Tuesday, 17 ottobre 2006 After our tour of the kitchen gardens with Carmen, we entered la cucina di Spannocchia (the kitchen of Spannocchia) for our cooking lesson with Loredana. We would be preparing lunch for everyone that day. Sandino surprised everyone, especially his wife, who barely recognized him. He leapt forward at every opportunity to…

Tuesday, 17 ottobre 2006 On Tuesday morning, after a customary breakfast of bread, jam, yogurt, granola, hard-boiled eggs, juice, and some kick-ass coffee, half the class went out to work in various areas on the farm, and our half toured the kitchen gardens with Carmen, the orto (kitchen garden) manager. As you might guess, the…

The history of the estate dates back to the 12th century, when a group of monks settled at Santa Lucia, an hermitage located on the banks of the Rosia river at the base of what is now the Spannocchia property. – from www.spannocchia.org Monday, 16 ottobre 2006 We set off at 5 p.m. for Santa…

Monday, 16 ottobre 2006 After breakfast, the class went on a historical tour with Randall Stratton, one of the owners of Spannocchia. He explained about the mezzadria system that the farm (and many others like it) operated under for hundreds of years. Under that system, sharecroppers lived and worked on the land for one half…

To be continued…

Monday, 16 ottobre 2006 After taking in the stunning views at the top of the tower, we had a vegetarian lunch that included the traditional Tuscan panzanella, a salad made with leftover bread, and a green salad. I was happy to have some time to roam on my own and write a little in my…

View from the top of the tower at Spannocchia. View of some of the vegetable gardens and olive trees from the top of the tower. The bell at the top of the tower.

Domenica, 15 ottobre 2006 Every evening at 7 p.m., there was wine for the guests on the terrace. The first evening, there were appetizers for us – cheese and olives, carrots, and bread. The wines were organic, and those of us who generally can’t drink red wine because of sensitivities to sulfates found to our…

Sunday, 15 ottobre 2006 After we all unpacked and settled into our rooms, Charlie took us for a walking tour through part of the estate. The Cinelli family, which has owned this land since the 1930s, decided to do their best not only to maintain the preservation of its history, but to return the land…

Sunday, 15 ottobre 2006 When we all got on the bus that would take us to Spannocchia for the next week, it was the first time the 14 class members had all been in one spot. Up until then, we had met through Blackboard on the Internet. Not everyone in the group was a student…