Vineyards of Spannocchia

Spannochia also produces red and white wines.  We were fortunate to be able to work in the vineyards.  The work this time of the year is repairing or replacing the trellis.

The vines climbing the trellis

Brian and Caitlin replacing a post with Angelo's help

Betsy working the trellis

We enjoyed a wine-tasting class with Katie.

A variety of scents

Studying the elements of a wine

Pigs--the centerpiece of Spannocchia

The plate

Digram of the salumi

Beyond the history of the tenuta, the pigs play a central role in the place.  Here's the ending of the process--prosciutto hanging in a cellar followed by a plate of delicious salumi.  "Salumi" is the collective name for the cured meat products.

Stained glass "Soprasatto"

The pigs are kept in large tracts of the oak/pine/live oak forest of the hills around the villa.  They are fed a ground-up grain and bean mixture in the winter.  Their feeding troughs are in a fenced-off area and the pigs have to enter through a narrow chute to get to the food.  This systems trains them to go through a fenced area which prepares them enter the gate that moves them into the truck to take to slaughter.

Pigs coming in for food

Feed shed

Molly and Emma patching up the fence

Emma meeting the "gray" cross pigs

Pig feeder

Florence--our last evening in Italy

Our last evening in Florence, we spent together doing what we did most in Italy--we ate dinner.   The restaurant was in the St. Croce area of Florence, a real Neapolitan pizza joint.  We had reservations right when it opened at 7:30PM and it was instantly packed.  Thanks for the last great meal together!

Nora and Theo comparing plates!

Passing around the pizza is serious!

Kiyoshi's victory cheer!

Betsy enjoying her wine

Emily, Cristina and Justin enjoying a joke

The place--Spannocchia

Sunrise over the Castle

Spannocchia is a “tenuta” an agricultural estate. ((FYI 'tenuta' also has the meaning of capacity and stamina)). In the United States, we learn how farms and plantations were developed—a person was granted or claimed a chunk of land and built it up to production with his family (or the use of hired hands or slaves). The “tenuta” were built up in the feudal system—a wealthy aristocrat, often a person living in a nearby city, acquires land and the workers living there. The main home of the tenuta is a villa which was the residence of the landowners. The each of the smaller homestead spread around the tenuta were the casa di colonica—the farm house. Randall pointed out in our historic tour of the villa that “renting a villa” in Italy denigrates the historical significance of the the little farmhouses. These homes were rented to peasants who worked the land and paid through their labor. “Share-croppers” is the term we know in the United States and its connotation of

I am certain that I will not do justice to the history of Spannocchia so lovingly presented to us by Randall on our first afternoon. Please take a look at the official website: http://www.spannocchia.org/castello/history.cfm

Door to the "transformation" room

The oldest feature of the villa is the tower. It must have been the original place of refugre for the people working the land here. The villa was built in stages over the centuries of local stone with a limestone/sand mortar. Around the doorways and windows, bricks were used.

View of the casa colonica

Kiln in the Tuscan style

First Few Days at Spannocchia

We've worked on Spannocchia for three days and it is such an amazing experience that it calls for a different kind of blog. There is so much information that I can only represent a small amount of it. Revisions and additions GREATLY appreciated!

There are many unforgettable moments of our trip to Spannochia.  Please enjoy a couple of videos:

These are the Sardinia lambs that grow up to give a delicious milk for the pecorino cheese.

Here's a little clip of Betsy and Brian chucking rocks over the side of the road.

Here is the second half of a theatrical scene played out by Theo and Betsy out of the bathroom window:

Back in Florence

I had a relaxing day with Claudia and her family yesterday and I hustled down to Florence today.

My new camera is very good but none of the photos I took of the Alps out the train window were worth saving.  Not as much farmland up in the higher lands but the peaks were amazing.  You'll just have to come and see for yourself!

Mt. Rigi

Today I have the photos but I am too tired to write.  See and enjoy!  Photos are in reverse order from our trip up the mountain.

Farmlands and town lands

Road splitting a farm

This morning I walked up the hill from Claudia`s home.  In New England, it seems like most farms have a driveway off the main road and often the road divides one farm from another.  In this area, it seems the farms are in sequence.  You drive through one farm yard to get to the next one up the hill.  Often the road divides the farm house from the barn.  This makes sense that one woud blaze a path from down the hill up to one´s own door.  And leaving one´s home to visit the farm up the hill, one woud leave from the door yard and head on out.  Wait and see the photos--it happens over and over again.

Lee and Claudia

Glass factory floor

Factory door

After my adventure up the mountainside, I enjoyed lunch with Claudia, her husband Siggy and her daughter Salima.  Her son, Cyril, was snowboarding with his class today.  Our afternoon adventure began with a trip to a local and historic glass factory.

We next visited the òld town` of Lucerne, enjoying the sights and soaking up a bit of history.

One of thirty towers that used to guard the city of Lucerne

Easter Play on face of building

Fasnacht decorations 

Beautiful clock face on tower

This evening, we watched the movie Ratatouie in English.  Mostly we laughed but there were a few times we needed to stop the film so they coud ask me a fine point of English.  Very fun day.  Photos coming soon!

Beautiful day in Switzerland

I have figured out that I must make a post, even though I cannot download the photos, so come back in a while after I have figured out the photos.

Swiss browns

This evening Claudia took me next door to the dairy farmer to see his new barn.  The old barn was built in the 1940`s or earlier and was a `confinement operation`of sorts.  The new barn was designed by the farner´s son--who traveled to New Zealand and Austrailia to study rotational grazing--and included a lot of fresh air, 75 Swiss brown cows and an interesting milking parlor.  Swiss brown cows have pretty much the same shape and coloring of our beautiful Jersey´s back on the ridgetop.  They are much heavier, though, which is helpful to survive the colder winters up here.  Their calves were gorgoeous--a much lighter brown, more of a creamy white--and very people-friendly.  In the milking parlor, the farmer stands between two rows of elevated cows and applies the milking machine to half of the cows while the others chew the cud.  When the one side is complete, the farmer switches the milking claws to the other half of the cows, shoos out the milked cows and brings in a new batch.  Tony, the farmer´s son, told us that what used to take more than two hours now takes 45 minutes and they even added 15 more cows to their collection and it did not increase the milking time.  The new barn is set up so that the cows can walk outside at any time  (except during milking) and can choose where they chews...

Milking Parlor--Swiss style

Earlier in the day, I took a walk into the small village of Neuenkirk just for a look around.  Tomorrow, while everyone is at work or school, I am going to walk up the mountainside to see what there is to see.  In the afternoon, Claudia will take me to a glass factory that is famous in Switzerland.

Here in Switzerland

The Strack Home with Alps to the South

Looking up the hill

I am sitting in a home on the outskirts of Lucerne Switzerland as the fog lifts off the alps to reveal some amazing peaks.  But, more importantly, I see that the surrounding land is beautiful farmland.

Mt. Pilatus