Podere Campriano, 53018 Sovicille, SI. Our organic farm, started in 1980, is situated in the Sienese hills. We have 150 Sardinian milk sheep which are kept in pasture except during the coldest months. We make various cheeses in our dairy - fresh pecorino, seasoned pecorino, ricotta and other types of cheese (but not during the winter). We can accommodate one WWOOFer in own room. Our meals are varied but we don't always manage to be self-sufficient, even although we have a vegetable garden. Please note that we live in a very isolated place. Length of stays by arrangement, but prefer stays of at least 2 weeks. The time w need most help is from January to May when we are making cheeses. English and French spoken. Contact: Claudio and Maddelena Cavazzoni.
So after confirming the dates with Maddelena and Claudio Cavazzoni, I prepared myself to venture into the unknown!
09/07/2011
Having spent a wonderful 5 days with the Hannelly’s in “The Temple”, a villa in the countryside near Padova, we all travelled to Florence by train for the day and I would then depart to Siena.
I left Florence (albeit a little apprehensively- what would they be like/ how isolated is “isolated”, what if I never returned!!!!! – too many Midsomer Murders watched on TV) in the train bound for Siena on Saturday afternoon, arriving at 7.45pm. I rang Claudio and he and Maddelena drove to collect me from the Siena train station. I was pleased as I didn’t particularly want to catch the bus into Piazza Gramsci as it was all a bit too difficult. My immediate reaction upon meeting them was positive. I think they are going to be a lovely family. Maddelena is 57 years and Claudio is 60. They moved from Milano 30 years ago onto their farm. They had a herd of goats first, and then changed to Sardinian milk sheep. We drove to the City Centre- Piazza Gramsci- and parked and walked down through the streets to the main Piazza. I had a slice of pizza for dinner. It is beautiful. The main square has an amazing clock tower and slopes down to that building. There are restaurants all around the top sides of the square. I had missed the annual horse race by one week- it would have been amazing to see it as they cover the whole area with dirt and race bareback around it a few times. We bought gelato- I had Raspberry and Tiramisu and then sat by the fountain and watched the crowds. It is all so clean and well restored and looked after- it’s beautiful. The drive home took about half an hour- up into the hills past Rosia, a town of about 2000. It was very dark as we climbed higher into the hills- where was I heading to?!!!It was nearly midnight by the time we got home so we went to bed. I am sleeping in one of the son’s bedrooms, Daniele, he doesn’t live at home.
Day One (Sunday 10/07/2011)
I awoke at 6am because Maddelena was going to work and I was to go and help Claudio with the sheep. Breakfast was a chocolate tart and coffee. Little unusual, but I hadn’t yet found my way around the kitchen, but could make a delicious Italian coffee.Day One (Sunday 10/07/2011)
I walked to the dairy and milking the 150 Sardinian milk sheep had finished. We then took the sheep down to the bottom pasture with the 3 big dogs that stay with the sheep to protect them from predators. That will be my job from now on. We came back and I was shown how to sweep the dairy.
Claudio then showed me what and where to feed and water the chickens, donkey and sheep that are by the shed.
I then picked some beautiful fresh green beans and did some weeding in the vegetable garden.
I read a magazine and then Claudio and Mateo (older son) cooked pasta for lunch with some local red wine to drink. Mateo spent one year in Australia, so it was interesting to talk to him.
Coffee; then siesta.
After siesta, I went with Claudio to take sheep to the woods then feed the young ewes that live in a small paddock by the shed.
Dinner was out under the pergola. A delicious beef stew and couscous with the beans I had picked mixed with some cooked potatoes and olive oil. We had some more red wine, it’s yummy! Claudio buys the red wine from a neighbour friend. It comes in enormous glass bottles covered by a wicker basket to protect it. He then decants into smaller bottles as needed. Wine is drunk at lunch and dinner!!! That certainly suited me as it was delicious!!!! Certainly a good medicinal for siesta and sleep at night!!!
Matea’s girlfriend, an American girl, Heather, came for dinner so it was nice to speak English again, without really thinking. She had WWOOFed here in August and now has a job in Rosia with the Agritourism. It seems a big business in Italy.
Bed at 11pm.
Day Two (Monday 11/07/2011)
I was awake at 6.30 but fell back to sleep, got up at 6.45 put my coffee on to brew and heard the sheep bells coming down the track! I was meant to be out at 7am to walk the sheep down to their paddock! It was just 7am, so coffee and breakfast had to wait.
After I left the sheep in the field I walked back to feed the chickens, the donkey and the other sheep.
Claudio and Veronica (neighbour) were making cheese. I watched the whole process and gave some help where it was needed. 5 days milk had been collected. They were only making cheese twice a week now as the milking had been reduced to once a day instead of twice and the milk production had lessened as summer progressed.
They made 2 lots of Pecorino, one fresh and the other to be matured. They made ricotta, Ravigiollo, a typically Tuscan cheese and Tomino. The different cheeses were heated to different temperatures and put into different white plastic containers with holes in them and then sat in a huge stainless steel sloping tray to drain the whey out of the cheese. The whey from the pecorino was then collected to make the ricotta with more milk. It was heated in a huge stainless steel pot to 65 deg.F.
It was a fascinating experience and just what I came to Tuscany to see.
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| Pecorino Cheese |
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| Ravigiollo Cheese |
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| Fresh Ricotta - the BEST |
Claudio tested the Ph and it was good. The ricotta, tomino and ravigiollo were put in the cool room while the two pecorinos were turned twice in their containers.
In the afternoon after siesta which is a wonderful Italian custom, I fed the chickens, sheep and donkey and took the milking sheep to the woods for the evening.Dinner under the pergola was delicious, and we were treated to a wonderful display of fireflies which I had never seen before. There were hundreds and it was quite spectacular.
Day Three (Tuesday 12/07/2011)
I took the sheep after milking down to the field and stayed with them until 10 am because they were coming home too early to the shed and not eating enough. It was going to be a very hot day so the sheep were ready to come home by then. I cleaned out the wood shed and stacked the wood neatly. Lunch was pasta with a delicious tomato sauce. Every lunch is usually pasta, rice salad and vegetables from the garden. All produce is organically grown with no pesticides or herbicides.
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| Pristine secluded lake where we swam |
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| NO SWIMMING- Whoops!! Sorry!!! |
After we bought the groceries in Rosia we came home and I watered the garden and collected the eggs.
Dinner again was under the pergola as it was so hot during the day.
Going to bed is usually quite late after I check my emails and read- about 11.30.
Day Four (Wednesday 12/07/2011)
Fed the animals after siesta and watered the flowers in the evening. It was my turn to cook dinner so I made ratatouille and Claudio cooked three beautiful fish. We ate at 8.30 when Maddelena got home from work at Spannocchia- an Agritourism hotel and farm that makes beautiful salami, pancetta and prosciutto. They have many WWOOFERs working there throughout the year.
A Spanish man 35 years old, has come to see the farm to see how it operates and consider taking on the sheep and cheese making when Claudio retires. He and Maddelena have bought on old stable about 3kms away and have renovated to live in when they retire. This could be sooner rather than later as neither of their sons is interested in staying on at the farm. Claudio and Maddelena have lived here for 30 years but do not own the farm. It is owned by the government and they rent it. They have done an amazing job since they have lived here, they are nearly organically self-sufficient and have restored the house to a wonderful state (with help from the government- as owners) but the govt. will not sell the farm to them and it seems such a shame as they have done so much. They are now looking for someone to take over, but Claudio has said that many people have come and looked, but as it is quite isolated, it is not always attractive to the young people. Their two sons, Matea 29 years and Daniele 25 years are not interested in carrying on the business. The business is run very well and they produce an excellent quality pecorino, ricotta, tomino and ravigiollo (typical to this region of Tuscany).Today I took the sheep to the field and then came back to help in the garden- pruning and weeding. In the evening as usual I fed all the animals and watered the garden. Dinner was down under the pergola. We had a Tuscan risotto that also had some wheat in it. Of course there was plenty of red wine- Claudio buys large quantities from a friend, so we always have some at lunch and dinner. Maybe that’s why siesta is so good!!
Day Six (Friday 15/07/2011)
After taking the sheep to the field, I came back to help with the cheese making. I was given the opportunity to make the ravigiollo and the tomino. I had to put scoopfuls of the set curd into plastic containers with holes to allow the whey to run out. I was quite nervous; making sure each one had the same amount in the container. After that, Xavier (Spanish guy) and I had to press the fresh pecorino firmly into the plastic containers. Cheese making is a fascinating process and one that takes years to perfect. I feel honoured that I have been able to have an opportunity to be involved with the whole process. I did my usual evening chores and we had ravioli for dinner.
Day Seven (Saturday 16/07/2011)After taking the sheep to the field, I came back to help with the cheese making. I was given the opportunity to make the ravigiollo and the tomino. I had to put scoopfuls of the set curd into plastic containers with holes to allow the whey to run out. I was quite nervous; making sure each one had the same amount in the container. After that, Xavier (Spanish guy) and I had to press the fresh pecorino firmly into the plastic containers. Cheese making is a fascinating process and one that takes years to perfect. I feel honoured that I have been able to have an opportunity to be involved with the whole process. I did my usual evening chores and we had ravioli for dinner.
After taking the sheep to the field, I came back to attack the blackberry that was growing through the rosemary bushes. It grows everywhere here and as they are organic they don’t use any herbicides or pesticides to kill the bugs or weeds. It was a lovely morning and the sun had not been up for very long- so armed with thick gloves and secateurs, I set out to attack. I came away satisfied with my efforts and virtually unscathed apart from a few scratches on my bare legs.
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| Maddelena and Claudio at their cheese stall at Sovicille Organic |
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| Sovicille Market Place |
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| Cooking lasagne in a box! |
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| Spannocchia salami. proscuitto and pancetta. Friendly vigneron in background who sold very nice Rose! |
I bought some pesto, sun-dried tomato and artichoke sauces to take back to Turkey. I also bought a necklace made out of buttons. For dinner that night I bought some freshly baked spelt bread and a bottle of Rose. I had become quite good friends with the wine seller by the end of the afternoon and as he was right next to the goats cheese stall, and they are all friends with Claudio, I had a few samples of the wine and the goat’s cheese! Both complimented each other very well.
I stayed to help Claudio pack up his van to come home. He had quite a successful day. I was pleased to see it set up as tomorrow I will be accompanying him to the Florence Organic Farmer’s Market.
Day Eight (Sunday 17/07/2011)
I rose early, only to find that Claudio had already packed the whole van ready to head to Florence. It was going to be a hot day, but I was looking forward to driving through the Tuscan countryside, soaking up the scenery. It is very dry here at the moment which is typical for the summer. We drove through the narrow streets to the market square where we set up the large green and white Italian market umbrella, tables and the display cases for the cheeses. We had for sale; ricotta, tomino, ravigiollo, fresh pecorino, one month and two month aged pecorino. As we were setting up the queue of eager customers began to grow, all waiting for the fresh ricotta! You had to be there early if you wanted it!
The evening before, Maddelena and I had picked many fresh figs from their enormous tree and we had laid out the best ones on fresh fig leaves to sell at the market. The others we kept to make some divine fig jam- some I borough back to Istanbul.
Maddelena had also been saving the organic eggs and these were sold alongside the fresh figs. Both were very popular and sold quite quickly. We could have sold many more, but the ladder only went so high up the fig tree and I was a little nervous to pick the very high ones- didn’t want to fall!
The day at the market was hot, but quite busy; I made a few sales one my own when Claudio went to chat with his many friends who also had stalls at the market.
We were entertained by two old hobos who sat by the fountain all day playing music on their stereo. They were often asking people to buy them coffee. I had some time to wander around the market to see all the different things that were for sale. It is amazing how big the organic business is in Italy. The stallholders are meant to remain until 7pm but Claudio has an agreement to leave at 1.30 because he has animals to tend to so we packed up and left at about 2pm. We sold all the ricotta, ravigiollo and tomino and quite a lot of the various pecorinos, so Claudio was pleased.
On the way out of Florence I was able to stop and take a photo of the Ponte Vecchio from the other side of the river to where I had previously been in Florence.
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| Making a sale at Florence Organic Farmers Market |
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| Our day's entertainment! |
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| Crowds at the market |
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| View of Ponte Vecchio as we left Florence |
The trip home was hot. I took photos of the countryside, round straw bales in the fields, sunflowers showing their faces and villas high in the hills.
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| Round bales in Tuscan fields |
I took the sheep to field as usual after milking. The inspector was coming today so I was to stay away from the dairy as I am not qualified really to be in there. I cleaned out the pump shed and another room in the stables, something that Claudio had not got time to do.
Maddelena and I then went to the house that she and Claudio have been renovating for the past 2 years. They plan to retire there. It was an old stable and they have done an amazing job. It is nearly ready to be lived in. We went to do some cleaning after the builders had put in the kitchen, bathroom and painted. They have to find someone to run their sheep farm first- the govt will not sell it t them which is ludicrous- if not then it will be left to go to ruin- it all seems so stupid when there is someone willing to look after the house and land.
That night for diner we had delicious farm raised milk-fed lamb, it was absolutely beautiful- cooked on a bed of rosemary and garlic. Maddelena had also made a fig tart for dinner- it was delicious.
Day 10 (19/07/2011)
After taking the sheep to the field and staying with them for a while, I came back and was given the job to put the Tomino cheese into the little plastic containers- making sure each had the same amount. This was to be taken the next day to two very good restaurants in Siena that Claudio sells his cheeses to. Hope I got it right!!!!
Late in the afternoon I went with Maddelena to her Tai Chi class. A group gathers weekly and their teacher is a lovely 62year old Australian woman, Jennifer, who has lived in the area for 30 years. Maddelena has been doing Tai Chi for 16 years. I participated in the lesson which was great fun, but Jennifer told me I had to be “less Kung Fu, keeping all the energy in, not letting it go!!!!” so the next lesson I tried to be a little calmer and not as exaggerated in my movements!!!! I did enjoy it though and one day may pursue it further.
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| Dinner with friends to celebrate Jennifer's (3rd from right) birthday after Tai Chi |
Day 11 (20/07/2011)
Maddelena had a meeting to attend in a community village hall in Torri this afternoon, so I went with her to explore a couple of the villages on foot. Torri and Stigliano are two quaint villages about 2kms apart set into the hillside. Stigliano is not walled bit all the stone houses seem to be built around the central church and square so it gives the appearance of being a walled village. From the park there is a wonderful view of Siena. We went into Rosia afterwards and I bought a large red camellia for Claudio and Maddelena to thank them and to remember me! I had emptied a huge terracotta pot the week before and planted the camellia when we got home.
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| View to Siena on the far horizon from Stigliano |
Taking the sheep to the field this morning, I realised my time here was coming to an end. I have loved walking the sheep down the steep cobbled road, through the soft green oak wood with the filtered morning light shining through, each morning. 6 sheep have a bell strapped to their necks so they can be heard in the woods or found in the different tree bordered fields. The bells make a delightful tinkle and they walk and graze. It has given me time to reflect on my childhood days on the farm and to think often of my parents and their love of the land. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the fast pace of life and this has given me the chance to slow down and really appreciate the simple things that nature and the land has to offer.
Eating seasonally, from the vegetable garden and the farm produce, is something that has really made a great impression. Every time I walked into the kitchen I would comment to Maddelena on the beautiful smells coming from the “Tuscan“ kitchen and her reply was always “If you have good fresh produce from the garden it has to be good.” It is so true. Sun-ripened, organic and freshly picked! Nothing better!
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| Some of the wonderful vegetables picked from the garden |
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| View to the house through veg. garden |
I then went with Maddelena to Spannocchia where she works 5 days in a week as the receptionist.
Tenuta di Spannocchia, 53102 Chiusdino, SI. www.spannocchia.org The Fattoria di Spannocchia is comprised of 435 hectares situated within a nature reserve in the area of Montagnola Senese, 22 km from Siena. The main building (mediaeval tower, villa and farm) hosts American academic and tour groups who study art, architecture, Italian, literature etc. Other houses on the farm are used for agritourism purposes. The most important produce include wood, meat/salami, wine, olive oil, vegetables and cereals, and volunteers are involved in various tasks in different areas, depending on the season. Our food is primarily organic and from our own produce, as much as possible. In all seasons except winter, WWOOFers eat with the 8 interns (here for three months at a time) for breakfast and lunch and have typical Tuscan dinners with other guests and Spannocchian families. There is a strong sense of community felt by residents, interns and guests. We take great care to respect the environment, to preserve the landscape and to limit the use of natural resources. Our agriculture is diversified and respects not only the earth but the animals we raise. English spoken.
I had the day to explore and in the afternoon I went for a long walk with Matea and Heather, down a long, steep wooded hill to the river where there is a mediaeval bridge that crosses it. It was used in WW2 by the Germans to cross tanks! Amazing, the strength of it. Spannocchia housed German soldiers during that time. The climb back up the hill was quite strenuous. Luckily for me Matea wanted to take the occasional rest, I didn’t want to appear to be the most unfit of the three of us. Ifound a very strong stick that was very useful on the steep slippery climb! |
| Spannocchia 11th century mediaeval tower. Other buildings added at a later time |
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| Spannocchia |
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| View from the tower- bell added later than 11 cent. |
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| View down drive from tower |
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| Looking down on vegetable garden |
That night we met Claudio and went for pizza in Sovicille. Delicious!
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| Medieval bridge |
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| Under the bridge |
Day 13 (22/07/2011)
My last day! In the morning Claudio, Xavier and I went to Sovicille where Claudio rents a “cave” to season his pecorino cheeses for anywhere up to 6 months. It’s underground beneath an old house in the square where the markets are held. It is very cool, keeping a constant temperature, which is essential for the maturation process. I held the light while the two men carefully turned each of the 150 cheeses and then restacked then in their crates. I know appreciate why good cheese is expensive, the time, labour and love that goes into getting a mature cheese to the selling point is priceless, really.
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| In the cave- some of the many maturing cheeses |
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| The magnificent local marble sink in the kitchen- took 4 men to get it there. |
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| Taking the sheep down to the field on the cobbled road |
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| GOing throught he woods |
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| Milking just finished |
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| Guard dog for sheep- enormous |
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| one of the many family dinners under the pergola l to r Matea, Maddelena, Daniela, girlfriend, Claudio |
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| House from below the garden wall |
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| I called her Jenny |
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| organic eggs |
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| Maddelena's fig tart |
Day 14 (23/07/2011)
Saying goodbye to Maddelena was very sad. I have enjoyed my time here immensely I will go back to visit one day I hope. Maybe she will come to Istanbul for a visit also. Claudio had a Farmer’s Market in Colle val d’Elsa today so I accompanied him there, helped him set up, had a cappuccino and then went to explore the oldest part of the town. The market square is down the bottom of a steep hill and the older part of the town is set high up on the hill. Another test of my fitness! After having a lovely stroll through the old town, I bought a bus ticket to Siena.
Saying farewell to Claudio was also sad. I have learnt such a lot about the cheese making process and sheep husbandry. I have been exceptionally lucky to have had the opportunity to work on such a wonderful farm with such a truly delightful family. I will miss them both very much. Claudio gave me a 2 month pecorino to take home to Istanbul. I will have to eat it very slowly to make the memories last!!!!
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