Farro – Spelt
The Farro of Garfagnana is a very ancient cereal, cultivated on small plots of land which are low in nutrient levels, in a band from 300 m to 1.000 m above sea level. The sowing heppens in the autumn in pre-prepared ground with the use of the dressed seed, a derivative of the local population of Triticum dicoccum (spelt).
Following the traditional practices of the Garfagnana, the farro production occurs without the use of chemicals or chemical fertilizers, resulting in an organic product.
In the Garfagnana it is polished, or freed from its outer covering, in traditional stone mills and used for typical local recipes – farro soup, farro cake and farro with beans.
The farro of Garfagnana has been recognised with the IGP marque.
There are about 80.90 farms today involved in the cultivation of farro, for a total area of about 100 hectares. The average size is quite small, many farms growing in less than one hectare, while around 10% grow on an area greater than 3 hectares.
Lucca and its territory do not only have extra virgin olive oil, they also boast a very respected wine production, which is becoming ever more noteworthy.
The wines of the hills of Lucca and of Montecarlo possess a tradition which, based on precise historical documents, dates back to mediaeval and Roman times. It seems than even before the Romans, the hills of Lucca were cultiveted by the Etruscans and then the Ligurians who were well versed in the art of viticulture. These wines were well appreciated in the past by popes, in particular Gregory XII and Paolo II Farnese, who, respectively in the 15th and 16th centuries, made ample use of them. In the development of viticulture, one shiuld remeber the influence exercised by religious orders in wine making.
Among the wines of Lucca, those that stand out are those with the domination “Montecarlo“, which is reserved for wines coming from vineyards located in the municipalities of Montecarlo, Altopascio and also Capannori and Porcari. The Montecarlo white obtained its DOC denomination in 1969, the red in 1986. The DOC Montecarlo white is excellent as an aperitif and goes together very well with starters, soups and all types of fish dishes.
The Montecarlo red, which with two years of ageing is allowed to be called “reserve”, combines naturally with meat dishes, stews, pultry, mushrooms and roast white meats. The domination of Montecarlo also refers to types of vinsanto.
The secon denomination of origin of the province of Lucca is called ” Colline Lucchesi” (Hills of Lucca), and contrary to how it happened for Montecarlo, in this case it was the red wines which were first denominated DOC in 1968, while the white wines gained the same distinction in 1985.
The “Colline Lucchesi” and “Montecarlo” wines are among the main grape harvests of the selected wies, and their appreciation has recently been confirmed by numerous awards both in Italy and abroad.
The convent of the Clarisse and the Church of Sant’Anna
The idea to build a convent in the centre of ontecarlo was implemented between the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th, following the religious fervour created by the Council of Trent. It was built between 1610 and 1614 (from a design by the architect, Gherardo Menchini of Florence) and was enlarged subsequently with the inclkusion of the building that until then had been the residence of the Vicars of Montecarlo.
The running of the convent was entrusted to the Pooor Clares who remained there until 1810, when the religious community was expelled after the Napoleonic wars. The building was put up for auction and was subsequently redeemed and given to the Fondazione Pellegrini-Carmignani and used as a school for children.
The old convent complex, now in need of restoration, also includes the 17th century church of Sant’Anna, which is entered from Via Grande. Inside there is a Madonna in trono col Bambino e Santi of 1709 by Giovan Maria Corsetti and a San Lorenzo by Apollonio Nasini.
Dating back to the third quarter of the 16th century, the villa of the Parensi family is a compact, quadrangular block. The almost flat front of the building includes a portico and a loggia above with three arches on Tuscan columns; both are covered by a vaulted roof. By comparing the current building with a fine 17th century drawing by Domenico Checchi, its is possible to see the changes that ahve been made and how the villa stood at the centre of a vast agricultural estate.
Outside the enclosure walls, the public oratory has maintained the 17th century form as drawn by Checchi, with square pilasters supporting the entablature and the gable, and with curved stone cornices that enanche the openings in the facade.
The garden below it is borderted by the lemon houses and the olive mill.
The villa passed from the Mansi family in 1791, when Camilla Parensi, the last descendent of the family, married Raffaele di Luigi Mansi.
Australian author Lisa Clifford’sDeath in the Mountains is a true story about the murder of a peasant farmer in the mountains of Casentino in north eastern Tuscany. The murder took place in the winter of 1907, it happened to the great-grandfather of Lisa’s Italian husband and it was never solved – until now.
Detailing the crime, Death in the Mountains also looks at what life was like a hundred years ago. The story paints a very real picture of the struggles, the poverty and the mezzadria farming system that engulfed seventy percent of the Tuscan farming community. Back then, families had to give half of everything they produced to the land’s owners.
The other half was barely enough food for survival. Only one or two generations ago, peasants lived in grinding poverty.
Clifford describes the stark living conditions, snow blowing through roof tiles into bedrooms, the backbreaking nature of the daily work, the lottery of good or bad weather for crop and ultimately family survival. Only one or two generations ago, peasants lived in grinding poverty.
Clifford describes the stark living conditions, snow blowing through roof tiles into bedrooms, the back breaking nature of the daily work, the lottery of good or bad weather for crop and ultimately family survival. The reader feels the cold, the damp and grimness of everyday existence, but also the determination and spirit of that generation.
The quest to solve this murder opens Lisa’s eyes and ultimately our eyes to how people thought back then. A murder was something to be ashmed of not for the murder but for the family of the person murdered. There is much insight into the culture, superstitions, religion and taboos of the times.
After three years of research Lisa solves the murder. She discovers a cousin who holds the key to the mistery and reveals the killer and why it happened. he gives his permission to write the book on the proviso that all the names be changed.
About writing the book, Clifford says, “In an emotional sense, writing Death in the Mountains gave more than I had bargained for. The killing of Grandpa Artemio was a big event in the family village… When I talked to the old people, cousins, and the ederly farmer folk who still live nearby, they recalled with great clarity what their past relatives had said about the famous murder of Artemio Bruni.
In 1907, almost everyone who worked the land was illiterate, so there was a lot of gossip, but no letters or journals to refer to. It was only by talking with people that I could figure out what happened in the onths leading up the murder”.
Death in the Mountains (2009) is published by Pan Macmillin Australia.
It’s available in Florence at the Paperback Exchange for 15,00 euro – www.papex.it, on www.amazon.com
