Two Days Left In Carassai May 2, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : Carassai, Uncategorized , add a commentSo Tuesday we should be moving forward to Normandy, France where we will be working at a lavender farm. The trip will take 10 hours over night for a total of 300 euro (the most expensive night we’ve ever spent here, considering it’s like a mobile hotel). We thought about flying there but the inflation is pretty bad (not to mention many of them are fully booked).
We’re pretty excited about the Workaway and this was a good experience for us, not to mention we’ve been talking to these people for about a week now and they seem pretty nice. They run a lavender farm that produces oil that are sold at a local shop.
So today was pretty much a day off. We kind of lounged around and watched Doctor Who. Lunch was Spaghetti Carbonara with bacon, followed by salad and rabbit. It was delicious and we ate lunch with the whole family. It was special because we had rabbit that was raised at their house. Giuseppe was surprised to find his rabbits had multiplied.
We will probably take a walk down to the creek near here later this afternoon, so expect pictures! Ciao for now!
Besides Working April 28, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : Carassai , 1 comment so farWorking with the grape vines has a tranquil effect and f
or meditative purposes, it is wonderful . Today is another beautiful day with minimal cloud coverage and high visibility, which makes today a great day to work outside. Yesterday was the same way and all of the critters came out to soak up some sun. We have been invited back in September to see the fruit of our labor- the grapes. I hope we can make it because if I enjoy pruning the vines then I would probably love picking (and probably tasting) the grapes!The common flowering plants around here are very lovely. There are Poppies all over the place, which are nice because they accent the countryside and up close the flower buds look like irritated skin (while I find it interesting, some people may not). There are many others that I don’t know the names of, but they help to mane this place very colorful.
Giuseppe told us that there is a castle in town that we will be checking out soon. He showed us a picture and it is not some ruins with a sign; it is very grand. We shall see!
Also there is the beach, which apparently the water is cold but it is getting hotter here. So perhaps on Sunday we will go with the family to the beach and hopefully the water is comfortable. If we can’t stand the water, a city is near by so we can walk around there.
The cute town on the hill is Cassarai, by the way.
Working in Italy April 25, 2010
Posted by Chris in : Carassai , 2commentsAs you guys know, we’re staying and working at Agriturismo la Cicala, a vineyard on the East coast of Italy. Despite the inclement weather of the past few days, today has been a gorgeous, sunny day. The weather is warming back up and our skin is loving the sun.
We didn’t get started with work until around 11 this morning but we handled the same amount of work as we did on Thursday in about half the time, clearly we are getting more skilled in tending grapes! Despite our growing skill, today the fields are muddy and pack onto our shoes quickly, making us feel like we’re wearing 10 lb. platform shoes.
After Giuseppe or I (Chris), clip the rogue shoots of the grape vines and tend to them, Tiffany comes through and ties the grape vines onto the poles, helping the grapes to grow straight and in the right direction.
The lack of rain gives us the stunning views we saw on our first day here but which has been blocked by the low clouds and fog since then. The countryside around Agriturismo La Cicala is absolutely beautiful, a wonderful change to the city scapes we’ve gotten used to seeing.
Rainy Day April 23, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : Carassai , add a commentAll is quiet on the farm. None of the neighboring farms are being worked on. The entire countryside is quiet. When is drizzles here no one works. Days like today are days off for people around here and good days for staying inside.
We spent the majority of the day inside the farm house. Chris and Guiseppe worked on the website while I did research for our next part of our trip. We went to his house today (they don’t live at the farm house) and met his youngest son who is 13 years old.
Magda made three home made pizzas for us for lunch. They had the popular Italian toppings for this area; Marinara, Olive oil with Rose Marry and Garlic, and Marinara with a local fish. It was good but not at all what I expected.
Today was a very lazy day in rural Italy or at least for us. Tomorrow’s forecast is sunny with minimal cloud coverage and a high of around 65 F (typical weather here). So we will be back in the fields working with the young grapes.
Agroturismo La Cicala April 22, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : Carassai, Uncategorized , 1 comment so farYesterday’s travels included an eleven hour train ride and 30 bus ride to get to the small village that the farm we’re working at (the village is called Carassai). The train ride was complicated and cheap (50 euro for the both of us and many train changes) but the views were stunning.
When we got to the farm house we were amazed!
The place is immaculate and the views from around the place are stunning. Guiseppe (pronounced like Joseph) and his wife, Madga, own the farm and 30 hectors of land around it. They grow both Sangiovese grapes (you need 85% Sangiovese grapes to make Chainti wine) and Olives.
Today we worked with the young grapes (about one year old). Pruning and making sure they will grow straight. The work is not too hard and there is a lot of it. Since this would cost us about 80 Euros a night to stay here plus the cost of lunch and dinner, if we were being paid, we would be paid 8 Euros an hour (breakfast is included in the price although with our work, they are obligated to feed us 3 meals a day, and we are only obligated to work for five hours a day each). Also, Guiseppe and Chris are working on his website this afternoon.
So Chris is in love and I thin
k I am too. The place is charming, the views are amazing, the people are very welcoming and generous, and the food is fresh and has a lot of flavor (which is a big change of pace from generally bland food that we could afford). Last night we had Spaghetti with spicy sausage, bread, salad from their garden, and eggs from their chickens.
There is a beach near by that we’re thinking about checking out when we have some free time. It looked nice from the train (white sand, really blue water). We have the farm house to ourselves this week, since there are no guests until next week and our hosts have their own home about a half a mile away. We are definitely going to be spoiled by this place!
