Our Story | Staff & Board

In 1991, Spannocchia was at a crossroads. For centuries, the estate had existed underneath Tuscany’s traditional system in which resident tenant farmers sustain the property and, in return, themselves—but that all changed in the decades after the Second World War. By the late 1980’s, the last of what had at one time been forty resident families had left Spannocchia; the majority of farming operations had ceased, and Spannocchia's main activity was providing seasonal housing for several art and archeology programs.

The entire property was in need of repairs and funds were short; the future seemed uncertain. Nearby estates were being subdivided or turned into exclusive resorts, and Spannocchia was in danger of the same fate.

Fortunately, the story of Spannocchia has long been one of blended American and Italian heritage with a strong commitment to preserving the historic nature of the property. The estate had been purchased in 1925 by the Florentine writer, Delfino Cinelli, and his American wife. Their son, Ferdinando, inherited it in the 1940’s, and in 1958 established the Etruscan Foundation to sponsor archeological excavations and art programs in Tuscany.

Francesca Cinelli, Delfino’s granddaughter, was born in America, but had taken a special interest in the old family property—especially since she had met her husband, Randall Stratton, there on a visit in 1981. Francesca and Randall moved to Spannocchia in 1992 with their young family in the hopes of preserving the 1100-acre estate and its historic character.

Over the course of the next ten years, they restored buildings, revived the farming operation with organic methods, expanded the range of education courses, initiated an intern program, and greatly increased agritourism activity on the estate. All was done with the utmost respect for the historic nature of the property and was guided by lessons from the past. Results of their efforts seemed to confirm that this special place was becoming a new model for conservation and sustainability in the region and beyond.

That vision inspired the Cinelli family, in 2002, to establish the nonprofit Spannocchia Foundation (now Friends of Spannocchia), with Erin Cinelli—one of Delfino’s great-granddaughters—as the original director. The nonprofit, headquartered in Portland, Maine and funded by donations and membership fees, created a vehicle to expand the educational programming and the experience-based internship program. Since then, Friends of Spannocchia, in collaboration with many universities and other educational institutions, has exposed thousands of guests and hundreds of interns to the lessons of Italian culture, organic farming, and environmental responsibility.

A blended community of American and Italian staff have built the estate into the international model for sustainability that it is today.

In October 2023, we were incredibly saddened by the passing of Randall Stratton. Please read more about Randall's life and legacy here.