Angie already wrote a little bit about our first agriturismo experience and I thought I would expand a little bit on the farming aspect. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the concept, agriturismos are very common throughout Italy. They are actual working farms that get their main income from the crops they produce (which vary depending on the region you’re in) and not from the accommodations they offer. In Tuscany you usually find farms that deal with wine and olive oil as the main crop. Our host Bruno gave us a bit of an overview, over a glass of his own wine of course, as to how extremely regulated this industry is. First off the amount of rooms you can offer is dictated by the amount of land that you own. Let me expand on this a moment…in Italy when you buy a piece of property it is what it is. You can remodel the inside of your dwelling, but you cannot expand or add buildings to the property. An agent in Florence we met mentioned that you can’t even add a patio as the government fears you might one day close it in when they’re not looking. No volume can be added in Italy. This is why the city still looks like it did hundreds of years ago and why the popular countryside destinations don’t get developed. Building permits are released very slowly and usually go to established builders. If you have a lot of money and know someone who knows someone, then maybe I guess. Anyway, back to the farm. Aside from the land, one of the owners needs to carry the title of “farmer” and be able to prove the amount of hours he dedicates to his crops and animals. Bruno and Paolo had wine, olive oil and horses. That covers the apartments but Bruno was also licensed to serve food. His license allows him to serve up to 20 guests per night, and to do so he needs to keep a certain number of animals on the farm. His options are: 6 pigs, 2 cattle and 10 chickens, 10 lambs, or 400 chickens. Bruno chose the cattle and chickens option. All the animals are licensed and tagged (except the chickens) and must be replaced as soon as they are butchered. As Angie mentioned, everything they served at our feast came from the farm and was as fresh as you can get.
