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My husband and I joined the Tuscany archaeological expedition looking for an adventure outside of our normal experiences. It did not disappoint. The daily activities were engaging, the archaeologists that we worked with were patient with the volunteers, guiding us, explaining everything clearly, and articulating its relevance to what they were researching. A pleasant surprise was that there were six other people very much like us, interested in the topic, curious about the world, and passionate about learning new things. The archaeological team went out of their way to make the experience special, including helping us book after hours excursions, and sharing with us the long-term impact of their work.

Everything about this project was fantastic - our team was able to be engaged in every aspect of an archeological dig, including unearthing buried strata, documenting finds, cleaning and attempting to assemble artifacts, and assisting in preserving ancient mosaics and frescoes. And what a site - intriguing evolution through early to mid-Roman occupation, transitioning from a fort policing and protecting the rich iron ore processing of the region to a farm adapted to produce the much-prized garum for the fuddy-duddies of Rome, to a nobleman's villa complete with baths, massage rooms, and an extensive garden. And every footstep echoed the shadows of that procession through time. The field staff were also incredible - knowledgable, patient, positively energetic, and great cooks of our evening meals! They helped make the work fun and helped create a strong bond among the volunteers - and of course some good local wines helped. I can't wait to return next year!

What a great experience it was to be part of the wonderful team of archeologists at Populonia, Tuscany. I have only the highest praise for these dedicated people that made us all feel so welcome. With absolutely no previous experience in the field, except a 'burning' desire to join a dig, this was a superb way to see if archeology is something for me. We were digging at a Roman villa where we assisted in the restoration of mosaics and frescoes and in cleaning of pottery. The site was closing up for the winter and so the cleaning of finds was needed for the catalogisation and storage. We even got to try to put pottery pieces back together. I thoroughly enjoyed every part of this experience, being outdoors the whole day with physical work, finding (or not finding) pottery pieces and then to clean and piece them together. It was such a fantastic introduction to the whole archeology process which I found very interesting. I can highly recommend everyone who has ever thought about volunteering at a site to go on this trip, you will not regret it! I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Karolina, Giulia, Alessandro, Marco and the rest of the team for taking so good care of us and for being so enthusiastic and willing to share your knowledge with an wannabe archeologist!