Back to Rome

While Sandro conducts business here in Rome, I have spent the day at the Vatican Museum. The amount of artwork and rooms and passages and frescoes and giftshops and people is just overwhelming! Such beautiful works, classic medieval rennaissance and contemporary. It's a maze of wonders that makes you wonder... however did the popes get all this money? The answer I'm sure is not as pretty as the works inside. By the end, you really just want to rest your eyes :)

I am at my first farm now, near Fara Sabina, outside of Rome. Its been raining non stop so i havent gotten my hands in the dirt yet. My farm host is Sandro, a very kind and interesting farmer mostly of vegetables but also makes his own olive oil. He also takes in abused animals, although right now he only has rescued cats, along with the usual dog, chickens, geese and ducks. He likes to barter his mechanics skills with the old neighbors and friends in exchange for things like milk or other plants. He has shown me the area around the farm which is rolling hills and mideval tuscan towns. It was raining when we visited Toffia and the quiet sunday afternoon made it seem as if the whole town was sleeping. I met some of the residents, friends of Sandro, and had tea and coffee listened to conversation and music. This is a very artsy community and there were so many beautiful corners and corridors, it felt as if the whole town was one big walkable sculpture.

I spent a few hours shelling fava beans and all our meals have been delicious and filling.

Ciao Bella!

I had a beautiful day in Rome, mostly by myself. It was luckily not cold or rainy. As a lone girl with so much to see, i got one of those tourist buses and hopped around the city like this. My favorite place to see was Villa Borghese with the gardens. The Bernini statues were incredible! My worst moment was when i lost my bus ticket (15euro!) and i had a loooong way to go before going back to my hostel. Alas, my tears won me the pity of at least one bus driver and they gave me a replacement ticket. I had pizza, gelato, threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, and walked through the city. I also cut the long line at St. Peters (now i need to go to confession!) and went to a late mass at the church near my hostel. The city is fast, dirty, and the architecture spectacular.

In the evening, I met a austrian girl, Tanja, at the hostel and we went out to dinner. Traveling just causes one to cross trajectories with other travelers, and the best friendships can arise with people you would have otherwise NEVER ever met.

All roads lead to rome

All roads lead to rome, but boy are they long! I have currently been over 24 hours in transit since i left my home in acworth and i finally got here to the hostel in rome. One notable thing during my two layover flight was that on my way to london airport we had to touch down at shannon, ireland because a man on the plane needed to get to a hospital. i dont know what happened but there was a doctor on the plane who looked a little like crocodile dundee who saved the day until we could land. that took more time, but it didn't affect me too much since i had a 5 hour layover in london. it was beautiful coming through the clouds and seeing the early spring landscape with the white little houses of ireland.
I made it to rome from the airport on train, and if youve ever been here i dont have to explain the details. Otherwise youll have to come here yourself because im too jetlagged and exhausted from carrying my pack and sleeping in twisted postures. when i got to my properly booked hostel no one opened the door i tried to call and the man couldnt hear me from the public phone. i got pizza and asked the two very helpful people working there to help me out. the called the hostel and apparently, there was a problem with the room or something else and i was relocated to another hostel in the area. i stilll dont know what was wrong, but i hopped back on the bus back to the train station (fell over with all my bags on this lady when the bus started moving) and walked the remaining blocks with my heavy pack as the city got dark and scary to this dingy hostel i am currently in. the people are friendly though and that is the best i could wish for.
tomorrow i will see as much of rome as i can!
ciao!

Packing and Leaving

Hi friends and family,

I'll use this blog to keep you updated on how my trip in Italy is going. 

This summer, I have to have an internship for my landscape architecture program. I searched high and low and ended up with an internship in Dalton, Georgia..."Hmm..," I thought, "Dalton would be fine...but what if..." and then I decided I would go to Italy. The best way to go to Italy on such a short notice was to do WWOOF (worldwide opportunities on organic farms). I am receiving credit for the 3 months I will be there working on various farms and getting room and board in return. I might not get to see all the world class museums while there, but I will hopefully discover something about the everyday Italian folk, other wwoof travelers, and how to treat the earth with a little respect, and get a great meal out from it too!

Below are the farms I will visit. I will spend two days in Rome then visit the first two farms for two weeks and the last two farms for a month each:

Map of locations: 

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?doflg=ptk&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=117466745748617271647.00048640edd4e3917e60e&ll=44.276671,10.162354&spn=3.634043,9.810791&t=h&z=7

Descriptions of Farms on WWOOF Italia:

1. Az. Agr. Fontevecchia, via Fontevecchia snc, Canneto Sabino, 02030, Rieti.

Tel: 328 9785328 Cell: 333 7975725 E-mail: azfontevecchia@gmail.com

Small farm of 3 1/2 ha run by two young men situated in valley in the Sabine, an area well known for olive oil, where they produce olive oil and vegetables. The farm is totally organic, although they are 'on paper' in the process of conversion. The farm is well mechanised but there are plenty of opportunities for WWOOFers to help in the various areas of cultivation. They are good mechanics and repair all the machines in their well equipped workshop. Some of the land is pasture and here they care for animals which have been maltreated which are waiting to be found a more permanent home, there is also a barn for them. They have a lot of contact with animal protection organisations. They also work with the local civil protection association and therefore dedicate time also to this. All their food is home grown except salt, pasta and coffee, they get their milk from a nearby dairy, it is not organic but delicious! Accommodation at the moment is on a sofabed in the living room so unable to have more than 2 people at a time, although they have a military tent which sleeps 4. A little English spoke. They are 50 kms from Rome and are well connected with the bus and metro. Contact: Alessandro Zaganelli.

 

2. Predio Pomantello 4, 01020 Torre Alfina, VT.

Tel/fax: 0763 716092 E-mail: pomantello@email.it

Organic farm (certified A.I.A.B since 1996) and agritourism, situated 18 km from Orvieto railway station. We are an Italian/German family with four children, two of whom are very young. We live in a farmhouse in the hills at the edge of the Monte Rufeno nature reserve, between Orvieto, Acquapendente and Lago di Bolsena; in the very north of Lazio, near to Tuscany and Umbria, in a panoramic position. The agritourism is our main activity, as well as various jobs on the land. We have sheep, chickens, dogs and a cat. Help needed for small jobs on the farm and in the agritourism. Accommodation for one (possibly with child in the future) in a comfortable wooden hut with wooden stove, cooking area and bathroom a few metres away. Meals with the family. We also have a pottery workshop, wheel and kiln. German and some English spoken. Contact: Monika Fleiss & Fabrizio Fioravanti. 

3. Az Agricola San Martino di Dino Chiaraviglio, c.s 376, 52044 Cortona.

Tel: 0575 612661 Cell: 328 9023672 E-mail:dinutz@wwoofitalia.com

4 hectares of land consisting of 2 ha of olive grove (470 trees), a vineyard and pasture. The land, especially the olive grove, is in the process of being reclaimed after being neglected for some time. The are two houses providing a total of 10 habitable rooms. Help needed with the olive harvest (November), pruning olives

(March/April), clearing the land, excavation, clearing waterways, collecting firewood and in the vegetable garden. Most of the work is done using hand tools. Artists, actors, dancers and musicians are accommodated in the house, and at times they also perform. WWOOFers with artistic skills are particularly welcome, as are electricians, plumbers, carpenters and builders etc. Help needed especially during festas, shows and exhibitions (mainly in the summer). Accommodation in shared room, there is no television or smoking in the house. Restricted use of water and energy (cold water only) and no chemicals are allowed for personal hygiene. All waste is recycled. Prefer to speak Italian but a little Spanish, French and English spoken. Contact: Dino Chiaraviglio.

4. Casa del Sole, via Pontori 74, 16040 Genova, NE.

Tel & fax: 0185 337499 E-mail: maxgange@libero.it www.casadelsole.wordpress.com

We have 14 hectares of land with vegetable garden, olive groves, chestnut trees, woods, a poly tunnel under construction and a large two story building. The land is terraced, accessible and workable and we try to keep the use of polluting machinery to a minimum. We sell our produce at local markets. We reuse and recycle in order to save and perhaps produce energy and would like to become an example of a way of creating a better society, which we feel is everyone has the right too. We are vegan and offer accommodation in rooms or tents (in the warm weather). We are looking for WWOOFers for periods of at least 2 weeks, preferably a month in order to get to know each other better. We would prefer non smokers and couples who would be better able to work independently should the need arise. If you are interested we practise yoga (sunrise and sunset) and get together daily for asanas and meditation. We occasionally host monks willing to teach the techniques. We feel there is a need to begin again, starting with producing food, with a more balanced and healthy society. We feel that human beings should be allowed to try. We speak English, French and Swedish. Contact: Massimo e Barbara Gangemi.

I return on August 10th!