SierraScape September 2011
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by Del Johnson
Contributing Member
As part of our visit to Tuscany last spring, Donna and I had planned to spend a week at a place called the Fattoria Il Poeta, owned and operated by Riccardo and Antonella Conti. Fattoria is the Italian word for farm, (rather than for factory, as we might incorrectly guess.) The word Italians use for a country bed and breakfast like Il Poeta is agriturismo.
Because we had some unexpected scheduling problems, we had to shorten our visit to the fattoria down to a one day excursion. We took a train from Florence down to Scopeti, which is about 30 km to the South, and close to Il Poeta. The drive from the train station at Scopeti to Il Poeta is mostly uphill, past panoramic views of steep, heavily forested slopes. Some of this scenery is pasture, and some is terraced, for the cultivation of olives and grapes. As in the more rugged areas of the Ozarks, it is probably more accurate to describe these peaks as hills rather than mountains. But regardless of what we choose to call them, they present an impressive landscape. The whole area is interspersed with trails for hiking and horseback riding.
The farm house at Il Poeta is particularly impressive. According to their website, it was "built around an old medieval tower, on a sun drenched location at a height of 400 meters."
The Contis explain to visitors that their goal , in the words of their website, is "to fulfill the dream of a largely self-sufficient organic oasis." They produce wine from their own grapes, and extra virgin olive oil from the olive trees on their terraced slopes. Their hives produce honey, and their gardens provide vegetables in season.
During our visit, Antonella explained to me that the "self-sufficient organic oasis" of which their website speaks includes not just their own farm, but farms of close neighbors as well. She said that she, Riccardo, and their guests do occasionally enjoy fruit or vegetables produced on a neighbor's farm. But when they do, Antonella assured me, "we personally know where it was grown--and who produced it!" The Contis also point out another of their goals: "All of the products from our orchard have been selected throughout the years rediscovering the old varieties that are more adapted to this terrain, such that they are easily cultivated and grow well, naturally, without the use of chemical products."
One of the attractions of an agriturismo is that it provides a place in the country where city dwellers can go to relax in a peaceful atmosphere. Families have an opportunity for activities with their children, involving dogs, cats, ducks, geese, ponies, and farm animals in general. A special category of visitors particularly welcome at Il Poeta are those who own horses, many of whom bring their mounts to Il Poeta. Antonella is a respected trainer of both horses and riders, and is active in organizations promoting equestrian activities.
Farmers who take in paying guests appear to have many things in common, whether they live in Missouri or Tuscany or anywhere else. One is presumably their need, if they intend to prosper, to take advantage of those features of their local environment that interest visitors. We would hope that they also have in common a desire to be economically sustainable, as the owners of Il Poeta do. One interesting fact of life in the Missouri Ozarks turns out also to be a problem in the hills of Tuscany, namely, the presence of feral hogs. A recent visitor to Il Poeta remarked that Riccardo takes an interesting approach to the local wild hog problem. From time to time he simply hunts one down and slaughters it, then serves it to his guests. The visitor said that the pork they had for their evening meal was excellent.