Living the Villa Loca- Carasai (La Marche), Italy

Trisha and I arrived in Rome last week, which marked the beginning of our four farm-stay experiences in Italy. We took two days to explore Rome before departing on the journey to our first destination. Rome is difficult to sum up in one blog entry, and we by no means gave it the appropriate amount of time necessary (probably a life-time) to explore and experience all that it has to offer. From our two days though, we were able to walk and view many of the major monuments (colosseum, pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps). I tasted my first authentic Italian pizza (delicious) and we enjoyed some of the other essential Italian fare (gelato, espresso, pasta). That was about it. The transportation, hotel, and other little details about Rome were easy and efficient. We didn’t make it to the Vatican and St. Peter’s, so we will make a return trip during our next farm-stay, which is in Velletri, 45 minutes south Rome.

Upon leaving Rome, we headed for the La Marche region of Italy and made our way through the center of the country to the coast lining the Adriatic Sea. The bus trip was fantastically beautiful, as it passed through countless villages surrounded by green pastures. Most impressive were the massive tunnels that cut through a beautiful mountain range located in the center of the country. Our duration inside some of the tunnels must have been at least 10-15 minutes long, as we were passed through huge, snow-capped peaks. The most surreal and unexpected place we passed was the town of L’Aquila, which was the epicenter of the recent earthquake to hit Italy. Prior to our journey, I assumed we would be taking an alternative route to La Marche, as other roads do lead to our destination. Since the highway sustained no damage, the bus route was unaltered and we were given a birds-eye view of crumbling houses and apartment buildings. We saw many areas covered with blue tents, the new housing for locals who lost their homes.

Our bus arrived in the evening in the coastal town of Cupra Marittima, next to the Adriatic and 3½ hours from Rome. Our farm hosts, Hans and Lisa, were waiting patiently at the bus stop to whisk us away to their farm 20 minutes away. They are in the process of converting the farm into a bed and breakfast. Hans is originally from Holland and purchased the property two years ago. Lisa is an American who speaks fluent Italian and spent much of her childhood in various Italian cities and is helping to make the dream a reality. They want to host both bed and breakfast customers and have campsites available on their property. There is a lot of work to be done before they can achieve this goal, which is a reason using helpers like us is so appealing to them (they have had many since they began).

On the farm Trisha and I are living in one of the future bed and breakfast guest rooms. It feels like a luxurious accommodation compared to our other farm-stays and we are both quite comfortable here. On top of that, Lisa is an excellent cook so we eat very well. This of course has inspired us to work extra hard for them in return. The work they have given us has been varied, although somewhat inhibited the first few days we were here as constant rain kept our labors at bay. Fortunately the skies have cleared up and we have had more chances to be of assistance. Some of the work we have tackled thus far is weeding (lots of it), grouting the tile for a large camp shower/bathroom, putting together loads of IKEA furniture all day, and now repotting 5000 baby lavender plants. That’s right, 5000 lavender plants! Hans and Lisa plan to cultivate and sell the lavender, but can’t plant the new stems they ordered as the ground is too wet from months of rain. So instead all the recently delivered plants must be put into pots. And guess who gets that job for a while?

In truth, Hans and Lisa vary the work for their guests and are extremely gracious and giving hosts. They have taken us out to pizza, shared their wine with us every night, bought us coffees, and provided abundant knowledge of Italy. We often need to remind ourselves that we aren’t staying at a bed and breakfast or are on vacation with our families, because at time it feels like it. We work hard for them everyday though, and I believe they are getting a good exchange (they have told us they feel that way too). Our time in La Marche ends on Thursday sadly, but we feel fortunate for this experience and are looking forward to the next.