Life on a Tuscan Farm

Last weekend Spannocchia Farm Manager Riccio and Castello Director Daniela attended Terra Madre Toscana 2008. The conference, held in the Siena province in the town of Chianciano Terme, was attended by farmers and producers, Slow Food convivium leaders, important regional offices and government officials, representatives from various local NGO offices, representatives from the various Slow Food offices and from the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity. The object of the two days was to create a network in Tuscany. The important themes discussed were:

-The end of cheap food
-Facing global issues from a local perspective
-Being custodians of biodiversity, not only species, but knowledge, memory and practices
-Local farmers markets

Tuscany has the highest number of Slow Food members of any region in Italy. It is a leader among Italian regions, and many environmental initiatives get there start here.

The President of Slow Food Italy, Roberto Burdese, invited the farmers, fisherman, chefs, restaurant owners, and everyone else who deals with food to get involved with their local Slow Food convivium to create a dynamic group that can make change at the local level such as in schools, cafeterias, hospitals, etc….

Up until now, Slow Food has educated about taste, they are now also focusing on educating about consumption. A presto!

The February 2008 issue of Bon Appetit contains a wonderful article on Spannocchia! This special “green” issue of the famous culinary magazine includes all kinds of interesting articles on green living and eating. The 10-page article (you read correctly, we got 10 full pages!!) on Spannocchia is cleverly written by Ann Hood and beautifully photographed by Cedric Angeles. It delves into many aspects of what we do here; from our tasty prosciutto and organic farming, to our thriving community, to our growing green tourism operation. We hope you enjoy the read and beautiful spread of photographs. A presto!