“Departing from the chaos of the city, from the routines of the office, the home, the housework, etc. is a real necessity. For those like myself who are fortunate to live on the coast, sometimes it’s enough to simply take a walk by the sea. But sometimes we need to find an isolated place, surrounded by greenery, rows of olive trees, and where hens wander around in the vineyards between the grazing sheep.

Last Sunday I went to visit a friend whom I had not seen for a few years. The last time we saw each other was at the wedding of a common friend but since that time, many things have changed.  When I last saw Lara, she was a beautiful young veterinarian (and still is of course) happily single and working as a researcher in Amsterdam. Without giving away too many details of her private life (but her love story is wonderful) at our friend’s marriage she met Antonio, who is now her current husband and the father of their child.  Antonio is also the owner of the land that hosts the farm Fattoria dell’Orto degli Ulivi. Today, Lara manages this farm with great determination, courage and strength! She’s a woman who seems to have an infinite supply of energy and patience!

I brought part of my family and a couple of friends with me to visit Lara at the farm. The welcome was warm, it was a real pleasure to find her. As she and her husband Antonio prepared lunch, we went for a walk around the farm and saw a multitude of flowers and animals, all the while enjoying a magnificent view. Native Tuscan species of plants and animals are bred and cultivated on the farm, such as a sheep called Pomarancina, olives, vineyards, Rosano and Londa peach, Pistoia cherries, red beans from Lucca, Regnano and Molino del Piano potatoes, walnuts, almonds, figs, lavender and honey.

When lunch hour arrived, we returned from our walk to sit at the table in the living room adjacent to the large kitchen of the farm’s villa. The central structure of the villa dates back to 1400, and the villa’s tower was built in 1220. The living room has the original stone floor and fireplace. In addition to offering lunches and dinners the farm can accommodate 10 overnight guests in rooms on the first and second floor furnished in a classic Tuscan style. Lara is not only a chef for us, she cooks for many of the farm guests who visit and her dishes are all homemade using organic ingredients grown on the farm, such as: pasta, spreads, tapenades, jams both sweet and savory, vegetables marinated in oil and vinegar, raveggiolo and ricotta made from sheep’s milk. Lara’s meals are all healthy and prepared with quality raw ingredients.

After a delicious lunch accompanied by good red wine, Antonio and Lara served us coffee and brandy in a characteristic corner of the farm.  We had the opportunity to play a nice game of volleyball with our kids in front of the house, and of course always in the company of hens and the rest of the farm animals. My friend and I also did some shopping as we browsed Lara’s vast collection of soaps and jams produced by the farm.”

Taken from the blog by Enrica Palandri