Friends of Spannocchia

Last Updated On: May 7th, 2026 at 07:36PM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
PO Box 10531
Portland, Maine, 04103

Primary Contact: Justine Carlisle
Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 207-232-0054
    Email: farmprogram@spannocchia.org

Website: https://www.spannocchia.org/internships/

Internship information

General Farm Description: Tenuta di Spannocchia is an organic farm located on a nature reserve in Tuscany, Italy. The farm produces on site wine, olive oil, fruits, vegetables and award winning salumi products. Spannocchia preserves an ancient form of life in Tuscany based on community, respect for tradition and a responsible use of resources. Interns experience life on the farm and learn about sustainable living in our educational classes and programs.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: 6-Sep-19
Internship Ends: 2-Dec-19
Number of Internship Available: 8
Application Deadline: Rolling
Minimum Length of Stay: 3 Months

Internship Details:

Spannocchia has offered a unique farm and agritourism internship program for more than 25 years, with many international interns! Spring, Summer, and Fall Internship sessions are available.
Eight interns per session work alongside our Italian farm staff to help run our diversified organic farm and agritourism in rural Tuscany. Interns acquire knowledge and practical skills through the involvement with daily operations of Spannocchia. Our farm internship program is dedicated to enriching the lives of young people by providing them with a unique, educational experience on a community-oriented organic farm in Tuscany, Italy. Participants learn about Italian language, local cultural history, conservation, maintenance and restoration, animal care and organic farming.

Educational Opportunities: Our interns will spend a portion of the workweek participating in various planned educational activities. These activities are interspersed throughout the week and include educational presentations such wine tastings, olive harvesting and salumi production as well as field trips to local areas of interests. Trips may include a visit to nearby Siena to experience the famous Palio or a visit to a local cheese farm to test their nuovo pecorino. Site visits to neighboring organic production facilities, farms and vineyards are carefully selected to provide Interns with the opportunity to learn about traditional Tuscan values of food production as well as new techniques utilized to help protect and conserve land in the area. Italian classes are held weekly for a total of two and a half hours. The classes are geared mostly toward beginning conversation/grammar and enable interns to communicate in Italian more effectively both at work and while traveling.

Skills Desired: The Farm Internship Program provides a good introduction to organic farming and Italian language. The internship is most fitting for individuals who are fairly new to one or all of the above noted fields, or have had little practical experience and wish to engage in “hands on” learning. If you have a strong career background in these areas and are looking to engage in an intensive, advanced course, then the Farm Internship Program is not the right program for you. In any event, it is important to have realistic expectations of what the program offers.

Meals: Yes. All meals are provided Monday through Friday, and most Sunday dinners as well. Our interns eat dinner in the main dining room of the Villa, along with various community members and guests. Meals encompass the farm-to-table experience as vegetables harvested in the garden are generally served that evening for dinner. Wednesday evenings are particularly special at Spannocchia with pizza night from our outdoor fire brick oven or nostra cena, a traditional meal focused on a seasonal product.

Stipend: No.

Housing: Yes. Our interns live on-site in Casa Pulcinelli, a large farmhouse located in the Castello complex. Casa Pulcinelli has seven bedrooms, four shared bathrooms and a fully equipped kitchen. Interns live in double-occupancy rooms, share all meals together, work together, and often spend free time together. The interns have use of a vehicle one afternoon a week for a trip to neighboring town of Rosia for grocery shopping.

Preferred method of Contact: Website - Application