Life on a Tuscan Farm

The second half of July at Spannocchia has been filled with creativity. We have had two new groups staying on the property, one doing organic paper and bookmaking and the other doing ceramics. Both have produced an amazing amount of work, and they are looking forward to the all-night wood kiln firing coming up this weekend! Even the bookmaking group was able to get their hands on some clay and made book covers that will be fired as well. Check out these photos from the bookmaking art show last night and the pre-fired pottery creations. A presto!

An article by Portland State University Geography Professor Tom Harvey appeared in the online scholarly journal Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built and Natural Environments. The article entitled “Siena & Sustainability: City and Country in Tuscany” focuses on the medieval town as a sustainable city and also on the connection between city and country, in this case specifically between Siena and Spannocchia! Tom has been bringing his students to Spannocchia every fall for several years to study this same connection. You can read the article online - be sure not to skip the sidebar. A presto!

This week at Spannocchia two mamma Cinta Senese pigs gave birth to over 20 piglets! A presto!

We celebrated 4th of July Spannocchia style yesterday with hotdogs, hamburgers and sausages to start and then coleslaw, potatoe salad, chips and the grand finale of desserts including gooey brownies, rice crispy treats in red, white and blue, cookies, apple crisp and watermelon. Check out the photos!


The last photo is of Spannocchia’s new Italian teacher Valeria and her American husband Jeff. Valeria Indice, who has a law degree and is trained in classical singing, began teaching at Spannocchia in May, and has been quite a success offering fun and interesting lessons for all levels of students including the Spannocchia interns, guests and groups. She is originally from Southern Italy, but has lived in Tuscany for over a decade with her husband Jeff Shapiro, a writer and teacher. Jeff’s works include Renato’s Luck and Secret’s of Sant’Angelo. He is currently working on a new novel. A presto!