Spannocchia Symposium:
“Food, Landscape and Community in Tuscany and New England”
February 12-15, 2009
Day 1


John Elder reviewing
agenda on Day 1

After a gracious welcome to all by Randall Stratton, the owner and manager of Tenuta di Spannocchia, Brian Donahue, a Spannocchia Board member and Assoc. Professor of American Environmental Studies at Brandeis University, put the inaugural Symposium into a broad context for participants by describing the genesis of the idea of holding an annual series of symposia on the opportunities and challenges associated with preserving rural landscapes and cultural traditions in Tuscany and New England. Middlebury Professor of English and Environmental Studies, John Elder, went on to frame up the goals of this first Symposium and review the agenda for the following four days.


Spannocchia Tour

The remainder of the morning was spent hearing detailed presentations on the history of farming in both Tuscany and New England over many centuries to provide a basis for understanding why the regions’ landscapes appear as they do today. Mauro Agnoletti, author of Paesaggio Toscano and Professor at the University of Florence, and anthropologist Sandra Becucci provided the historical context for the Tuscan mezzadria system and evolution of a traditional cuisine. After lunch, Randall led a thorough tour of Spannocchia’s farming and forestry practices, including the Cinta Senese pig operation, the wood harvesting operation, the olive grove and vineyard.

Following some free time, a pre-dinner discussion took place on the role of land conservation in preserving rural landscapes and culture. Maine Farmland Trust Executive Director John Piotti, who was guest speaker at the Symposium fundraiser last fall at the Seagrass Bistro in Yarmouth, clearly articulated the challenges that prospective New England farmers face in accessing affordable land, and Nora Mitchell of VT’s Conservation Study Institute built on this theme by giving real-world examples of the value of preserving cultural landscapes by highlighting traditional food products specific to individual regions.

Summary - Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3 - Day 4

Feedback from Participants

 “Un grazie lo dobbiamo dire noi a voi per averci dato la possibilità di partecipare al simposio e per aver conusciuto nuove persone con cui abbiamo in comune la passione per i buoni cibi vini e la cura della natura. Mi fa piacere che la cena sia andata bene e che sia piaciuta molto anche quella presso il nostro ristorante. Un saluto e rinnovo l’invito ad averla nostra ospite presso il nostro ristorante.”