0723 Farm

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Farm Stay

July 23, 2003

Dear Friends and Families,

After four days in Florence, we were ready for a change of pace - and temperature. We wanted a rural location and a higher (cooler) elevation, so Marianne went to work doing the necessary research.

She looked in an Italian travel guide, Caffelletto, that specializes in rural hotels and B&Bs. Many of these are part of the Italian "agritourism" program that was created to add income to rural areas and thus keep those communities viable. Not all places are associated with farms or agriculture, but we were going for authenticity, so a farm it would be.

The drive east from Florence was wonderful. We avoided the autostrada and found ourselves on an uncrowded highway that led through the Tuscan hills. The temperature cooled as we climbed over a pass at about 1060 meters (3,500 feet). Our goal was a small town of Subbiano, north of Arezzo.

Actualy, the driving instructions had us go north from Subbiano and take the right turn to Poggio d'Accuna, a hill town of a half dozen stone houses. We managed to find the road and we even had time to stop by the restored Vogognano castle on the same side road. The castle is private so tours were out and, while a restaurant was available, we were not yet ready for our mid-day meal, so we continued to Poggio.

The driving instructions here were less clear but easy enough to figure out: there was only one continuing road. (Unless you count the numerous narrow paths used by local farmers to move animals from one pasture to another.) That was the good news. The bad news is that the road was rutted and rough gravel. This is not the surface our car was designed for and Marianne almost turned around and gave up. She worried about dust. I worried more about the pieces of the car staying behind on one of the high spots.

However, less than a kilometer (half mile) down this "white road" (an Italian term we learned for a gravel road), we turned into "Il Trebbio" and surveyed what we had. The main house was a remodeled stone building that looked fine and all around us were true Tuscan landscapes that looked like they had been painted. We decided to stay.

We were welcomed by the owner, Frederico, and several dogs. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. Frederico and his wife Katarina run a real farm, with chickens, goats, turkeys, geese, horses, fields, and gardens. Running the four agriturism rooms is their "second job".

Our room and bath were on the top floor in the peak of the house. It was a pleasant space, but the heat caused us to spend more time on the patio, an even more pleasant summaer area. We could look out onto a perfect valley and watch the sun drop behind the hills, while we listened to the continuous babble a chicken-goat-turkey-goose farm makes. Each of the four or five dogs would come around and make sure we had one or more of them for company at all times.

An evening meal was offered each day and half the time we accepted. When we did, we were overfed wonderful assortments of Tuscan farm food: fresh tomatoes and goat cheese, rabbit, stuffed zucchini, spicy meatballs, bread, goat butter, cookies, and good strong Italian coffee. Any benefit we had gained from our walks in the Alps had been over-balanced by our eating in Tuscany.

We did a couple of day trips from our base at Il Trebbio but those are separate stories. Mostly, we enjoyed the peace of farm life, without the work, of course! I think we're hooked on agriturism. It's not about farms but about having a pleasant experience that's just a bit different from the normal tourist hotel.

Stay in touch - and visit a farm if you can.

John and Marianne

Websites:

Guidebook: http://www.caffelletto.it/default.htm

Our farm: http://www.agriturismo.net/il_trebbio/2260.shtml

Our first stop was at the nearby castle. It had been restored but, other than a restaurant, it was private and not tourable.

When we saw this road to our new home, we almost turned around (except there was no room to turn around). Parts of this last stretch seemed more suited to a four-wheel drive vehicle than our little sports car.

The "Il Trebbio" farm house. The patio became our favorite place, especially in the evening.

This was the view from our room. The view was perfect, but the ventillation from this single window wasn't. In the summer heat, the room stayed warm all day and all night.

A sunset from the patio.

Yet another sunset, this time from one of the paths around the farm yard.

Max, the friendliest of several dogs. Lying on the parking area gravel, he looked like he was trying to blend in.

Leo was Max's non-matching pair. He was brave enough to even come to our room for a pet.

Frederico milking the goats. The cheese and butter would be served at breakfast and dinner. Farm life is too much work for most people - certainly too much for me.

Not all farm animals are cute. Up close, turkeys are about as ugly as can be.

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	Our first stop was at the nearby castle. It had been restored but, other than a restaurant, it was private and not tourable.		When we saw this road to our new home, we almost turned around (except there was no room to turn around). Parts of this last stretch seemed more suited to a four-wheel drive vehicle than our little sports car.
The "Il Trebbio" farm house. The patio became our favorite place, especially in the evening.		This was the view from our room. The view was perfect, but the ventillation from this single window wasn't. In the summer heat, the room stayed warm all day and all night.
	A sunset from the patio.		Yet another sunset, this time from one of the paths around the farm yard.
Max, the friendliest of several dogs. Lying on the parking area gravel, he looked like he was trying to blend in.		Leo was Max's non-matching pair. He was brave enough to even come to our room for a pet.
	Frederico milking the goats. The cheese and butter would be served at breakfast and dinner. Farm life is too much work for most people - certainly too much for me.		Not all farm animals are cute. Up close, turkeys are about as ugly as can be.