Aussie in the Boot: Tuscany

I am spending six months travelling around Italy. I am staying with hosts around the country, WWOOFING (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms). Learning, sharing and creating great connections. There will be ups and downs, but I have my yoga mat packed and a 560g jar of Vegemite, so I’m ready to take it all on. 

Region: Tuscany

Host: Fattoria di Corazzano

“I watched the Qantas ‘Feels like home‘ ad so that I could have a cry”

I arrived on the 9th of February 2019 at Florence airport, or as I later found out is nicknamed, “Barbie Airport” because it is so small. I was met at the airport by my first host and farm owner, Carlo. It was about a 1-hour drive from the airport to the farm and we happily chatted the whole way. He told me about how he went from selling superyachts in Monaco to owning a farm in Tuscany. When we arrived at the farm, the edges lined with the iconic Cypress pines,  he showed me to my room which was in “the red house”. I would be staying with Giovanni, Valentina and their young daughter Maya. Everyone that I met was really nice and it felt right. I unpacked my bag and prepared for the month ahead. I had my first lunch with Carlos family and they cooked pasta with a tomato sauce and grilled peppers (capsicum) as the second course.

The first night brought a storm of emotions, I didn’t want to come out of my room. When I did I joined in on some drawing that was being done with the neighbour’s kids, I began drawing the little creature sketch that mum and I always do together and it brought tears to my eye! I couldn’t understand this rush of emotions, I felt so strong and confident about this trip before I left and yet on this night I already wanted to go home.

I woke up with the dreams of home still in my mind from the night. I brushed off the confusing emotions and pushed aside the mat that lay beside my bed so that like every morning, I could complete my ritual of salutes to the sun. Only this time, I was looking out at the Tuscan sun that shone over the fields that I would soon be working hard in. As it was a Sunday we wouldn’t be working but it gave Valentina the chance to show me around and we collected some vegetables from the farm packing shed.

I must let you know that before this Italian adventure, I rarely ate bread, pasta or white potatoes. I know, I want to hit me too, but I have gone through some things with food… you can read about that in other posts. But the point is that this trip was about to cause me to face some emotions and fears pretty damn fast!!

So given that it is winter here in Tuscany, vegetable from the farm meant cabbage, onion, cauliflower and white potatoes. (I later found out that Valentina has heard of a sweet potato but has never before tried one!) So the variety wasn’t really what I’m used to but it forced me to be creative. Valentina and I get on well, although our friendship is kind of, Me, Valentina and Google translate. She is into yoga and loves to cook and we align in many ways. She also makes and sells bread which is awesome!! We cooked together and I began showing her and her family what I mean by vegetables. The best food news of all has been that they have plenty of my favourite food… CHICKPEAS or as I now call them, Ceci! (I know that makes me sound like the biggest vegan stereotype but they are just so versatile, they are born to be loved!!)

So just to recap, I was not an eater of bread, pasta or white potatoes and before the end of the first week, I had Valentina’s bread, pasta with Carlo’s family and white potatoes most days. I think that’s pretty immediate growth!

The first week was a bit of a jumble, I had some visa confusion and was running around town with Carlo, bless the man and his ability to speak fluent English and Italian! I hadn’t really gotten into a work groove but I knew the drill. I would work 5 hours in the morning, 7 am – 12 pm, in exchange for food and board. We go shopping once a week and I am given a budget so that I can buy anything special, for me that means soy milk, fruit and black rice (the last one blew the budget a bit)!

I tried to avoid tears but cried on my yoga mat in my room. It didn’t take long for me to realise the cheesiest thing of all… It’s not where you are in the world, its the people you are with. I craved connection and even though I am surrounded by great people, the language barrier and the lack of understanding causes a deep sense of loneliness. If I only leave this trip with one thing, I would be stoked for it to be a strong sense of appreciation for home and the loved ones that surround me. Yoga helps!!

The teacher at Maya’s (daughter of Valentina) Montessori school asked if I would be able to do some work at the school speaking English with the kids. Now once a week, on Fridays I go to the school and hang out with the kids and the six black Labrador puppies that were born there! What a deal!

I made pasta for myself one night and put spinach, green beans and soybeans in the sauce… Giovanni and Valentina were absolutely horrified, I was just trying to up my veggies for the day!

The work has been intense but knowing that there is an end in a couple of weeks helps me get through some of the constant leek harvesting and cleaning. At the end of each working day (12 pm for me!), we stand up from whatever we have been picking or weeding, to hear the heartwarming sound of the chiming bells from the Pieve di San Giovanni Battista (the castle on the hill) that play to mark the passing of another hour. We jump on the trailer of the tractor and ride back to the big red house. It is really like something from an old movie.

I have less than two weeks left and I have gotten sick for the first time in forever, I think it must be the foreign germs! The sickness was kind of an excuse to feel sorry for myself and chill in bed… I made sure that I did a walk around the Tuscan hills often, to remind myself of the adventure that I am on!

Valentina and I made gnocchi!! BTW here they actually kind of pronounce the ‘G’. Nyawk-kee. I clearly was way too Australian in the way that I say it because they never knew what the heck I was talking about.

The final week was a busy one, with friends and family visiting the farm. This was good for me because it made time go fast, I felt that by the last week I was definitely ready to move on. I also experienced a massive amount of self-doubt throughout the week. I think that it was caused by all of the stories being shared of past wwoofers. It was really an ego thing for me, feeling the need to be a people pleaser.

On my second last night, I did something I am very proud of. I stayed up with all the guests, the family of Giovanni and Valentina, for a late dinner (9 pm, which is normal in the south) and we cooked Panzarotti, a traditional food of the South where they are from. I had a great time learning the techniques of folding and filling, they were all so kind and even bought rice milk and vegan cheese to cook with. It made me realise when I looked around at us all kneading the little balls of dough, that I could have easily gone to my room, having had an early dinner, and not have even known the joy that I was missing. It was a great way to finish the first-month journey on the farm.

As I packed up my bags and did a final walk around the farm as the sun went down, I realised that even though I wanted this change of location so much, this farm really has become comfortable and a kind of temporary home. The leaving wasn’t as easy as I thought.

Who knows what is to come but I’m ready for the adventure… Next stop, Bologna!

Language update: I know a few more Italian words but the reality is that I don’t speak Italian and I now speak their version of English, broken and simple words, with a kind of voice that I haven’t heard myself use before… one step at a time…

See ya, arrivederci!

Kindly, Steph