accepted because it was nearing May and I wanted to leave in June, but after a week of silence I decided it was time to pursue my back up plan: WWOOFing!
I heard about WWOOF from some family I was visiting in St. Louis back in March. I loved the idea of it! WWOOF stands for World Wide Organization of Organic Farms and it is a work exchange. You make an agreement to help out on an organic farm in exchange for a place to stay and food. I just didn’t pursue it as my first option because first of all I thought I wasn’t really enough of the dirty type to do something like this. I like the outdoors but I am not the camping or sports type. I like sitting outside, enjoying the sun and reading, but I beyond that I am not an outdoorsy person. The second reason is that I wanted experience doing something I felt was relevant to what I wanted to do for a career. I want to work in international education, so the English camp seemed like the right choice.
When that didn’t work out, I decided it was time to get out of my comfort zone and try something different with WWOOF. It wasn’t necesarilly something relevant to my work goals, but it is still something that reflected my own values and interests. Yes I said I wasn’t outdoorsy and I hadn’t worked in a garden since I was a kid, but WWOOFing is more than just the work. WWOOF is about a sustainable way of life. For years I have tried to be more environmentally friendly, like only driving if I have to, reducing my use of plastic through reusable bags, bamboo toothbrushes, and not buying bottled drinks, and not wasting energy on air conditioning or lights that don’t need to be on. These are things these farms also live by as well as healthy eating. In the last year I had really gotten into watching what I put in my body and eating holistically. I don’t think healthy eating is just not eating sugar, but is rather eating real food and staying away from processed goods. I saw this opportunity to WWOOF as a learning opportunity. It was a chance to learn more about the sustainable life I wanted.
Since I wasn’t really the dirty type, and had these specific objectives, I was a bit picky in my search. First off I needed to be somewhere where I had a room, a bed, and a bathroom. I think camping is cool, but its not for me. Second I wanted to do work that is in relation to food production and gardening. There are a lot of interesting projects where you can build things on WWOOF, but that’s not me. I also wouldn’t really know what do to with farm animals. I liked the idea of staying somewhere where I would help pick produce and could learn about cooking in the kitchen, since I have my own small baking business at my local farmers market. That is how I ended up on an Agriturismo.
It was exactly what I wanted! Agriturismos are farm stays in Italy which I would describe as being similar to a B&B, but all of the food comes from the farm or other places where it is produced organically. The argiturismo I was staying at, Podere Prasiano, was also a wine vineyard. It was so perfect because I had a room in the agriturismo with a beautiful view and a bathroom, which fulfilled that requirement. It was a small farm so they didn’t have a lot of harvesting to do so my main responsibility was to tend to the vegetable garden that provided for the guests and the family. The woman who owned the agriturismo, Emanuela, also loved to cook and make stuff for the guests so I would get to spend some time in the kitchen with her. These people were similar to me in how they live and view life. I didn’t feel like I was joining a hippie commune or would be roughing it. It felt like me. It was the outdoors in a luxurious way!
An Average Day WWOOFing
I knew as soon as I arrived that this would be the place for me. My hosts were very welcoming. They picked me up from the airport, gave me a tour of the farm, and had dinner with me all while putting together a wine tasting for their guests. It helps that there were three of them, but I still appreciated them taking the time to make me feel at home.
The next day I got into the routine of things. My day would start at 8 am which meant I needed to be down a bit earlier to eat breakfast on my own. I usually would just grab some of the yogurt in the fridge and add some granola and what every berry preserves they had from the garden at the time. Then I would of course have a coffee either from the moka pot or the espresso machine.
The first few days the owner’s husband, Pierre, or their paid worker would help me or give me directions of what to do. They showed me how to water the potted plants which became one of my daily tasks. At some point though I found out I was l watering them too much and Emanuela had to go through the plants with me, but she was very nice about it.
I also was in charge of the vegetable garden. I had to weed it which was something I did know how to do from having a garden as a kid back home. I also picked the vegetables which at the time in June were cucumbers, zucchini, green beans, peas, and the start of tomatoes. I learned to water them as well as the baby plants too.
These were the things I did everyday and they usually took me an hour or two depending on how much work there was to be done in the vegetable garden. After that I would either take the hose around to all the different gardens or prune. Watering the gardens would take a long time, because Italy is so dry that the plants required a lot of water to grow and stay healthy. I also enjoyed pruning because it felt good to make things like nice. It was very satisfying clipping all the dead heads off the rose bushes and shaping them. This was a task that could always be done considering the amount of plants there, plus it was a great time to weed the gardens as well.
I also did quite a bit of picking berries. When I first got there I would go out to the cherry trees after tending to the garden to pick the sour cherries that they would use to turn into jam or juice or use for baking. Currants were another that I would regularly pick. They had red, black, and white currants. I also on occasion picked mulberries, which I ended up using to make kolaches for the family and guests.
The last thing I helped out with in the mornings on the farm was the vineyard. The grapes aren’t harvested until September, but there is still a lot of work to be done in preparation. I helped with trimming the unnecessary branches and tying up the ones that were kept so that they grew up and around the wiring. I actually really enjoyed working in the vineyard even though it wasn’t very often.
I would come in for lunch around 12:30pm and Emanuela would have lunch prepared or was in the process of preparing it. All the meals were organic using vegetables from the garden, so I ate a lot of zucchini and zucchini flowers. I also ate a lot of local dishes, like ragú with wild boar and polenta, as well as fresh cuts of coppa and prosciutto, and parmesan cheese. I also fell in love with ricotta as it was a staple of many dishes and focaccia, the crispy bread that goes with every meal. While this food sounds really light, I never went away hungry. I could actually notice a difference in how I felt from eating all this healthy and organic food. I was sleeping great and hardly ever struggled to get up early in the morning. I also never had any of the stomach problems that I would have from eating big meals at home. I just felt happier but that could also be from all the vitamin D I was getting from being outside all the time as well as the fact that I was in Italy.
After a lunch spent chatting and maybe drinking some wine, it was Italy’s version of siesta. I never really was a fan of the siesta when I was in Spain, but I loved it in Italy. It was really nice just having that break time in the day. I didn’t often take naps and instead opted to catch up with friends and family, practice my Italian, write my blog, or read, but it was still nice to just have some downtime in the day. There was never any outdoor work for me to do in the afternoon, because in Italy the summers get hot and the sun is really strong so it is not common for laborers working outdoors to work in the afternoon sun. Occasionally they had their paid worker do outdoor work during this time, but it was never expected of me.
Later in the afternoon, when it was close to the evening I would come down from my room or from sitting outside and help out in the kitchen. Occasionally we baked or canned food, but most often I would clean the berries or do housework. If I picked cherries or currants that day I would wash them, take the stems off, and package them to be frozen. On the days when there were none, I would help clean the floors, do dishes, clean jars for canning, or help with dinner. They were great about giving me some evenings off to relax so every once in awhile I would go hang out at the pool or read a book during this time until dinner.
Dinner was the same as lunch: amazing food, great conversations, and maybe some more wine. I always helped clean up after dinner and then had the rest of the evening to myself. If we ate early enough, sometimes I went for a swim and enjoyed the beautiful sunset from the infinity pool. Other times I would take my book and find a spot to read amongst the gardens. Either way I enjoyed the sunset, unless I got a phone call which I would take from my room. Each day was a day full of learning, peace, and great food. I never felt overworked and enjoyed every part of the day. Some would think it would maybe get boring in the down time being in the countryside, but I loved it. It was great to take a break from life and just learn to reconnect with nature and the slower parts of life.
Experience with Hosts
I had an amazing experience with my hosts. It was the owner, Emanuela, her ex-husband, Massimo, and her current husband, Pierre. They were super welcoming and I got along with them just great. I was a little nervous about living and working in the same place because I often felt when I was an au pair it was really difficult to distinguish between work time and my own time, but I think without kids in the picture it was a really different experience. My work was done when it got to hot or when the task was done. There was no indefinite working that could only end by awkwardly asking for a break. I think my hosts were also great about making sure I had my own time. I could sense they were also the kind of people that enjoyed the slow life and having time for themselves, so they made sure I had that as well.
I really could not have asked for any better of hosts. The owner was similar to me is so many ways and I think that is what made it so easy being there. We had so many great discussion about life and happiness. She has inspired me in so many ways. I also felt comfortable in the home almost instantly. I felt like my room was somewhere I could retreat to and didn’t feel like there were people always monitoring my moves since they had a lot of work to do. I think it helped that there were also guests staying in to house, so I wasn’t the center of attention, but also I was in the residential section of the house, so I felt like I was a part of the family.
Reflection
This was an experience unlike any one I have had before. This was beyond just a cultural experience. It was also a time to learn about myself, learn to slow down, and reconnect with nature. I never realized before how important it is to rely on nature. I grew up on a lake in rural Minnesota, but I think I took this for granted. I have always wanted to leave for the cities. I like meeting new people and being surrounded by culture from great restaurants to shows. I spent one summer in the city though and realized that there is some part of me that won’t be able to completely be a city person. Yes, the city is nice 3/4 of the year in Minnesota when it is cold and depressing, but in the summers, I really need that connection to the outdoors. Being in Italy last summer just confirmed this feeling, which is confusing, because now what do I do with my life?
For the last couple years it has been a struggle to figure out where I fit in this world and what I am supposed to do with me life. I want to live in the city where there will be more people my age and I want to get a job in study abroad, but then there is another part of me that dreams. I never paid this dream much attention until this summer. Maybe I could finally pursue my love for travel and writing about it. Then I can travel or work where ever I want. Then I can get a place with a beautiful garden with lots of vegetables and cherry trees. It would have to be close to the airport and city though so that I can see all my friends and easily hop on the plane to my next destination. Maybe that is what would make me truly happy.
Italy taught me a lot from the differences in communication, how to make amazing food and in a way that is healthy and sustainable, and how to dream. Starting the argriturismo was Emanuela’s dream and she did it. I am only 23, so maybe, just maybe, I can go after my dream.
Thanks for reading about my life changing experience in Italy. If you are interesting in WWOOFing, click here to check out the website. Be sure to check out my Italy page for all my adventures from traveling around the country! Also I hope to write a post specifically about agritourism in Italy, so be on the look out for that!
The Journal of Wanderlust 