Casa Cares

Summer Retreat

Casa Cares is defined in various ways, including an organic farm, a practical taste of eco-friendly life, an international experience, a Waldensian presence in the Tuscan countryside, life in historical buildings. Of course our first task is that of hospitality, but even for this there are several definitions. Technically we are a Casa per ferie, literally a house for holidays but actually something particularly Italian in that the term was created to define Catholic guest facilities. Our dozen or so Waldensian and Methodist centers placed ourselves under the umbrella of our Roman colleagues.

But we also call ourselves a meeting and retreat center. The usefulness of Casa Cares as a center for meetings is confirmed by the fact that the great majority of our overnights comes from groups to whom either we offer programs or who, much more frequently, conduct their own, whether church, school, art, therapy, music, reunions or some other reason for persons to come together.

The retreat part has been less evident. From our experience in Oikosnet (Association of Academies and Laity Centres in Europe), which includes global partners, we have come to realize the diversity worldwide in the approach to retreat. Spiritual retreat has been a heritage of Italy for centuries. With the exception of the British Isles, however, otherwise in Europe one does not often find structures for spiritual retreat, especially of laity, along the lines of what one finds in the United States and Canada.

Perhaps the nature of the Waldensian expression of faith, and that of Protestantism in general, has not valued enough the dimension of spiritual retreat. There is more commitment to action, to activity than to stopping or at least slowing down. But in the hectic, never-a-dull-moment world of today the need to retreat is becoming more important and valued, maybe often urgent. The interest in Western culture for yoga and meditation might be considered signs of this need.

Despite being one of the best months to be in Tuscany, September for us typically has been a slow month. So this year we combine our room availability with a discount offer, which we believe will appeal especially to persons who want or need to step back or step out for a moment from their routine or pace. The offer is one extra free night with breakfast every two nights booked (3 for 2, 6 for 4, etc.):

Room with bath, double occupancy, breakfast – 3 nights at 2 x € 34= € 68

Room with adjacent bath, double occupancy, breakfast – 3 nights at 2 x € 29= €58.

Main meal availability at € 13 will depend upon the number of guests at the moment.

God and a Laugh

God, faith and the like are serious subjects. One has to be careful when they are touched. But I liked the other day the reminder from Ted Remley, who has brought a university seminar to us for a number of years, of the Jewish saying, “Man plans, God laughs.” He shared this as he booked his groups through 2015.

We became Waldensians at the invitation of this small historical Reformed church of Italy. Just how disparate the Waldensians were in their search for persons to take over their new guest house adventure in the Tuscan countryside is confirmed by the invitation to Antoinette and to me, two foreigners who had not lived in Italy for 13 years. That’s already worth a laugh!

But just that ability to laugh, also at themselves, was one of the qualities that I learned to appreciate about the Waldensians. After all, you cannot take yourself too seriously when you number 40,000 in a country of 60,000,000! Other qualities I learned to appreciate were Bible scholarship and social commitment.

The ability of laugh, at least smile, however, has proven valuable in much that comes our way in managing Casa Cares as a meeting center and a guest house. First, the property is well beyond our control: huge, historical buildings and semi-abandoned farm land. That it feels like too much was already evident when the Waldensians at first refused the donation of the property in the early ‘80’s. I often tell visitors that it is like having a Ferrari without money for the gas. Nowadays it seems most persons understand and smile when they hear, “It is not a question of having something to do, the question is where to begin.”

Something to do, and soon, is get a roof on the chapel. It’s taking the usual longer-than-expected because the big support beams unexpectedly, but not totally surprisingly, have to be replaced. So the centuries-old chapel sits waiting without a cap and hoping for some more sunny days. It wouldn’t be bad, either, to find the funds to get beyond the new roof phase.

The grass gets too long; firewood needs to be cut; picking the olives only makes sense with volunteer labor; the park often looks unkempt; boars dig up the fields. Then in the villa something is always too old to carry on any longer; a good rain arrives through the roof tiles to a bedroom or two; water from the township can be in short supply; in winter we remember that the old windows are open even when closed. And so on. (Is this supposed to be a monthly note to attract guests?!)

By the way, the guests…. Now there’s a laugh. I mean, of course, with them. If it’s hard to understand each other in one language, try three or four. And if folks start relating their travel adventures and cultural false steps, it really gets to be fun.

Even the volunteers keep us laughing. There was the young German who, sent out to the garden to get a bit of parsley, came back with a huge bouquet of all of our basil. Or the American who doesn’t know what to do with his clothes that need to be hung out to dry.

All told, they say a good laugh is a pill of health. Lots of pills around here!

A Month of Celebration!

In Italy we know how to celebrate, but the past month was almost too much. April concluded with Easter and Easter Monday which by landing on the 25th was already the national Liberation Day; then followed a week later the 1st of May. Four holidays in eight days must be a record.

Previously there was another holiday, a new one, a one-time event. It was over a month ago on the 17th of March but it will be spoken about for some time. It commemorated the unification of Italy 150 years ago. However, this was a strange celebration because not everyone was in a celebrating mood. The Lega Nord refused to take part because they consider Italian unification at least a failure and especially for themselves a terrible event. If they could, they would cut Italy above Rome and drop the South into the Mediterranean; after all, the Southerners only waste the taxes paid by the hard-working North Italians with the complicity of the corrupt politicians in parliament. Of course the Southerners don’t always have much good to say about the hospitality in the North to where they migrated to build up Italy on the ashes of World War II. Et cetera!

The point made in these times by many authors and commentators is that Italy’s unification has not worked or that it is still a struggling process, perhaps doomed from the beginning. After the fall of the ancient Roman empire, the regions of the Italian boot developed in drastically different ways. It is generally thought that this was due to the effort of the other European powers to keep Italy weak in its division. In Tuscany one only has to feel the animosity today between Pisa and Livorno or between Siena and Florence to realize the challenge of putting of trying to put Veneziani and Palermitani under one roof, or Genovesi and Pugliesi.

Italy is well worth observing and studying. The diversity, the cuisine, the fine art (really 75% of that in the world, as one hears?), the layers of history, emigration-immigration, church, interesting characters like Silvio Berlusconi. Many books have appeared on the unification of Italy. These two give a good overview:

Gilmour, David. The Pursuit of Italy: A History of a Land, its Regions and their Peoples. London: Penguin Books Ltd., 2011.

Duggan, Christopher. The Force of Destiny: A History of Italy since 1796. London: Penguin Books Ltd., 2007.

Towards the Future

Our guest season could not have started better than with the movement we had in March. With Easter late and uncertain end-of-winter weather we risked having a lonely, cold and wet time in the Tuscan hills. Instead Casa Cares was filled with guests, a representation of the typical guests we have in the course of a season. An eight-day university seminar got the ball rolling, followed by a work weekend among friends considering the future of Casa Cares. Then 30 persons on a ten-day Tuscan tour finished the month with the typical trips to Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, Lucca, Chianti and a local outdoor market as well as excursions outside the region to Assisi and Venice. They even had time and energy to visit local churches and an olive press! It was a very satisfying and enjoyable month. Only single guests were missing but there would have been very little room for them anyway.

The workshop on the future of Casa Cares brought together about 40 persons from around Italy who have known us in various ways and at various times in our 28 years of guest house commitment. The event was not easy to plan but it was well worth the effort. The idea was neither to dwell on daily issues nor to plot radical changes in our mission. We concentrated on facing current and foreseeable difficulties while evaluating whether the course travelled until now should be continued. The positive answer was clear and enthusiastic. Simple and welcoming hospitality with commitment in social service and environmental care were confirmed for the future. Unfortunately for the practical purpose of language we missed the voices and enthusiasm of our foreign friends.

Certainly we must attract more groups and single guests and develop more contacts. Ideally we shall continue to be active in the local community. Improvements in accommodations are always possible, and the further development of the property is a priority. For example, after years of planning, finally we have begun work on the chapel renovations. The limited funds we have will only take us so far but hopefully to the point that we shall have another meeting and activity area to offer our guests.

One of the most encouraging outcomes of the weekend was the establishment, in some cases the renewal, of work groups for programming, property, the land, finances, staff and promotions. It remains to be seen how practically the enthusiasm of the moment will evolve, but the step is in the right direction because our small staff, very dependent on volunteers, never has been able to tend to all tasks at hand.

A NOTE ON THE CHAPEL Some friends have already responded generously to our appeal for donations but of course the request remains open. We also plan to renew our search for public funding for the historical building, which is over 300 years old in its present form. A curiosity is that Francis of Assisi, after whom the chapel was named, and Waldus of Lyon, the motivator behind the reform movement at the base of our Waldensian Chruch, were contemporaries. Also, the Franciscan mission began with the repair of chapels, Francis having had a vision in which Christ told him, “Repair my church.”

Ready for the months ahead

Typically our “off season” runs from the end of the olive harvest in December through February. Other than guest movement around the change of the year, only occasionally has Casa Cares been open in those weeks. Although things get almost too quiet in the hills and the income stops, we know that we need this period to renew ourselves and the property.

Again the staff has responded well, taking some vacation time but also assuring that we and the villa are ready for the new season. At mid-February the Waldensian festivities (three new photos in the Photo Album) included a conference on Christian commitment to environmental care. In February Luca Rasoti also began a Sunday series of training in organic farming.

Although Easter is later than usual this year, March is full of activity with a Swiss confirmation group, one from the Rome Waldensian churches, a USA university seminar and another USA group, and an important meeting on the future of Casa Cares. For this last event we have invited various friends to come together for a workshop in which we think about what might be ahead of us, giving careful consideration to our strengths and challenges.

This is an unusually busy start for our season but it is in line with our calendar through October. We have the prospect of hosting many groups. On the other hand, certain periods such as August are very open and there is always space for individual guests and more small groups. In August we might renew our offer of a campo for persons trying to escape the heat and humidity of Florence. Here at 500 meters altitude we are always comfortable while those in the city suffer.

Our volunteer situation for the winter was excellent. Friederike (Germany), Zsòfis (Hungary), and Drew (USA) were great company and helped Beppe and Elisa with the many tasks of the winter months. We are, however, not yet set with volunteers for the summer and the autumn. Room, board and a little pocket money is what we can offer besides a unique experience and the satisfaction of helping Casa Cares. Ideally to facilitate the integration into the life here we ask for a minimum commitment of three months. If you know of anyone who might be interested, please have him/her contact us.

Photos and newsletter

Rather than a monthly note we suggest that you see the changes in our Photo Album and take a look at our just-released annual newsletter.  Best wishes for your 2011!  Antoinette & Paul

Olive Adaptation

As mentioned in last month’s note, this time of year for us is one of transition from guest work to the olive harvest and to quieter months. Adaptation is a word for the moment. Our schedules become more regular and we can look around and attend to things neglected for months, for example, in maintenance or in the office.

The biggest adaptation of the moment is flowing with the weather as we try to get on with the olive harvest. One can see all kinds this time of year: short sleeve sunny, damp but warm, fog, rain, wind, penetrating cold, even snow. The challenge again this autumn has been excessive precipitation. We find ourselves behind with the harvest as we lose days to the rain. This is unfortunate because we have an exceptional harvest awaiting us and because in the first weeks we had a good number of short term volunteers from 12 countries eager to use their helping hands. But so it is this time of year. The dates of the most recent devastating flood of Florence were November 4-6, 1966!

The high quality extra virgin oil that our guests appreciate is one of the few resources we have, along with garden produce and some firewood, to compensate for the expenses involved in the care of our land. A significant part of our time and energy goes to the maintenance of the farm, which is both a pleasure and a reminder of the plight of small farmers.

We keep the harvest in perspective. We know ahead of time that it is a long job, perhaps 5-6 weeks with weather interruptions. And while the income from our oil is important, a poor harvest for us is nothing compared to the suffering of persons around Italy as a consequence of the exceptional rains. There are flooding and land slides from the North to the South. The opinion that much of the damage is not due to the rain itself but to human error, for example, in territorial development and management, is thought provoking.

Transition and adaptation seem also in the air on a national political level. Will this be again evidence of the famous quote, “Everything is changed, but nothing has changed”? From a purely observational perspective, these are fascinating times. Politicians and other forces in society are jockeying for position; Italy, like other nations, struggles with the realities of globalisation and immigration; a sense of uncertainty permeates thinking about the future. Of course we understand that we are not simply observers but in various ways participants.

When things go well ...

After a couple years of less work and the consequent pressure on budget and sense of purpose, 2010 provided us a significant encouraging turn-about. Too often the tendency is to see even in positive moments the blemishes and shortcomings. You can imagine that in a farm community it seems there is always some difficulty—dry weather, wet weather, no helping hands, rising costs, pests…. Or of course there is the risk in a faith community with its ideals that nothing ever quite shapes up: individually, in the faith community itself, in the local or national secular world. It is the way things seem to go, but when things do go well, as they did in our work this year, let’s not hesitate to acknowledge it clearly and often.

An example of the positive was as usual our guests. They are an easy bunch to deal and live with. Friendships have grown over repeated stays. Most come understanding who we are with the simplicity of our standards, our spectacular rural setting, our Christian perspective, our commitment to environmental care and, in general, how we operate. There are few surprises and an appreciation for what we have to offer.

Another example would be our co-workers. The employees—Iris in the kitchen, Beppe with maintenance, and Elisa managing hospitality—form the faithful nucleus around which rotated a great bunch (again!) of volunteers. The second half of the year was strange because we have never had so many at one time and from such a variety of backgrounds. It was a joy to work with Dennis from Denmark, Friederike from Germany, Zsòfia from Hungary, Raymond from Norway and Ethan and Zachary from the US.

No major incidents or accidents is always a big help. Hopefully I am not jinxing the olive harvest soon to start! The programs we ran went well from the annual Waldensian celebration with bonfire in February through spring work camps and summer youth camp and the piano jazz benefit concert in September for the chapel renovations. The programs others organized also went smoothly: Italian church meetings; German and Swiss music, art, school and confirmation groups; USA university workshops; the Dutch who work with persons with special needs. We do not take for granted the success of such stays and here remind ourselves and our friends that they are to be counted among the blessings of 2010.

Now we shift gear from guests to olives, and even the harvest looks promising with a number of extra volunteer helping hands and lots to be taken for what is considered a prestige olive oil.

Once in awhile it’s great just to sit back, take a look around and enjoy!

Fruitful reunions, Vegetable-full garden

We have found that one of the most enjoyable—for our guests and also for us—and successful uses of Casa Cares is a reunion of family or friends. Often our location in Tuscany makes Casa Cares a convenient meeting point. An example is the coming together of the German or Swiss part of the family with the Italian contingent. At other times a family comes complete, perhaps even from the States. Casa Cares becomes a home-away-from-home for a weekend, a week, or ten days of renewing ties, of enjoying each others company, and of experiencing the riches of Tuscany.

Recent weeks have been very busy for us with a variety of visitors: Italian music groups and a child care center; a Dutch group with special needs; a German university seminar on ethical commitment to care of the environment; a Swiss class trip; a USA family reunion; and, interspersed, several single guests. It all began grandly at the start of September thanks to a piano jazz concert offered by a Florentine friend to raise money for our chapel renovation project.

Of course all this movement is necessary for us to meet the bills, or at least those of the operating costs. For major work on the buildings we are dependent on gifts of friends and investment of our national church. We often note that we understand why at first the Waldensians hesitated to accept the donation of the property in 1983. Because it was developed in another era what we have is like having a Ferrari without the funds for fuel! It is a microcosm of the reality of Italy itself. So much to care for, so little with which to do it.

The farm is just another facet of this reality. What a joy to have 500 olive trees, five hectares (12 acres) of woods, and a veggie garden! But what a labor-demanding responsibility! Fortunately we can sell well our prestige olive oil and the veggie garden is a gift to the health and palates of our guests and staff. At this time of year the garden is at its fullest and it would be unfortunate not to have the guests to appreciate its bounty.

We are getting ready for the olive harvest and repeat our invitation for able-bodied, lots-of-stretching volunteers for the work scheduled to begin 15 November and lasting 3-4 weeks.

Volunteers for the chapel and for the olives

Casa Cares is immersed physically and historically in the previous life of the Fattoria I Graffi. Two of the most evident and valuable remnants of times past are the chapel and the olive trees. In both cases, however, often we are unable to dedicate to them the resources they need and, one could say, deserve.

Good news! For the first steps of the renovation of our historic chapel (17th century?) we have been assured of funds from our national church and have gotten some response to our appeal among friends for donations. So we go forward! Already before the end of 2010 we hope to improve the roof, which is not so old but needs to be up-graded. This will be done by a local builder.

In the meantime we shall begin preparatory work to replace the floor of the chapel, which is also the ceiling of the frantoio, obviously also historic (in part pre-16th century?) since it is underneath the historic chapel. So it is an exciting step forward for us. These minimum improvements will provide another resource for our guests, thinking especially of music, theatre, art, and worship.

We expect to need helping hands. We would need one or two persons willing to do and capable of physical work, perhaps for a minimum period of two weeks sometime December through March. Then for a concentrated period, perhaps the first half of April, we foresee a work camp of several persons to complete the demolition of the floor. For the laying of the new floor we would again count on the local builder.

While in the mode of appealing for helping hands, we note that we expect to begin the olive harvest on Monday, November 15. The harvest typically lasts 3-4 weeks. Again we need persons capable of physical labor. It is not heavy work but involves much movement and stretching.

For both the chapel and the olive harvest the arrangement is five 7-hour work days per week in exchange for room and board. If interested or if you have any questions, please get in touch: info@casacares.it.