Life on a Tuscan Farm

What do we do here all winter? Get things DONE! Spannocchia has long been home to an impressive collection of Etruscan artifacts, as the Etruscan Foundation called the farm home for many years. The Museo, just over the limonaia, has housed a good deal of these archeological finds for some time now, both on display and in storage. This winter, we’ve finally found time to organize the space a bit, moving artifacts to a secure and permanent home, and freeing up the space for use as an event and meeting area for programs, guests and interns. A special Thank You to volunteer Petra for all her hard work in helping get this project done!

A presto…

There’s a new addition to the Spannocchia family! Erin, Ben and all of us here at the farm are pleased to welcome Charlotte Cinelli Slayton, born January 15, 2010 at 7:49am to the world! Mom, Dad and baby are all doing fantastic in Maine and can’t wait to introduce young Charlotte to the Spannocchia crew as soon as possible.

Enjoy the photos and a presto…

It’s been over a month since the fall group of interns has left and how time has flown. Things have been especially joyous on the farm this winter with TWO impressive snow falls, the birth of a baby calf, Christmas celebrations, a raucous New Year’s and 50th Birthday Celebration (Tuscan folk dancing included) and, of course, the introduction of our winter crew of volunteers. Cesco, Karla, Peter and Petra have settled in beautifully and have been busy feeding and fixing, mapping and butchering. It looks to be a productive winter in so many respects. We are thrilled to have them here.

Aguri ed a presto!!!

We, like everyone near-ish to the Atlantic it seems, got dumped on this weekend! And it’s gorgeous. We’ll let the pictures do the talking!

Next up, our team of winter volunteers gets introduced to the blog world. Exciting!

A presto…

As the first snow falls here at Spannocchia and the fall officially leaves us, it’s time to say our final goodbye to what was a fantastic group of interns this past season. Amber, Chris, Colin, Liz, Lila, Seth, Sage and Toby worked together beautifully, which was a great thing given how much time was spent harvesting everything there was to harvest as a group this season. Their diverse interests and expertise seemed to bring them closer together, each learning from the other, thinking about things differently, gaining new interests. We will miss the ‘Meat Boys’, Chris and Toby, discussing the best way to make a ragu or roast a shoulder, Liz’s dress pants and Seth’s shorts, Colin’s amazing breakfast (and dessert and snack…) pastries, Amber’s undying affection for all Spannocchia ‘pets’, Sage’s yoga and laugh and Lila’s love of music and dance. As we settle into our winter routine here, we will think of their energy and positivity often. Hurry back, everyone! And now, some pics for the road: