Category: Italy

Tenuta di Marsiliana farm
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This farm extends from the hill on which a castle with the same name dominates the entire valley surrounded by the elevation where the historic house of the Corsini family is located and the natural park of Maremma. It’s fair to say that this hill has served as a place for controlling the surrounding countryside and, in particular, the river Albegna where people had to cross a ford in order to pass this area.

Anyway, the Etruscans controlled this area and they may have founded a town called Caletra, which is now called Marsilia. After the Romans had defeated the Etruscans, it was called Agro Caletrano. During the early Middle ages, a monastery was built on the hill. There, pilgrims could rest on their way to Rome, the Eternal City.

A castle was built on the top of the hill in the 12th century being controlled by various powers until it was used as a military fortification during the Spanish domination from 1559 to 1713. Next, the Corsini family arrived at Marsiliana in 1760 and they constructed a fortified farm below the castle in the early 1800s. A contract from 1868 between the bank Monte dei Paschi and the Corsini family states that the property of all the surrounding terrain is transferred to the Corsini family. The local farmers worked as sharecroppers for the Corsini family until 1950 when there was a Land Reform act. Then, a large part of the land was expropriated by the state in order to give 8 to 20 hectares and a house to each farmer family.

A large part of the land covered by marshes was reclaimed by means of drainage, canals and pumps. In this way, malaria, which had been a major cause of death among the sharecroppers, disappeared completely. Thus, the Land Reform act turned the sharecroppers into farmers with their own houses and their own land. Before, they had always worked as sharecroppers, getting back only a small part of what they had cultivated. Instead, the Tenuta di Marsiliana farm have turned to raising wild boar for hunting, cultivating grapevines and renting out houses, which have been converted into apartments, to tourists.

The area of the vineyards amounts to 26 hectares. The grapevines, consisting of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon, were planted between 1988 and 2006 and all of them are productive. The best grapes are collected manually, while the rest is collected by means of machines.

The man responsible for wine production kindly showed us the vineyards, at the same time as he explained various aspects of viticulture in a very clear way. For instance, the orientation of a vineyard should always be located east-west and never north-south in order to let the grapes receive as much sunlight as possible.

Regarding cultivating the grapevines, it is done according to a French method where the canes of the grapevines are forced to grow 50 cm above the ground.

However, this method is adapted to the climatic characteristics of French vineyards where strong winds exert strong forces on the grapevines. By keeping the grapes closer to the ground, the force of the wind will be lower. Instead, he would prefer to let the branches grow higher above the soil in order to limit various types of funghi to reach the leaves and the grapes. This area is surrounded by hills, which limit the speed of the winds reaching the vineyards. Besides, by growing the branches higher above the soil, it would be easier for workers to harvest the grapes.

He also told us about pruning whose objective is to let the grapevines produce more grapes with a high quality. This is done by creating a strong root system and trunk and remembering that grapes produce the most fruit on shoots growing off one-year-old canes.

Pruning is done in winter, which is called dry pruning and the second one is done in spring or early summer. This pruning is called green pruning.

In addition to pruning, leaf removal also has to be done and this consists of removing leaves around the grape clusters. The main purposes are the following:
- Improve air circulation.
  Increase fungicide/insecticide spray penetration.
  Expose the fruit to more sunlight.
  Improve flavor compounds, color, and bud fertility.
Some leaves have to remain on the shoot in order to produce carbohydrates to support vine growth, fruit development and ripening, develop overwintering reserves and to allow vine shoot and bud winter hardiness.

Since roe deer and wild boar live in the forests surrounding the vineyards, all of them are fenced off.

On the way back to the wine production, we passed a vineyard which had been harvested by means of a machine. As my guide told me, several branches had wizened leaves because the machine isn’t able to be as careful as the workers.

The wine production takes place in a huge building having an area of 1760 m². It was constructed in 1900 by the Corsini family who used it as a storeroom for grain until the Land Reform act was enacted in the 1950s. Inside, there were arcs made by bricks, while the floor was covered by stone tiles, all of it done manually. Nowadays an agricultural cooperative rents 250 m² for producing wines.

Like always, this wine producer lets wine mature in large tanks, but the must and grape skins from one vineyard is kept strictly away from the must and grape skins from other vineyards.

Having added yeast to the must, the fermentation starts, turning sugars into alcohol. The fermentation creates carbon dioxide which rises to the top of the must, lifting the pomace to the surface at the same time. Since this process produces heat and the yeast can’t survive above 33-34°C, the temperature has to be limited. This is done by letting cold water flow in tubes located inside the container such that the cooling is done indirectly. In fact, a control loop maintains the temperature at 25°C because it’s best for the yeast.

Some days later, a filter is placed above a container and below the valve at the base of the tank containing the must. One end of a hose is connected to a container, while the other end is connected to a pump. The top of the tank is also opened through which a hose is fed, while the other end is connected to the pump. Next, a worker opens the valve and starts the pump. Wine will flow out of the tank, passing the filter, which will stop the pomace. Instead, the must will pass unhindered and be pumped up to the top of the tank. This process provides oxygen to the must, which aids the fermentation. In addition, the must is forced to pass the pomace, which gives various good characteristics like taste and colour to the must.

When the process of fermentation stops because all the sugars have been turned into alcohol, racking is done. That is, the wine is separated from the pomace by means of gravity and transferred to another tank. Instead, the pomace is crushed once more. The resulting wine may be mixed with the original wine in order to make a blend or it may used as table wine. In any case, an oenologist decides what’s to be done in each case.

The pomace will have to be transferred to a distillery for making grappa in order to avoid fraud using the pomace to produce wine by means of chemicals, according to Italian law.

This farm has a wide selection of wines as described here: The majority of the wines are DOC or IGT.

Last but not least, there is an interesting ethnographic museum inside the castle: documents and various equipment used by people across the ages tell visitors about life and work in this place.
28/09/2018
Frank & Serafico farm

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Having passed the town of Alberese and driving towards Marina, we turned left and arrived at the farm after having gone a short distance on a gravel road.

“Frank” is the name of a red wine , while “Serafico” is the name of a white wine. Actually, the name serafico derives from a midge, which is called serafico in the local dialect and which lives in the coastal regions of Maremma.

We met Pier Paolo Pratesi, a young oenologist and entrepreneur who started making beer as a hobby many years ago.

In 2009 he and his friend Fabrizio Testa, another oenologist, founded this farm. Their objective was and remains to produce their own wines and beers with ingredients cultivated at their own farms.

The following grape varieties are cultivated organically, among them white ones: Vermentino, Sauvignon Blanc, Fiano and Petit Manseng; red ones: Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Alicante e Carménère .

The selection of wines can be found here.

Cultivation of the grapevines and wine-making are done using both traditional and modern methods. The guiding principle is to make wines in a sustainable way and letting quality be more important than quantity.

Regarding the beers, all of them have a name beginning with Enki who was a deity in Sumerian mythology.

As stated in their web site: “Enki is the god of the fresh waters on which the earth floats and gives birth to life. Our dear Enki loved beer so much that his daughter, Ninkasi, became the beer goddess. A superb host of feasts and banquets, when he was too drunk, he was said to give talismans and super powers to his diners, forgetting about it all the next day, hence creating great turmoil. It is to him and his sane folly that we have decided to dedicate our beer”.

As regards the ingredients for making beer, they cultivate barley, which is turned into malt, and hops whose leaves are dried before being turned into pellets and used for adding a bitter flavour to the beer and for finishing off unwanted bacteria.

The other necessary elements are yeast, which is bought from a yeast producer and tap water. Thus, malt, yeast, hops and water are used to brew beer in an English way like brown ale, pale ale and India pale ale.

The beer selection can be found here.

The wines and beers, which are made at this farm, are exported to Germany, Switzerland and the United States.

This farm also has a restaurant from which guests can have a look at both beer- and winemaking if they arrive when production is made. In addition, there are tables outside the entrance where guests can enjoy their meals.

Guests at the restaurant can also order fresh bread and pasta whose flour has been derived from grain grown at this farm together with various jams with berries grown at the farm. Vegetables grown at the farm are also used in the dishes, which are served in the restaurant.

The walls of the building housing the restaurant, wine cellar and brewery are covered with vines, making the outdoor space green and pleasant. It’s highly recommended to enjoy delicious meals from the restaurant with excellent wine or beer, while at the same time enjoying the greenery and the quiet atmosphere of this place.

27/09/2018
Le Tofane farm, famhouse dairy and guesthouse

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Driving on a long and straight gravel road, turning 90 degrees twice and passing a field of grain, we arrived at Le Tofane. We are near Alberese, the small part of the commune of Grosseto, which was planned for being populated by families mainly from Veneto and some internal zones of Tuscany during the 1930s when the National Fascist Party ruled Italy.

Like many other farms in this area, the farm was set up in the 1950s, when the land was confiscated from the big landowners by the Italian state in accordance with the Land Reform acts. By means of draining and reclaiming, huge marshes were turned into farmland, which was divided into plots of 8-20 hectares where a farmhouse was constructed and given to former sharecroppers turning them into farmers who had to pay a yearly rent.

The extent of the land of Le Tofane remains as it was in the early 1950s when the father of the present owner, Daniele Francioli, got the land, amounting to 25 hectares, from the Italian state.

The father of Daniele was a farmer always willing to start using agricultural machines for cultivating the land. He was one of the first to buy a tractor, learning quickly how to repair it should the occasion arise. This ability allowed him to set up a workshop for repairing tractors and other machines of his farming neighbours, giving him a second job. Daniele was always following and even helping his father with repairing machines, making him also adept at this type of work.

Drawing on experience from working at the farm, from attending an agricultural school and from his active father, Daniele was willing to try new things, like raising pigeons and, during the 80s. He was cultivating kiwis, which were much sought after in this period, giving him a secure income. Unfortunately, the price of kiwis decreased until it collapsed because of globalisation. This caused problems for many farmers, many of whom had to sell their farms and find other types of work, while others started guesthouses on their farms. Daniele worked for 10 years as a cowboy with Maremmana cattle and he remembers this period as the best part of his life.

Instead, he turned to sheep farming in 1998, exchanging vineyards on his land with growing forage for the sheep at the same time. Now, the flock of sheep consists of about 100 animals, some of which are a French race called Lacaune which guarantee a high production of milk and a Sardinian race called Sarda. Although the Sarda sheep also produce a lot of milk, it is most known for its frugality, in particular in hot summers with little fresh grass.

The sheep produce milk for about 6 months a year, but it could be extended by letting the sheep bear lambs twice a year. Instead, Daniele prefers that the quality of the milk is higher by letting them bear lambs once a year only.

During our visit, we could watch the sheep eating forage inside a pen being watched over by a Maremma sheepdog. At the same, the sun was setting on the hills of the Natural park of Maremma, bathing the sheep pen in a warm, pleasant light.

Between the farm and the Natural park of Maremma were fields for cultivating grain and fodder like perennial ryegrass and grass for the sheep.

Regarding worries for being a farmer, Daniele talked about climate change, which causes hot and dry summers followed by torrential rain and sudden thunderstorms, phenomena which cause problems for agriculture.

During the last years, wolves have also become a problem for the sheep farmers. There are numerous fallow deer, wild boar and roe deer in the forests nearby, but the wolves prefer to hunt the sheep because it’s so easy. Catching and killing wild animals can easily cause injury to a wolf, which might be deadly. Instead, finishing off sheep is much easier.

Daniele is not a hunter and he thinks sheep farmers have to protect their animals. In addition to keeping the sheep inside pens, he has mounted a video-camera with which he has recorded wolves approaching the sheep at least 25 times.

When the wolves are approaching, the sheepdogs are barking, but they are no match against the wolves. However, the wolves have to decide if the price is too high fighting a dog and being injured. When the fields become green again and sheep are let outside, the danger will worsen, but Daniele said it’s possible to protect the sheep against wolves even then.

Next, we entered the small, but modern farmhouse dairy, which looked very clean and tidy. Daniele has a certificate from the EU, letting him export cheese in all of the EU.

In order to make the milk safe for human consumption, he uses a big stainless steel container having double walls, inside of which hot water can circulate, heating the milk to 62°C for a few seconds.

This type of heating, which is called thermisation is capable of eliminating germs and harmful bacteria from raw milk. It keeps the sensory characteristics of the raw milk such that it’s possible to taste what the sheep have been eating before getting milked. Instead, by pasteurising the milk, the sensory characteristics disappear and it’s no longer possible to taste what the sheep have been eating by drinking sheep milk or eating sheep cheese.

In order to produce cheese, the milk is heated to 38°C and rennet is added. After about half an hour in order to let the milk coagulate, it will e turned into a gel. That is, it has curdled. Instead of using a tool, which is called a harp, by dairy workers, Daniele uses a tool with a handle being connected to a sphere consisting of steel circles.

After having divided the gel with the tool, the curds are collected and put in porous containers in order to let the whey flow out. This work has to be done quickly in order to avoid differences in taste between the first and last cheeses.

Next, the remaining fluid, that is the whey, may be reheated inside the same stainless steel container. Then, white flakes of fat start gradually appearing on the surface of the whey. By using a sieve, a dairy worker can lift up the flakes and put them in another porous container. The resulting cheese is called ricotta.

Daniele and is wife produce cheeses with various types of herbs in fresh, semi-ripened and ripened varieties such that there is a taste for everyone!

Moreover, Le Tofane also sells cheeses in cooperation with other producers. An example is formaggio di fossa meaning “cheese of the pit” where the cheeses are stored in pits excavated in rock. According to Daniele, this way of ripening cheese was discovered during the Second world war when peasants stored cheese in pits dug out under their houses in order to preserve them in case of a raid.

Le Tofane also offers a cheese called “Pecorino alla Birra” in cooperation with the brewery Birra Maremmana.

Daniele has also bought an advanced machine with which he can make yogurt.

In addition to helping her husband with cheese-making, Daniele’s wife collects blueberries, apricots, pears and various other fruits, which she turns into delicious jams.

Of course, all the milk products and the jams are for sale in the small farm shop!

26/09/2018
Pulledraia del Montegrappa farm and guesthouse

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During our visit to the town of Alberese, we found a poster stating that visitors were welcome to visit a farm nearby in order to see typical domestic animals of Maremma.

Just after having entered the property of Pulledraia, we could see two ponies inside an enclosure. As expected, giving them fresh grass, which was growing just outside their range was very popular. One of them also readily accepted the caresses of my guide.

Having left the ponies to their own devices, we started walking along a grassy path being enclosed on both sides by a wooden fence. Having passed a vineyard and lot of pine trees, we arrived at a group of Maremmana cattle. Some of these beautiful animals, all of them grey or greyish white and having huge horns, raised their heads to watch us, while others went on ruminating, ignoring us. Anyway, it was good to see a group of these cattle living in complete tranquillity, doing whatever they wanted.

Next, having followed the path and for every few hundred metres we met a group of domestic animals like donkeys, buffaloes, goats, sheep and a huge sow sleeping in a “doghouse”.

Walking along the path, we soon discovered that we were following a square or a rectangle. On our way, we passed large canals, having a depth of, say, 2 meters and a width of, say, 4 metres, passing through green fields. I thought they were made for dampening the effects of heavy rain, but, instead, they were made during the 1920s. Then, large parts of Maremma were covered by water and swamps and it was necessary to drain the land by means of canals in order to reclaim it.

We also passed fields planted with salad, grass, olive trees and fields having just been plowed.

When we were approaching the farmhouse, we met Bruno Turcho, the owner of the farm together with his wife Luciana. He’s from Salerno and he has lived in this area since 2002. He kindly invited us into the dining room, which had been skillfully restored: imposing wooden beams suspending the ceiling and a massive wooden table around which their guests at the guesthouse were invited to sit, talking to their hosts and the other guests twice daily. Bruno also generously offered us to taste ham, cheese and wine, all of them made at this farm. Naturally, we couldn’t refuse this unselfish offer, attractive to the eyes and delicious to the palate.

As described on the web site of this farm, it wasn’t divided into small plots during the Land Reform acts of the 1950s Instead, something dramatic happened during the First World War. Then, this land was owned by an Austrian dynasty called Habsburg-Lorraine and, since Italy was fighting Austria, the property was transferred to the duchy of Lante della Rovere. Next, the Italian government expropriated the land around the town of Alberese in 1923 and gave it to the Opera Nazionale Combattenti (ONC) in 1924 in order to give the land to former soldiers.

The ONC reclaimed the swamps and divided the land into about 100 properties giving them names from battles of the First World War (Bainsizza, Montegrappa, Pasubio, Montesanto, Gorizia and Monte Asolone).

The web site also describes that the family, which runs the farm, have planted many orchards: peach, cherry, pear, apple, fig, plum, apricot, grape and persimmon. A large part of the fruits is used to make jams, various sweets and even for production of digestives, all of them consumed at the farm.

In addition, vegetables like artichoke, asparagus, tomato, green bean, zucchini or courgette, eggplant or aubergine, pepper, cabbage, Savoy cabbage, broccoli, spinach, chard, watermelon, etc. with which many typical dishes are prepared.

They also collect berries and wild herbs like laurel and myrtle for making traditional liquors and they cultivate cereals whose flour is used to make bread, pasta, sweets, cakes and soups.

Besides, they raise poultry, rabbits and pigs whose meat is used to prepare traditional dishes from Maremma, but also game from e.g. wild boar provided by friends who are hunters.

The agriculture, which is put int effect at this farm, is organic. That is, all the plants are grown without using any artificial fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides. In order to enrich the soil, they are practising crop rotation every third year meaning that the same type of plant is grown in the same field every 3 years. Growing alfalfa makes nitrogen from the air enter the soil by means of bacteria in its root nodules. Moreover, they are using local seeds, which are particularly adapted to the soil at this farm.

By doing organic farming, the groundwater, which is used to water the pants, isn’t polluted.

The guesthouse at this farm was born from a dream: regain possession of one’s own time and restore the right priorities of life. Life nowadays is, in general, very busy and there is no time for talking, exchange experiences and viewpoints in a calm way.

The owners of the farm also thought about creating an oasis for themselves, their family and those willing to join them, sharing the passion of genuine tastes and traditional home-made food together with enthusiasm for the lovely region of Tuscany.

They also make marinated vegetables and vegetable creams, which are offered to their guests, with whom they like to talk about life in the countryside and cooking.

For those who like to spend some time in the countryside, Pulledraia is a very good choice with its beautiful surroundings, peace and quiet. The Natural park of Maremma is nearby for those who want to go hiking, swimming, etc., while the town of Alberese is within walking distance.

26/09/2018
Seafood auction in Porto Ercole
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Only one fishing boat had moored to the dock below the castle of Porto Ercole when we arrived. The fishermen were busy putting the catch in white styrofoam boxes filled with ice, sorting it according to species and quality. Next, they put the boxes in rows and columns along the pier. In the meantime, a driver reversed a van close to the the pier and opened the doors at the back.

When all the catch had been placed on the pier, the fishermen formed a line and passed the boxes to each other until the last one who put them in the van, while the driver put them in rows and columns inside the van. When they were finished, the driver went to the hall where the auction would take place.

Next, waiting for some time, another fishing boat arrived. A fisherman was standing at the bow, holding a rope with a piece of lead at the end. When the fishing boat was near enough the pier, he threw the rope against the pier where a worker was ready to take it. After some tries, he succeeded in taking it and attaching it to a bollard. Next, the boat reversed, turned around 180 degrees such that the stern was nearest the pier. Finally, it was reversed and when it was near the pier, two fishermen threw ropes with loops at the end towards the pier where two workers attached them to bollards.

Next, the fishermen started sorting the catch in white styrefoam boxes before bringing them to the stern of the ship. There, the same procedure was repeated as was done on the other fishing boat.

Then, we went to the hall, located a few hundred metres from the fishing boats, where the auction should take place. Upon arrival, some workers had sorted the catch on various pallets. When the second catch arrived, they sorted it such that the same type of species was laid next to each other in descending order of quality: first, second and third.

I asked the auctioneer what type of fish had been caught and he told me the following:
- squid
  pannocchia (the corresponding name in English is not known)
  sole
  lobster
  crayfish
  red mullet
  cod
  European flying squid
  gilthead bream
  musky octopus
  common octopus
The fishermen go to sea at about 2 in the morning and return at about 7 to 8 in the evening. As we saw at the harbour, after having moored at the pier, they immediately sort the catch and bring it to a van as quickly as possible. This time, they had been fishing near the island of Gianutra and they had been fishing at depths ranging from about 70 m to 200 m.

In the meantime, buyers from Genova, Rome, Naples, etc. were standing around the boxes, studying them attentively, probably thinking about what they wanted to buy and how much they wanted to pay. Being outsiders, we just had to listen to an exchange of jokes, offers and counteroffers between the auctioneer and the buyers. An encounter between offers pronounced between the teeth and short syncopated phrases bouncing between the buyers and the auctioneer at such at quick pace that the fish boxes disappeared and were purchased even before the last ones had been arranged next to each other. Perhaps if the time available was sufficient, we could understand the meaning of this mysterious and important negotiation. However, seafood deteriorates very fast and it’s of utmost importance to reduce the amount of time between fishing and consumption.

An auction of fish is an extreme synthesis of purchase agreement that must be done through gestures, words and decisions with almost lightning speed, a sort of magical ritual that has taken place in the same way for hundreds of years. Anyway, in spite of the speed of the auction, all the data of the seafood is recorded by computer in some central register.

I have been to another seafood auction, which is described here.
24/09/2018
Nardi farm and butcher’s shop

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This company was founded by the father of Mr. Nardi in 1952. It was a great surprise to find a squeaky clean butcher’s shop with a large variety of meat products in a small town like Pescia Romana.

An abundance and variety of meat products in the glass counters and a wide variety of hams suspended from the ceiling. All the products were well lit such that any defect would be immediately visible.

Some of the products avaialble at this shop include, but is not limited to, the following:
⦁ rib-eye steak of heifer (costata di manzetta)
⦁ boiled heifer meat (bollito di manzetta)
⦁ straccetti of heifer (stracceti di manza)
⦁ braised veal (osso buco)
⦁ rond steak (girello)
⦁ bacon
⦁ pork sausages with salt and pepper
⦁ tagliatella of heifer consisting of heifer meat, paté of lard from Maremma, salt, pepper and natural flavours
⦁ meatballs of ground heifer meat with salt, pepper, garlic, potatoes, parsley, egg and bread crumbs
⦁ ham
⦁ meat of wild boar

After having showed us the workshop inside the shop, Mr. Nardi kindly showed us the basement where various cooling rooms were full of pork thighs, hams and sausages suspended from the ceiling.

In order to make a ham from pork, one has to follow a rigid procedure and the following points give a general idea of what’s required:

⦁ Isolation: select some pigs, which are suited to being slaughtered, given their health, weight, gender and age.
⦁ Cooling: the thigh has to stay for 24 hours in a refrigerated cell around 0°C.
⦁ Trimming: remove parts of the fat and the pork rind in order to make a round form of the thigh.
⦁ Salting: put humid salt on the parts of the pork rind, while the lean parts should be covered with dry salt. Next, put the thigh in a cool cell with a temperature of 4°C and about 80% relative humidity. Bring it out out the cold room and remove the residual salt, apply a thin layer of salt to the surface and put the thigh in another cold room.
⦁ Rest: remove the residual salt and lay the thigh in a room with 75% relative humidity and a temperature between 1 and 5°C where it has to stay for at least two months.
⦁ Washing and drying: remove the remaining salt and let the the thigh dry in a well-ventilated room.
⦁ Pre-aging: remove the remaining salt and suspend the thigh such that it’s hanging freely. Use the humidity inside or let it stay in a well-ventilated room.
⦁ Larding: cover the muscular parts with lard, a mixture of pig fat with a little salt and crushed pepper and sometimes rice flour. This procedure is done in order to make the surface of the muscular parts softer, avoiding too rapid drying of the surface.
⦁ Aging: the thigh is suspended in a room with controlled temperature and relative humidity for at least a year.

Mr Nardi told us that his company were raising Maremmana cattle near the butcher’s shop and he was willing to accompany us there. After about 5 minutes drive, we arrived at the farm where two herds of Maremmana cattle were living inside enclosures, partly covered by roofs. Their diet consisted of hay, alfalfa, corn, cereals, barley and beans.

The enclosure looked large such that the animals were free to move under open sky or under a roof. Moreover, the farm is surrounded by wide open spaces and a few houses, which ensures a quiet and peaceful atmosphere in spite of being close to the Tyrrhenian sea, which is frequented by numerous people in summer.

Maremmana cattle is rustic and frugal, resistant against diseases and difficult weather and it adapts itself to find something to eat even in droughts.

Maremmana cattle have been used as domestic animals for centuries in Maremma. It has excellent meat and it can work for hours. Given their robust characteristics, it was used as a beast of burden for pulling carts filled with goods and people and for working the land. In fact, there was a group of painters at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, called macchiaoli, who specialised in painting Maremmana cattle at work.

Even today there are cowboys called butteri who enter enclosures on horseback, selecting the cattle most suited for being slaughtered. After having been rounded up, the animals enter a corridor leading to the slaughterhouse. This passage lasts a very short time, maybe a few minutes, which hopefully lets the animals be as relaxed as possible when they are finished off.

Next, butchers transform the meat into products, which are sold in the butcher’s shop as described above.

24/09/2018
Farms above Porto Ercole
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Unfortunately, in the past farmers were quite often growing grapevines of low quality in the hills above the town of Porto Ercole and many of them just gave up, removing the grapevines. However, there are still vineyards and olive groves in active use in this area alternating with forests creating picturesque combinations of colours.

Having ascended a curvy and steep road, passing various wine cellars which had been closed, we arrived at one which was open. In fact, we followed a man called Miro to his small farm high up on the hill. Miro is aged 70 years and he’s still growing grapevines and he has a small wine cellar in his house where he lives with his family. The farm was founded in 1900 by his grandfather who worked as a mason all his adult life. He built the house with the wine cellar and he excavated a well in order to provide for the need for water by his family and the farm, including a vineyard which he planted and maintained the last years of his life.

Miro is continuing the tradition started by his grandfather, cultivating Ansonica, which gives a white wine, and Sangiovese, which gives a red wine.

Since the summer of 2018 was very hot, the grapes were mature in August, leading to that the grapes were harvested before our arrival. However, we were invited to visit his wine cellar where he willingly opened one of the tanks containing wine which wasn’t mature yet.

Originally, there were other types of grapevines in this area, but Miro told us that in centuries past, pirates arrived, raiding and destructing everything, including native grapevines, which gradually disappeared. However, some of the people of Porto Ercole were seafarers and arriving at various ports in Italy, they discovered a grape which was adapted to this area: Ansonica. It’s a grape which is able to grow in long periods of drought and hit by winds bringing salt from the sea, which encircles this pretty promontory.

This farm is called Ceciario and it’s specialised in cultivating grapevines and olive trees, harvesting the fruits and making wine and olive oil.

Until 60-70 years ago, people were practising agriculture from a little above sea level to near the top of the hills looming above Porto Ercole. Naturally, the agriculture wasn’t limited to growing grapevines and olive trees as of now where it’s still practised.

In fact, families were living on the hill and from watching the few existing farms and abandoned ones, given the steep terrain, it was necessary to construct terraces in order to keep the soil from being washed away by heavy rain after long periods of drought. Unfortunately, most of the terraces are falling down and disappearing, being replaced by Mediterranean maquis.

Setting up the terraces required almost superhuman efforts. First, it was necessary to dig out stones which were big enough t be used for making stone walls by means of harrows, hoes and pickaxes. Having excavated a large amount of stones, it was time to construct a solid wall, which should be able to withstand the outward pressure of soil and plants on the inside. Since the soil on the hills was thin and poor, it had to be transported upwards from fields at the base of the hills. The workers also had to bring animal dung to the soil in order to use it as fertiliser. In order to provide for a whole family, it was necessary to cultivate vegetables, vineyards, olive trees, fruit trees, cereals and legumes. If they had animals, they had to grow fodder for them too. Naturally, it was also necessary to have a source of water.

Unfortunately, the stone walls on the farm of Miro are not , in general, in good condition and parts of them have already fallen down. On the other hand, nature reclaims what it has lost.

Anyway, it’s important and interesting to get to know how things were done in the past before the arrival of machines. For instance, some polished stones protruding from the basement had been put there when it was being made. Miro told us that they were used by his grandfather for grinding tools.

Next day we went to visit another family who were living higher up on the same hill as Miro: the Giacomini family consisting of Grazia and Massimo. The house was built by Grazia’s great-great grandfather such that Grazia is the fifth generation living in this house.

They willingly showed us their property consisting of plots being supported by stone walls, while their dog followed us everywhere. Originally, a creek passed this property and a water mill was used to grind grain, turning it into flour. Unfortunately, the creek had disappeared and the water mill had been demolished.

Instead, the stone walls supporting the plots looked vertical and solid, but they have to be maintained in order to support the weight of the soil and plants, else they will fall down sooner or later.

The Giacomini family were growing vegetables, aromatic herbs, citrus trees and fruit trees on the terraces. An incomplete list follows:
- basil
  sweet and spicy chili pepper
  white and black cabbage
  squash
  tomatoes
  fennel
  lemon
  oranges
  peach
  sage
  rosemary
  satureja
  laurel
The property is quite small and the products from the cultivation are consumed by the Giacomini family and their guests.

Next, we went upwards in order to visit Emilia, an elderly lady who lives alone after her husband died. As we were approaching her house, we could see a vineyard, which seemed to be of good quality, but Emila isn’t able to maintain the grapevines, like her husband was doing. Thus, the vineyard will gradually be replaced by Mediterranean maquis if not someone else will maintain it.

Like the property of the Giacomini family, there was a water mill on this property too. Below the house, there was a big arc which supported a cupola with two holes through which water from a creek had been flowing, driving the water mill. There were also workbenches and tools for woodworking and a big saw hanging on the wall. In addition, there were tanks and bottles for storing wine.

After our visit, we went to a former farm, which had been converted into a second home for people living elsewhere. Only some olive trees were remaining, while the old farmhouse had been replaced with a modern one. The terraces, which had been used for agriculture, had been turned into terraces for sunbeds located around a swimming pool in which a robot was cleaning the bottom occasionally.
24/09/2018
Borgo Ciro farm

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Having left the Aurelia highway, we passed the hill covered by Mediterranean maquis and the sculptures of the Park of the tarot cards by the artist Niki de Saint Phalle.

It was quite difficult to arrive at our destination, but by asking several locals and having passed lots of bends and narrow roads, my guide found the organic farm called Borgo Ciro where the owner Sebastiano Bianca met us.

I felt like I had arrived far, far away from any village being surrounded with fresh air Mediterranean maquis and a few scattered houses. Actually, we were just 8 kilometres from the Tyrrhenian sea.

In fact, Sebastiano told us that this area is extraordinarily healthy and as described on the web site: “The analyses of the soil confirm the suitability for cultivating grapevines; a land surrounded by Mediterranean maquis lets the grapes absorb its various fragrances”.

Sebastiano is a pensioner and now he can dedicate himself to his true passion: cultivation of a vineyard and making wine. His passion starte 35-40 years ago, having bought and read a huge pile of books on wine-making and studied at the University of Bordeaux. However, even if theory is very important, practice is totally different, he says.

Finding this place took 6 years, looking for a suitable farm in many places. Sebastiano and his wife decided to buy this place in 2002, but it took 2 more years from purchase till they moved in. Two more years were required for restoring the house and 2 more years before starting production of wine and olive oil. In fact, the production started in May 2006.

The vineyard occupies an area of 1 hectare and 3 types of red wines are made: Sangiovese, a blend consisting of 50% Sangiovese, 30% Petit Verdot and 20% Barbera and a rosé wine from a combination of Sangiovese and Barbera. All of them are high quality wines and all of them are DOC.

In order to obtain the highest quality, an agronomist and an oenologist work at the farm.

The cultivation is organic , but in order to protect the plants against insects, they use elements like sulphur and copper. 5 kg of copper and 5 litres of water is required for one hectare of land.

In order to fight the the olive fruit fly, they put kaolinite, a type of white clay used to make porcelain, on the leaves of the olive trees. This turns the green leaves white such that the olive fruit flies don’t recognise them. In case of rain, the kaolinite is washed away. Then, they have to wait till the leaves are dry and repeat the same procedure.

During our visit, two workers were collecting Burgundian grapes called Petit Verdot, a grape which matures very slowly.

If one ascends the summit of a hill, which isn’t covered by Mediterranean maquis, looming above the farm, one can see the olive groves of the farm consisting of about 800 olive trees of 5 varieties. The oldest ones were planted 70 years ago, some were planted in the early 1950s and some were planted in 1988. About one tenth of the are originally from Maremma.

This farm has an agreement with on olive oil press where olives from the this farm should be turned into olive oil within 12 hours after having been collected. In addition, the cases containing the freshly picked olives are never more than half full so that they don’t crush each other. These two precautions contribute to decreasing any fermentation of the olives, which have a negative impact on the flavour of the olive oil.

Harvesting of both grapes and olives is done manually at this farm. The finished products are mainly sold to local restaurants, but it’s also possible to buy directly from the farm.

Twice a year, there is a buffet together with tasting of the farm’s products.

Sebastiano also invited us to see his wine cellar where the grapes are turned into wine. There, after having de-stemmed the grapes, they are crushed in a wine press, making a combination of juice and grape skins. Next, both solid and liquid parts are pumped into stainless steel containers where they are allowed to rest for some time. Then, the colour pigments and the tannins present in the skin of the grape, are passed to the must.

Some days later, the must and pomace, that is the solid parts of the grapes, are let out at the base of the tank and pumped through a hole at the top of the tank. In this way, the must is forced to pass the pomace, giving it more flavour and colour, while at the same, it is oxygenated. Applying oxygen to the must, aids fermentation of the must such that sugars are converted to alcohol.

When the the fermentation starts slowing, the level of sugars in the wine is measured daily. When the level is near 0%, the wine is allowed to rest for 3 days. Then, another, more sensitive measuring instrument is used to determine if all the sugars have been consumed. Next, a procedure called racking is done where the wine is separated from the pomace by means of gravity.

The wines at this farm allowed to mature for 6 months in stainless steel tanks, next they are transferred to oak barrels by means of decantation. Naturally, flavours from the oak will be transferred to the wine. After having spent one year in a barrel, the wine is bottled.

The Bianca family has installed solar cells at the farm such that they can generate their own electrical energy.

It is highly recommended for everyone who wants to go to a nice and clean place to go to a wine tasting at Borgo Ciro, enjoying the beauty and the tranquillity of the scenery at the same time.

24/09/2018
Il Cerchio farm
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This farm, which is located in the countryside near the town of Capalbio, cultivates grapevines and olive trees in an organic way since they started in 1998 because its owners consider organic farming indispensable, but also satisfying, a necessary choice for assuring a future for agriculture, but also the entire ecosystem. Organic farming requires using only elements like copper and sulphur in order to defend the vineyards and the olive groves against harmful funghi and insects. This way of farming requires a continuous attention in every phase of growth of the grapevines and olive trees.

This farm, which is located in the countryside near the town of Capalbio, cultivates grapevines and olive trees in an organic way since they started in 1998 because its owners consider organic farming indispensable, but also satisfying, a necessary choice for assuring a future for agriculture, but also the entire ecosystem. Organic farming requires using only elements like copper and sulphur in order to defend the vineyards and the olive groves against harmful funghi and insects. This way of farming requires a continuous attention in every phase of growth of the grapevines and olive trees.

The owner of the farm, Corinna Vincenzi, who worked as an architect in Milan, has made organic agriculture a lifestyle together with her late husband and her son. She has graduated as a sommelier, meaning that she has a profound knowledge of wines, but also how to produce them.

The land of this farm is a result of the Land Reform acts in the 1950s where big farms owned by a single family was divided into many small ones with their separate owners.

After having expropriated the great land extensions that, in part, had been left abandoned by the landowners, it was divided up and given to the former sharecroppers in the shape of a piece of land and a house. In return, they should pay a yearly rent to the state by working the land, but many of them weren’t able to do it. By means of various incentives, the lots were cultivated for some decades, but some of them were subsequently abandoned.

Corinna and her husband visited this area for many years during their holidays and gradually they started thinking of moving here. Then, in 1988, they bought a piece of land, which had been part of a landowner’s property, still retaining its original characteristics. However, the land had been abandoned for many years and the work required for making it cultivable was long and arduous. Gradually, by means of getting help from an elderly, local farmer, she came to love this work, arduous, certainly, but also giving lots of satisfaction. A the same, she worked as an architect in Milan, but, in 1992, the whole family moved to this place. The son, Beniamino, grew up in this area, but after having studied at university, he decided to come back and help his mother with the farm.

This farm has 5 hectares of vineyards, of which 3 are in production and 2 are in pre-production, meaning they have been planted recently and are still growing. Moreover, each field has its own unique type of grapevine.
- Ansonica, originally from the Middle East and cultivated for centuries in Sicily and brought to the island of Giglio and the coast of Argentario in the 16th century.
  Vermentino
  Sangiovese
  Alicante, which arrived from Spain in te 16th century
  Pugnitello
  Ciliegiolo
The two last ones were planted a few years ago. In general, grapevines start gradually producing when they are 3-4 years old, but it requires at least 7-8 years before they are producing fully. The grapes are harvested manually.
- This farm makes the following wines:
  Ansonica Costa dell’Argentario DOC
  L’Altro IGT
  Valmarina IGT
  Tinto IGT
  and one type of vinegar: Aceto di Vino IGT
This farm has all the required equipment for making both re and white wine: de-stemming, wine press, tanks and barrels. The olives are sent to a nearby olive press called Terre di Maremma.

All the products of this farm are certified by the Institute for Ethical and Environmental Certification (ICEA) , one of the best certifying bodies in Italy recognised by the EU and the Italian Association for Organic Farming (AIAB) , which is widely recognised abroad.
21/09/2018
Farina sheep farm
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This family-owned farm is located a few kilometres north of the farm La Selva of which it’s a part.

The Farina family originates from Sardinia and have been here for three generations. They started this farm at the town of Talamone in 1992 and they moved here afterwards.

Luigi Farina is running the farm and he defines himself as as shepherd by passion and vocation and he combines tradition with innovation.
He’s the first shepherd in Italy who has started using a completely electronic system in order to monitor his flocks of sheep and the quality of their milk. Each sheep has a microchip inside its body, which identifies it and which lets the shepherds know its state of health and its production of milk by means of a smartphone. The presence of cells, whose size have increased and changed in the milk of the sheep, are also monitored and an alarm is turned on in case of modified cells. Next, the shepherd can immediately isolate this animal such that its milk doesn’t contaminate the good milk of the healthy sheep. Instead, a shepherd requires at least 3 days in order to discover if a sheep has sick cells, leading to that the milk has already been contaminated. Even though Luigi Farina considered this monitoring a hazard in the beginning, it has paid well off.

Another novelty includes hiring sheep shearers from New Zealand in order to shear sheep in 40 seconds only without restraining them, avoiding that the animals get stressed.

Like at La Selva, the well-being of the animals is of utmost importance for this farm and according to the brother of Luigi Farina, who is an employee at this farm, the sheep have a better life than us.

According to Farina, his objectives are keeping the farm, be self-sufficient and remain autonomous, while making money is of secondary importance.
This farm has an extension of 400 hectares and 60 of them are meadows, about 1300 sheep consisting of three types of sheep:

⦁ lacaune from France, high production of milk
⦁ assaf from Israel, high milk production, low level of casein (reference 1)
⦁ sarda from Sardinia, good production of milk

Sheep’s milk contain about 7% fat, while cow’s milk contain about 3%.
The sheep eat alfalfa , clover in meadows if possible. Instead, they are staying inside enclosures eating fresh hay and a mix of cereals when it’s dry. Naturally, the taste of sheep’s cheese varies in accordance with what they are eating.

The sheep produce milk for their lambs and since they only get one lamb yearly, there are periods where they don’t produce any milk. Anyway, having three races of sheep, it’s possible to extend the milking season somewhat.

The sheep are milked by means of milking machines where two employees milk two groups of sheep at the same time. The sheep enter the building where they are milked twice daily and they enter an enclosure when they are finished. Each milking machine is equipped with a computer which registers which sheep is being milked and how much milk it produces.

Fortunately, there are natural springs providing water for the farm in this area.

The milk is brought to a dairy which is called Frisi di Castel del Piano that Farina has chosen for its particular micro-climate. There, the milk is turned into fresh, semi-ripened and ripened sheep’s cheese. This farm guarantees the quality of its products which are certified by ICEA. The certification of ICEA includes:
- the workers
- the animals
- the social aspects
- the production chain
The Farina family sell the cheeses themselves and transport it to local customers. However, a large part of the production is exported to Germany, but also to Austria, Japan and Iceland.

Farina has installed solar cells near the house of his family and the production of 12 kW provides energy to 30 families.
20/09/2018
Monte Alzato farm

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Near the village of La Torba and in parallel with the Marina of Capalbio, there is the farm and guesthouse of Mauro Pellegrini and his family.

This farm represents a small part of the large farm, which was owned by a family from Maremma until the 1950s when there was the Land Reform acts . Then, a part of the former property of 2000 hectares, which extended from the hills in the distance to the sea, was expropriated by the state and divided into lots amounting to 10-12 hectares with a house on each property. In addition, the land was drained because it was partly covered by marshes and roads were built, connecting them together. The lots were given to former sharecroppers, who were turned into farmers. In return, they had to pay a yearly rent to the state.

Some of them succeeded in tending the land, growing produce, which they were able to sell on open markets, while others sold their properties, leaving agriculture behind. Instead, the family of Mauro bought parts of the surrounding land, extending the area of the farm.

The farm of Mauro is maintaining a long trail of tradition with about 1000 olive trees, growing both fruits and vegetables and raising some cows. Moreover, he has started growing a vegetable, which is specially adapted to this land: the golden onion, which Mauro grows and sells at local markets with ease.

Mauro Pellegrini had already harvested and started sorting the golden onions by size upon our arrival. The largest onions are highly sought after at local markets, supermarkets and the food industry, but the smaller ones are also popular among the locals. The seeds of the onions are bought from big seed companies, ensuring a high quality of the onions and controlling the prices.

The name of this farm, Monte Alzato, is derived from a hill with the same name, clearly visible towards the north upon entering the farm. Instead, the sea is a few hundred metres westwards, easily within reach by bike on straight roads.

The gentle hills covered by Mediterranean maquis constitute a natural barrier against winds from the north-east, while the lowlands, as seen from above, look like a chessboard of vineyards, olive groves, orchards, fields and so on.

Going back a couple of millennia, the Aurelia highway passing the Monte Alzato farm, was called Via Aurelia by the Romans. Even at that time, this land was used to cultivate vineyards, olive trees, cereals, vegetables and fruit trees. In fact, the Romans called this area the Valley of gold. The Romans, being good engineers, and the Etruscans preceding them. reclaimed this land from swamps and wetlands, but after the fall of the Roman empire, the land returned to wetlands until the 1950s.

There are also sources of groundwater in this area, which are used to irrigate the fields.

In addition to the golden onions, durum wheat is grown at this farm and Mauro sells the harvest to the pasta manufacturer Ghigi. Fortunately, the farmers are allowed to keep a part of the harvest as seeds for the next season and durum wheat is highly appreciated by the consumers. Besides, he cultivates barley and clover, which fixes nitrogen. This is very useful since clover is used as fodder for the cattle, while nitrogen acts a fertiliser for the plants. The hay is sold to factories, turning it into haybales, which are used as a substrate for growing mushrooms.

As regards the olive trees, the olives are collected quite early in order to avoid that the olives are destroyed by the olive fruit fly, which is a grave problem. After 15 July about 100 olive samples are collected and sent to a lab for analysis. If there is a limited amount of eggs from the olive fruit fly inside the olives, they are treated with insecticides, but if more than 20% of the olives are attacked, the whole harvest is destroyed. In the former case, the damage done by the fruit flies may be limited, the olives can be harvested and sent to an olive oil press.

Mauro also offered us a ride across the Aurelia highway to some grassy fields near the sea where Maremmana cattle was grazing inside enclosures. This land has been acquired by a society called Sagra, which let the animals roam freely inside enclosures.

In addition to running a farm, Mauro and his family also has a guesthouse, which is very popular among tourists because it’s ideally placed near the sea and the countryside is full of farms where local wines and olive oils are being produced.

20/09/2018
Rustici farm

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I have already been to this farm twice, as described here and here.

Since many activities occur at this farm, it’s necessary to return several times at various times of the year in order to have at least a partial knowledge of the various phases of work and the activities occurring at this farm. This time, it started with watching what happens from when he cows are milked till the milk is turned into various types of cheese. As the other times I’ve been there, the Rustici family have always been very accommodating regarding showing us how they raise their animals, cows and pigs, how they are growing a wide variety of vegetables and how they make cheese.

This time, we could watch the big Friesian cows being milked. Twice a day, at 5 in the morning and 12 hours later, the cows are ready to be milked. First, the cows are queuing in a corridor outside the room where they are going to be milked. Next, a worker opens a door, letting a group of cows enter one side of the room and, when it’s full, another group enters the other side. Finally, the worker closes the door such the other cows just have to wait.

Next, the teats of each cow is washed with a detergent and milking cups are attached to each of them. The milking cups are connected to pumps, which bring the milk to a refrigerated container. At the same time, a computer, with the aid of some sensors, identify each cow and controls the pump in accordance with the capacity of each animal. That is, one cow may require 2 minutes to be milked, while another one may require 3 minutes. Moreover, another sensor measures the activity of each cow’s legs. If they are moving a lot, the cow may be ready for artificial insemination. The computer also records the quantity of milk each cow delivers during its whole life, making it possible to monitor various parameters of the cattle daily over a long time.

The next day we could watch how the milk was turned into dairy products in the farmhouse dairy located a sort distance from the cows. Upon arrival, the dairy workers had already finished making cheese and they were busy producing ricottta meaning recooked in Italian because the milk is cooked twice, the first time for making cheese and the second one for making ricotta. In each case, the milk is heated in a stainless steel container having double walls inside of which tubes let hot water flow freely, heating the remaining whey indirectly to about 38-40°C. We could watch white flakes of curd appearing on the surface of the whey. When there was enough curd on the surface, a dairy worker used a sieve with a handle to lift it up and put it in a perforated plastic basket, letting the remaining whey flow out and letting the ricotta remain.

Next, this procedure was done repeatedly, putting each layer on top of the former one. When one porous basket was full, another one was filled. All the baskets were put on an inclining work table with a hole at the lower end through which the whey could flow through a hose to a container. When the container was full, its contents were pumped into a container on the outside of the building. Next, the whey would be given to the pigs as supplementary feed.

Actually, the dairy workers had started making cheese early in the morning and one of the dairy workers turned perforated plastic cylinders upside down occasionally in order to let the whey escape.

Unbeknown to us, the dairy workers had prepared another container seemingly only containing whey, but in reality containing a large amount of curd below the surface. While one dairy worker was making ricotta, another one took a small amount of curd, formed it into a small ball and compressed it, pressing out the whey. Next, he put a pH sensor inside the ball and when it was 5.0, the curd was ready to be extracted and kneaded. After having pumped out the whey into the container on the outside, he cut loose a large part of the curd with a knife, lifting up on a work table whose surface was curving slightly downwards, having a hole in the centre, and being surrounded by walls of stainless steel. There, the dairy workers started compressing and kneading the curd, getting rid of the whey, which was collected in a container below the table.

Having partially driven out the whey, the blocks of curd were transferred to a big funnel on the top of a machine. After having passed a hole at the base of the funnel, the curd was forced to enter a room where an Archimedean screw was rotating continuously, dividing the curd into small fragments. The dairy workers poured the container with the small fragments into a large bowl, kneading and compressing the fragments before another dairy worker poured water at 90°C on the curd fragments.

Next, he used a wooden tool, looking like an oar, to stir the mixture of hot water and curd into a compact, homogeneous and elastic paste, called pasta filata.

Next, two dairy workers carried the bowl containing the pasta filata to another machine into which they poured the contents of the bowl. There, another Archimedean screw forced the paste to enter a stainless steel roller with holes symmetrically placed across its whole surface. The rotational speed of the Archimedean screw and the roller was set to 14 revolutions per minute in order to make mozzarella shaped like small spheres called bocconcini.

At the same time, water containing some whey, called acqua di governo, where the whey is used to add softness and structure to the mozzarella cheese, was pouring continuously over the roller.

As the roller was rotating, the bocconcini fell down into a small tank containing water with whey, forming small white spheres. Finally, the bocconcini would be packaged together with some of the water in the tank.

Another type of mozzarella called fior di latte is also made at this dairy.

It was a great pleasure to visit this farm, watching able workers do their work seemingly effortless.

19/09/2018
La Selva farm, part II

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I had already visited this farm in March 2009, but being a big farm (about 829 hectares) where many activities are occurring continuously like animal husbandry, organic farming, food preservation, harvesting, sowing, cultivation and selling their finished products, makes it both necessary and worthwhile to return at various seasons in order to get a variety of impressions and getting to know the environmental philosophy of this farm.

Like it has always been, the philosophy of this farm is to collaborate with nature and not exploit it. This results in a rich life both in the soil and on its surface. Even though we can’t see the tiny creatures living in symbiosis with the plants, researchers have identified them by looking at them in microscopes. Anyway, not even soil researchers know much about them, but it’s certain that healthy soil gives healthy plants.

Like many farms practising organic cultivation, this farm also does crop rotation, meaning that they grow different types of crops on the same field like cereals and vegetables. and each cycle lasts 7-8 years. An example: alfalfa is grown 2-3 years in a row, but it’s harvested 2-3 times a year in order to to prevent the transition to flowering which would entail alfalfa seeds falling on the ground. Next, alfalfa may be replace by clover, which enriches the soil by means of nitrogen fixation.

Each cycle of cultivation include using green manure where the remnants of the plants are left to wither on a field so that they serve as a mulch and soil amendment. Moreover, it attenuates the washing out of nutrients from the soil due to heavy winter rains and it isolates the ground somewhat from temperature swings.

This farm raises Chianina cattle for their meat only. Hay mixed with manure from the animals is used as natural fertiliser for cereals whose hay is used as fodder for the animals and covering the ground where they live. The cows live in open air with roofs over their heads and the calves, of which the cows are very protective, stay together with their mothers for some months.

This farm is also using remnants from pruning and cuts from turning their agricultural produce into finished products as compost.

La Selva uses neither pesticides nor insecticides that make the plants vulnerable to attacks by insects like aphids, which can destroy all or parts of the harvest. Therefore, various techniques are being used in order to defend the plants against parasites and diseases. For instance, crop rotation and using compost make the plants less vulnerable to insects and diseases.

Moreover, working together with nature leads to that nature by itself makes the plants more resistant against insects and diseases. For instance, the aphids, which may cause huge damage to crops, may be eaten by predatory ladybirds, which my breed in large numbers if no insecticides are being used. Actually, La Selva is aiding useful insects like ladybirds and others to reproduce themselves. Some other ways of getting rid of aphids are described here.

In order to fight weeds, this farm uses various techniques like stale seedbeds, meaning that a field is prepared as if the farmer wants to cultivate some type of vegetables, but not sowing anything. Next, weeds will start growing in the field. Finally, they can be stopped by means of e.g. flame weeders, which will dry out the weeds or by mechanical means.

Other ways of working with nature include increasing biodiversity by creating and maintaining diverse habitats like leaving the land fallow, setting aside humid zones like ponds and marshes together with forests, amounting to 80 hectares in total.

La Selva also thinks about birds and how to improve their living conditions. Thus, by cooperating with local ornithologists, they have replanted native plants, bushes and trees, giving food and shelter to birds. They, in turn, hunt and eat insects like aphids, which eat the harvest. In addition, lots of birdhouses have been set up such that the birds can lay eggs in protected places. Moreover, by introducing ponds, which are habitats for amphibians and which can absorb a large amount of water in heavy rain and provide water for wildlife.

Piles of wood are left to rot in forests, giving habitat for various insects, while beekeeping ensures that the honeybees pollinate local flowers.

The activities mentioned above have led to that the soil of the farm has become more fertile and the ample biodiversity has decreased insect attacks and diseases caused by fungi.

Animal welfare is very important for La Selva and great emphasis is placed on keeping the animals healthy and avoiding that they are stressed or frightened. Sooner or later, the animals are slaughtered, but their lives should be as good as possible before that.

This farm uses solar cells in order to reduce consumption of electrical energy from the grid.

Water at low pressure and irrigation by means of water droplets are used to water the plants. The soil, which has been irrigated, is covered by a biodegradable cloth to reduce evaporation.

Water, which is taken from a well, is filtered, decalcified and exposed to ultraviolet light in order to finish off harmful bacteria and viruses. In addition, water, which has been used for irrigation, is cleaned by means of phytoremediation.

Last but not least: the workers are treated well. All in all, this should mean that La Selva lives up to the motto of Slow Food: good, clean and fair.

An article about ladybirds can be found here.

18/09/2018
La Parrina farm

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I visited this farm in November 2016 as described here.

La Parrina was founded in 1830, it’s a large farm and it’s necessary to return several times at different times of the year in order to see how they are cultivating, producing, transforming and selling their products in order to get at least a general idea of what they are doing.

Moreover, the manor, which was housing the Giuntini-Spinola family, forms such a large part of the farm that it’s impossible to avoid it. Although it has been converted into a hotel and a restaurant, the furniture, interiors and exteriors seem to be more or less how they were almost 200 years ago. The hotel rooms, which still bear the names of the original owners, the terraces facing the gardens where guests at the restaurant can enjoy their meals, even listening to live music in summer. All this give visitors a sense of history and tradition.

Having returned in September, the harvesting of grapes take place, but also the initial process of turning the must in the grapes into wine. This time, some workers were assembling pumps, hoses and filters to recirculate the must, which had been extracted 2 weeks in advance from this year’s grape harvest. Being a large producer of wine, relatively speaking, the wine cellar had, say, 15-20 stainless steel tanks with a height of about 5 metres and a diameter of about 2 metres, in which the must was being stored.

There was a valve at the base of the tank and a lid on the top. By placing a filter and a container below the valve, and opening the valve, the must flowed out, passing the filter, which let the must pass, while stopping the pomace, consisting of solid parts like the skin of the grapes. At the same time, a pump was pumping the must in the container to the top of the tank where a worker was holding a hose such that it let the must pass through the hole at the top of the tank. In this way, the must was oxygenated, which aids the fermentation of the yeast and by letting the must pass the pomace, it also receives colours and fragrants from the pomace.

Having watched this work, we were invited to taste the must, which would be turned into the white wine Vermentino and the must, which would be transformed into the red wine Muraccio.

Next, the man responsible for the grape harvest offered us a ride to the vineyards, which were full of clusters of blue grapes. The rows of grapevines seemed to stretch to left and right for several hundred meters, while they also extended to the foot of the hills covered with dense Mediterranean maquis, a couple of hundred meters from the beginning of the rows.

The next day we should have been present at the grape harvest of Sangiovese, but it had been raining in the evening and the harvest was postponed. The grapes need to be dry when they are harvested because rainwater will dilute the must. In addition, the grapes need lots of sunlight and heat to mature and fresh nights during which the maturation slows down and the grapes are resting.

This farm has an extension 450 hectares of Mediterranean maquis and 250 hectares of cultivable land. 56 hectares are used for growing grapevines.

We also visited the well-assorted farm shop https://www.parrina.it/en/shop-and-products.htm where a large selection of organic fruit and vegetables grown at the farm are sold.

We finished our stay at La Parrina drinking wine and eating typical dishes of the house on the terrace facing the garden surrounding the former manor, all of us together, teachers and students of the Terramare language school. It was a great pleasure eating together in such august surroundings, reminding us of the atmosphere of times past when the original owners were enjoying an evening outside with their friends and guests.

17/09/2018
Monte Argentario farm and guesthouse

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We visited this farm where one brother, Marco, runs the farm, while the siblings Mara and Maurizio are running the guesthouse.

On an area of about 30 hectares of fertile soil, vineyards of white grapes: Vermentino and Ansonica, and a red one: Sangiovese are located between hills covered by Mediterranean macquis.

Having arrived during the harvest of Vermentino , we could watch Marco driving a tractor very slowly between two rows of vines, while two workers were standing on a carriage mounted at the back of the tractor. As they passed plastic cases full of juicy grapes, the workers put the cases on the carriage in rows and columns.

In the meantime, we walked along a row where workers were busy collecting grape clusters. First, they cut the stem of the cluster with pliers, next they let it fall into a plastic case. They repeated this procedure until the case was full, then they started filling another one.

After some time, the carriage was fully loaded with cases of grapes, meaning it was time to return to the wine cellar next to the traditional farmhouse, which has been turned into a guesthouse.

Having reversed the tractor such that the carriage was located next to a an open metal container with an Archimedean screw at its base. The workers let the grape clusters fall into the container where the Archimedean screw was continually rotating, forcing the grapes to enter a chamber where they were de-stemmed. While the stems were excreted into a box lying below the machine, the grapes were crushed and the juice was pumped into large steel containers in the wine cellar.

Since Vermentino is a white wine, the must is separated from the skin and the seeds in order to avoid extracting the tannins occurring in the solids. Yeast may be added to the must and in the tranquillity of the container a metamorphosis is occurring: the yeast starts the process of fermentation where the sugars in the grapes are turned into alcohol.

When all the cases had been emptied into the machine, the workers would put them back on the carriage and Marco would drive back to the vineyards where the empty cases would be unloaded, while the the full ones would be transported to the machine for de-stemming and crushing.

When the Vermentino harvest would be finished, Marco and the workers would start harvesting Sangiovese. Contrary to production of white wines, the skin and the seeds of red wines are pumped into steel containers together with the must. In this way, the colour pigments and the tannins present in the skin of the grape, are passed to the must.

As regards renewing the grapevines, it’s common to buy them at nurseries. They become productive after about five years and enter their prime when they are 8 years and they keep on producing at a high level at least until they are 20 years old. However, they can be productive for many more years. For instance, a wine farm I visited in Piemonte had vines dating from 1928!

In between some of the rows of grapevines, there were rows of leccino olive trees, all in all about 1000 trees. The row of vineyards and olive trees together with the verdant hills surrounding the fields created a wonderful mix of greens, adding aesthetic value to the fertility of the land.

According to this web site, this is a tradition which has been practised in the Mediterranean region for millennia. The olive trees shelter the vineyards somewhat against wind, but the most important is that as the wine harvest ends in September-October, the olive harvest begins. Thus, the farmer can let the same workers who have been harvesting grapes go on to harvest olives.

This land is rich in sandstone and pebbles, making the soil very suitable for growing grapevines and olive trees because the plants get enough nutrients from the soil and it’s able to absorb large amounts of rain. In addition, between the verdant hills of Argentario and the lagoon, the microclimate is perfect for a sound growth of the plants. They are protected against winds from the south-east because of the surrounding hills, while sea breezes from the north serve to give a well-balanced growth of the grapes.

17/09/2018
“Il forno del porto” bakery and confectionery

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A short distance from the port of the village of Porto Ercole, a family-owned bakery and confectionery with the name of «il forno del porto» meaning «the oven of the port» is located. Inside, artisans are turning ingredients like flour, water, salt and baker’s yeast into various types of bread, pizzza and rolls. Likewise, ingredients like eggs, butter, sugar, flour of both grain and chestnut, various types of Mediterranean herbs and dried fruits are used to make sweets with names like fiorellini, ciambelle, tozzetti, chestnut cake, etc. As regards Italian sweets, they have different names in differing parts of the country. Thus, fiorellini, which look like small cookies may be made in more or less the same way, in, say, Puglia, but they may have a different name.

Arriving about 5 in the morning, the only other living beings we saw on our way from Orbetello to Porto Ercole were some roe deer. Although it was quite cold outside, the two bakers, Luigi and Marco, were wearing shorts and T-shirts because of the heat from the bakery ovens. Anyway, they had already been working for several hours, busily making bakery products which would be shown in the adjacent bakery shop ready for being bought by the locals of this village.

Since the Neolithic Revolution, when man started doing selective breeding of cereals bakers have been making bread. Like always upon entering a craft bakery, artisans are turning out bakery products at high speed, seemingly without getting tired, while at the same time being surrounded by the pleasant smell of dough being turned into bread in a nearby oven, while freshly made breads are being cooled on shelves, baskets, etc. Briefly, it’s always a pleasure to visit an artisan bakery making the food we could hardly do without.

Upon our arrival, Luigi had prepared various metal plates with pieces of flat, round dough, which were called pizzette. He poked some of them with the tips of his fingers, then he spread a layer of tomato purée on top of them.

On other pieces of rectangular dough, he was poking it with his fingertips, creating evenly spread wells on the surface. Then, he applied a layer of olive oil with a pastry brush. Next, he peeled some potatoes and used a food cutter to cut them in flat pieces, which he distributed evenly on top of the dough. On other ones, he put either pieces of onion or anchovies. While preparing various types of pizza and focaccia he regularly had to put pieces of dough in the oven and extract finished bakery products.

At the same time, Marco was making croissants: first he put some dough in a press, which both compressed the dough and cut it into hexagonal shapes. Next, he laid one of the shapes at a time in a dough roller, which first compressed the dough, then, rolled it around, forming some kind of croissant. When all the bits of dough had been compressed and rolled, Luigi put them in a bakery oven and, when they had been baked, he took them out again, made a cut in each one of them and put some sour cream in each cut.

We also watched Marco mix white flour with semolina, sugar, dark and light malt on a scales , make a whole in the mixture and fill it with olive oil. Next, he poured all of it into a kneading machine into which he also poured water and two pieces of wholewheat dough, one dark and one light. Finally, he turned on the machine in order to make dough, which would be used to make whole wheat bread.

I imagine that whole wheat bread come from northern Europe because it was nearly impossible t find it only a few years ago, while white bread was available everywhere.

Not surprisingly, Marco and Luigi also find it difficult to bake in high humidity. It seems like all artisan bakers just have to try whatever works in such conditions, while they can do it easily when it’s dry.

Approaching 7 in the morning, Marco and Luigi were about to finish a night’s work, meaning that we left, but we should come back around 10 when Sabina, the wife of Luigi, would be making sweets. In fact, upon our arrival she was making a cake consisting of two layers of dough separated by a layer of sour cream. Next, she applied Nutella on top of the upper layer of dough and spread it evenly across the whole surface. Then, she rolled the layers, ending up with a layer cake, which she called a trunk.

Like the bakers, Sabrina also used the dough roller frequently in order to compress the dough and make it flat. Afterwards, she laid the dough on a bench and put a circular disk on top of it. Next, she led a wheel roller cutter along the stencil, forming circular pieces of dough. Then, using a toothed roller, she made small depressions in the dough. Finally, she put each piece of dough in a round metal shape

Afterward, she mixed ricotta from a local dairy, called Caseificio Sociale Manciano, with eggs, sugar, red wine and chocolate pellets. After having mixed all the ingredients thoroughly, she put the mix on the circular-shaped pieces of dough, using a spatula to spread it evenly across the surface of each one. Actually, it would take one more day to finish this cake, but she let us see the final result, a delicious-looking cake covered by powdered sugar and chocolate powder.

Before we left, Sabina told us that instead of formal education, she has taken some confectionery courses on how to select the most suitable and fresh ingredients, how to combine them and turn them into cakes, pastries and biscuits, how to apply liquids, etc. Anyway, she has mostly learnt by being passionate about her work and by learning on her own.

12/11/2016
La Parrina farm

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The La Parrina farm was founded in 1830 by the Florentine banker Michele Giuntini when a large part of Maremma was covered by marshes and malaria was one of the principal causes of death among the locals. Labourers didn’t have any rights at all and all the farms practised sharecropping. This situation continued until 1950 when there was an agrarian reform in Italy. Then, the State expropriated two thirds of the property of the Giuntini family in order to give it to sharecroppers who were turned into owners of small pieces of land, while the property of the Giuntini family was reduced from 1800 to 600 hectares.

Anyway, about 185 years after its foundation, la Parrina has become a large farm, relatively speaking, with a wide range of agricultural products. Thus, our visit in November allows just a snapshot of the wide range of activities which take place at this farm. In order to get a deeper understanding of what’s happening, it would be necessary to visit at various times from seeding to growing to harvesting.

First, our guide Massimiliano showed us the wine cellar where must was slowly turning into wine in big contaiers of concrete and stainless steel. Next, we entered a room where lots of oak barrels containing wine were stored. In this way, flavours of the oak will get mixed with the wine. The wines, which are made at La Parrina, were also exhibited in the same room:

Various white wines, all of them being DOC or IGT, but they aren’t organic. However, integrated farming is practised at this farm, meaning a low environmental impact such that use of fertilisers and pesticides is kept to a minimum..

Naturally, we went to the farm shop where all the products of this farm are on sale: fresh sheep’s cheese, sheep’s cheese with or without herbs which has been ripened. Goat’s cheese, cow’s cheese, fresh ricotta cheese and yogurt , various types of pasta and bread, jams, wines, vinegar , sweets and cosmetics derived from plants grown on the farm. At the start of our visit, we were served a selection of wines together with various cheeses, a delicious experience. During the tasting, our guide Massimiliano talked about how mixing various types of grapes gives a particular wine and how milk is turned into cheese. Next, we got a taste of olive oil and bread, both of them originating from this farm. Moreover, there many other types of food and drink like flour, grappa, meat, honey, sour cream, peach nectar and fruit preserves. An elaborate article about preserving apples can be found here.

In order to complete our visit, we also paid a visit to the animals of the farm. A roost contained a wide variety of poultry, mainly various types of chicken like Ancona chicken and Millefiori di Lonigo, but also turkeys. Next, we arrived at a pond where geese were honkng and ducks were swimming. After having passed various orchards and vineyards, we arrived at an area where cows, goats and sheep were kept in separate pens.

We rounded off our visit by going to the hotel, situated in the manor, which was built in the 1830s. In the same building, there was a restaurant and an adjacent garden where one can have dinner below ancient linden trees and where bands are playing classical and other types of music in summer.

11/11/2016
Rosati Cesare farm

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The day after we visited the dairy cooperative Caseificio Sociale Manciano, it was only natural to visit one of the sheep farmers who deliver milk to the dairy. Actually, the sheep’s milk from this farm is used to produce a sheep’s cheese with the additional label «Amici di cuore», meaning «heart’s friends».

In fact, the sheep are fed a mixture of soya bean pellets, mixed with seeds of flax and olive oil all of which has been determined by researchers at the University of Pisa.

Upon our arrival, we could see a flock of about 300 sheep grazing inside a pen, while there was a group of lambs just weaned and a group of sheep which was about to bear lambs inside a barn. Shortly after we had arrived, the son of Cesare opened a gate in the pen such that the sheep could go back to the barn and wait to be milked. However, he also had to prepare feed for them. He mixed soybean pellets, seeds of flax and olive oil in a concrete mixer, letting it mix the ingredients continuously for some time. When the mixture was ready, he emptied the contents of the concrete mixer in a wheelbarrow and brought it to the barn.

Next, his father Cesare poured parts of the feed in a trough, while the sheep were ready to enter, pushing a door leading to the trough and bleating at the same time. When everything was ready, he opened the door, letting in 8 sheep at a time, each of which found a place in a metal structure which was attached to the trough. Having locked the structure, the sheep were free to eat, but were not able to leave. Next, two groups of 8 sheep entered other parts of the metal structure such that 24 sheep were ready to be milked at a time. Then, he mounted teat cups to 8 sheep at a time and used a milking machine to milk the sheep. Thereafter, he milked the two other groups of sheep. Finally, when all of them had been milked, he released them from the metal structure and opened another door such that the sheep could go out. Then, he opened the first door, letting another group of 8 sheep enter. He would have to repeat this procedure with all the sheep twice a day. It’s impressive that somebody is willing to do this work daily for years, then passing it on to their children.

This farm has 30 hectares where cereals are being cultivated in order to produce feed for the sheep. Most of the sheep of the Rosati family are of the breed Comisana originating from Sicily, while the rest is a Sardinian breed. Although they are healthy, they are vaccinated against diseases by a vet. The wool of the sheep is sheared yearly in May by travelling workers who arrive at the farms to shear sheep.

It’s been a great pleasure to meet somebody who contributes to giving us our food and who treats their animals well.

08/11/2016
Dairy cooperative «Caseificio Sociale Manciano»

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Certainly, when people started migrating from the Middle East about 10.000 years ago, they brought domestic animals like cows, goats and sheep with them, meaning that the people who arrived at the Italian peninsula had the same type of domestic animals. Some mllennia later, the Romans arrived and their economy was always based on agriculture and animals husbandry and this continued until about 1900. With dry and hot summers and cold winters, sheep were well adapted to live in Tuscany, while life was more difficult for cows. When 21 sheep farmers founded the dairy cooperative Caseificio Sociale Manciano, they certainly brought along ancient traditions. Initially, the dairy was in Manciano, but it was moved to its present location in the 1990s because the dairy couldn’t expand where it was.

At maximum, there were 600 members in the cooperative, but now there are 150. Before, there were many small producers with 20-30 sheep and 2-3 cows, while nowadays they have at least 200 animals. The farms are increasing because sometimes the children of the farmers don’t want to be farmers themselves, there are many rules which have to be followed, wolves are attacking sheep, the price of milk is ridiculously low and even more causes leading to that small farms are disappearing.

I entered the dairy with a guide who showed me how cheese is made at this dairy. In fact, how to make cheese is the same for a shepherd with a flock of sheep and who makes cheese outside and a modern dairy. The differences consist of: the shepherd filters the milk by pouring it through a cloth into a bucket, while tank trucks bring milk from surrounding farms to the dairy where it is stored in big steel containers, then parts of the milk are subject to chemical and microbiological analyses in order to assure maximum quality and dietary security, the shepherd starts making cheese at once, while here the milk is pasteurised at 70°C, the shepherd collects cheese mass by hand and hangs it up by means of a piece of porous cloth, while here pieces of cheese mass is laid in porous plastic containers, the shepherd stores the cheeses on wooden shelves, while here cheeses are stored on shelves of steel in a large room at low temperature and high humiidty. The shepherd doesn’t package his cheeses, while here they are cleaned, packaged, weighed and labelled.

However, the similarities consist of heating the milk to about 38°C, adding rennet , that is lactic acid bacteria, in order to let the milk coagulate, wait about half an hour in order to let the milk turn into curd, divide it into small pieces, extract the fat parts from the liquid part which is called whey , store the fat parts or cheese mass in porous containers and compressing the cheese to press out whey, next let the whey get out by means of gravitation, adding salt in order to kill dangerous bacteria and turn the cheeses around in order to expel more whey.

During our visit, we could observe a woman who turned around containers with cheese incredibly fast. When she had turned all of them around, she put a lid on the metal container in which all the cheeses had been laid and filled it with vapour in order to get rid of whey. This operation has to be done 3-4 times and, according to my guide, it’s a delicate and difficult task. Obviously, there are still operations which are done better manually than by machine.

Regarding adding salt, the cheeses are submerged in salt water.

This dairy produces, among others, two sheep’s cheeses called Pecorino Toscano DOC, which is aged for at least 20 days, and Pecorino Toscano DOC Stagionato, which is aged for at least 120 days. A particular sheep’s cheese is called Pecorino Briaco, which after a short time of aging, is totally immersed in pomace or marc inside special types of containers for 20 to 30 days. This operation ensures that the fragrance of the marc is given to the cheese.

This dairy also makes a particular type of Pecorino Toscano DOC with the additional label «Amici di cuore» meaning «heart’s friends» because people who eat it, will, in general get a lower level of cholesterol. This is obtained in collaboration with scientists from the University of Pisa who have composed a mixture of soya beans, seeds of flax and olive oil. Specifically, when sheep eat a mixture of these ingredients, their milk contains more unsaturated fat and less saturated fat, which are harmful for people with high levelsof cholesterol.

This dairy has also carried out a programme for lowering their emissions of carbon dioxide in order to minimise their contribution to the greenhouse effect.

07/11/2016
Olive oil mill of Arienti Elia

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Surprisingly, in the heart of the small historic centre of Orbetello, which looks like a place where «everyone» is drinking coffee with their friends at sidewalk cafes, there is an olive oil mill using millstones. In fact, although it is located inside a rather imposing brick building, it’s so unassuming that one can easily walk past without noticing that there is an artisan and long-lasting olive oil mill inside. However, being attentive, it’s possible to see a small sign with the text: «Frantoio Arienti di Arienti Elia», else it’s anonymous. Anyway, during the olive harvest season, it’s possible to hear machines at work, while walking past the olive oil mill.

Upon entering this olive oil mill, it’s highly probable that you will meet the owner Elia Ariente, a man who is 73 years old and who could have been a pensioner, but prefers to go on working. He told me that this enterprise was founded in 1918 by his grandfather who bought this building at the same time. He continued running this place until his son Luigi took over, who also ran it for many years before leaving it to his son Elia. The commune of Orbetello accepts that this olive oil mill contiunes operating, but when Elia becomes a pensioner, it has to move out of the city centre.

Interestingly, this olive oil mill is using two old millstones, making it possible to watch olives being crushed like it has been done for ages except that the millstones were being turned by a mule or an ox. Instead, most olive oil mills use machines that crush olives inside a closed chamber. Being a small company, the owner receives his customers personally and he puts their harvests in special boxes if the producers have put their olives in other types.

When the millstones were ready, the owner and a worker would pour the contents of the boxes into a large metal bowl below the continuously rotating millstones. When all the boxes of a client had been emptied into the bowl, they closed a grille as a protection against injury. Then, the olives were gradually crushed, leaving a pulp in the bowl. Simultaneously, the drupes inside the olives were also crushed because they contain some olive oil. While the millstones were rotating, Elia made me notice a hole in the wall, which had to be made 32 years ago when he had bought a larger olive press. After all the olives had been turned into paste, two workers stopped the millstones and opened a lid at the base of the bowl such that parts of the paste fell down into another box. Then, they pumped the paste onto a slowly rotating metal disk such that the paste was spread evenly on the disk. Next, they placed the disk, which had a large hole in the centre on a wide, vertical metal pole which was mounted on a small cart. Next, they placed a disk with some kind of fibre on top of the metal disk. Thereafter, they repeated this procedure until the disks were reaching almost to the top of the metal pole.

Next, they pushed the cart into a press where all the disks with olive paste in between were compressed at the same time until an oily liquid was forced to flow out of the paste. Then, a pump would pump the liquid into a centrifuge whose purpose was to separate water and olive oil. Finally, the owner poured the fresh olive oil into metal containers, closed them and gave them to the producer who followed the extraction of the olives attentively. After having paid the owner, they left, while new ones kept arriving.

When the compression was finished, the workers released the pile of disks and lifted them up one by one. The paste had been turned into solid disks and they were thrown back into the olive press in order to be crushed once more by the millstones.

Before, there were olive oil mills at the railway station of Orbetello, at Porto Ercole and at Porto Santo Stefano, but gradually they all closed down. According to Elia, it requires a great deal of passion to maintain and run an olive oil mill and be responsible for all expenses, including salaries of the workers.

Regarding quality and price of the olive oil, they are similar to those from modern olive oil mills, according to Elia. One reason may be that he has gradually paid off all his loans during many years, while modern olive oil presses have invested in expensive machinery, whuch requires a long time to pay off their loans.

05/11/2016