{"id":484,"date":"2023-05-09T13:36:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-09T13:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.travelforpro.com\/?p=484"},"modified":"2023-09-24T10:48:25","modified_gmt":"2023-09-24T10:48:25","slug":"volunteering-for-an-olive-farm-in-puglia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelforpro.com\/index.php\/484.html","title":{"rendered":"Assisting on a Puglian Olive Orchard"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My Initial Foray into Volunteering in Italy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few years ago, I started exploring the world of volunteering as it offered an excellent opportunity to immerse myself in local culture while extending my stay. Italy was at the top of my list, and that’s when I came across the WWOOF organization, which specializes in volunteer programs at organic farms. After some research and setting up a list of criteria, I decided on an olive farm in the sunny region of Puglia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from a city background, farm life was new to me, and I had several considerations to weigh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My research focused on the following aspects:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Nature of Work \u2013 I steered clear of farms that involved animals or beekeeping. While I enjoy the company of pets like cats and dogs, I wasn’t sure how well I’d get along with farm animals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Living Arrangements \u2013 Being a city dweller, the comfort of a proper bed and the availability of a hot shower were essential for me, so these were non-negotiables.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Accessibility \u2013 I looked for a location that was relatively easy to reach from an airport. Volunteering often means you’re in a more remote location, so transportation was a significant concern.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Nearby Exploration \u2013 Although I was volunteering in a rural setting, I still wanted the chance to explore surrounding towns. On that inaugural trip, I visited Carovigno, Ostuni, and Lecce. For more ideas, check out my one-week guide to exploring Puglia.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Companionship \u2013 Since I was traveling solo, I hoped to find a farm where other volunteers would also be present.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    For a comprehensive overview, you can look at my quick guide to combining travel and volunteer work abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Process<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Initially, I scoured the WWOOF Italy listings and maps. To get in touch with potential hosts, I had to pay a membership fee. I then reached out to three or four farms that seemed interesting. Ultimately, volunteering at an olive farm in Puglia seemed like the perfect fit for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"An<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    My Experience at an Olive Farm in Puglia, Specifically I Poderi del Sole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I had the chance to volunteer at I Poderi del Sole, a breathtaking olive farm situated in Puglia, the southern region of Italy. The property features three small houses built around a traditional Trullo and is owned by a senior couple. Their land is not only populated by olive trees but also various fruit-bearing trees. During my stay, I shared a two-bedroom house with two women from Argentina. Additionally, there were volunteers from the United States present on the farm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A Day in the Life on a Puglian Olive Farm<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Our typical work schedule ran from 7:30 in the morning until around 1:00 or 1:30 in the afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Though olive harvesting isn’t overly strenuous, it can cause some physical discomfort\u2014like a sore back or tired arms from carrying buckets brimming with olives. Mornings were generally serene; the grass beneath our feet was still dewy. Our first task was to separate the olives from their branches and set them out to dry for a bit. The early hours were usually quiet, with minimal conversation among us. It provided a peaceful moment for me to collect my thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"An
    A internet stuffed with olives<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Olive harvesting is generally completed by hand, hitting the excessive branches with some lengthy sticks to make the olives fall, or generally with a machine that vibrates and causes the olives to fall with out hurting the tree. The decrease branches are \u201ccombed\u201d with a small plastic software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"An<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    After some time, we had a recent snack, some fruit immediately from the tree, and began chatting extra. Nothing beats a recent pomegranate from the tree. It has nothing to do with the stuff I discover within the grocery store again house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"A
    A ripe kaki fruit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Later within the morning, we began gathering the olives and bringing them in buckets to some giant cassettes. There are different issues to do like gathering the nets and shifting them to a different tree, gathering the fallen branches, cleansing the courtyard in entrance of the home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Every part else about my time at an olive farm in Puglia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The host offered meals for breakfast, and we ate collectively lunch and dinner, which had been spectacular. Graziella is a unbelievable and passionate prepare dinner. We\u2019d have a hearty minestrone or pasta earlier than the primary dish, one thing like polpette (meat-balls) or salsiccia (sausage meat).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Within the afternoons we had time to ourselves, till dinner at 7 p.m. Some afternoons, I went to the closest city with the host and wandered round for an hour or two. A few instances, we went to the Frantoio<\/em> and noticed how the olives are processed into oil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Generally I\u2019d simply take a stroll via the olive groves. The property just isn’t in a village, however in stunning countryside with Trulli scattered from place to put, stuffed with olive groves over the purple Puglian soil. The home we stayed in, constructed round a Trullo had a roof terrace the place we might benefit from the solar, learn of speak earlier than dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"An
    The dancing olive bushes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Volunteering for an olive farm in Puglia was an awesome expertise for me as a result of I received to know the locals, noticed how they stay and work, tasted regional meals, met new individuals from around the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Try my quick guide to volunteer and travel<\/a>, and my 7-day itinerary in Puglia<\/a>, this stunning area of southern Italy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    My Initial Foray into Volunteering in Italy A few years ago, I started exploring the world of volunteering as it offered an excellent opportunity to immerse myself in local culture while extending my stay. Italy was at the top of my list, and that’s when I came across the WWOOF organization, which specializes in volunteer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":485,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-experiences","category-italy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelforpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelforpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelforpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelforpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelforpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=484"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelforpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":512,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelforpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484\/revisions\/512"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelforpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelforpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelforpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelforpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}