Last year, for a change from the annual summer pilgrimage to
the beach, we decided to treat our children to a taste of the ‘good life’ – a
week’s stay in a Tuscan agriturismo. I didn’t do my homework properly and what we
got wasn’t exactly a hands-on experience of life in a working Italian farmstead
– what an agriturismo should provide
– but rather, five days in a characterless apartment two kilometres up a dirt
track away from what was supposed to be the main farm but was in fact an excuse
for a restaurant during the day and an abandoned building at night. The Dutch
couple in the apartment next to ours didn’t seem to mind – just living on a
hill must have been novelty enough for them.
“Don’t let your
children throw things in the pool”, the owner said, as he gave us the guided
tour. “If you want breakfast you’ll have to order it a day in advance so I can
notify the bakery. The restaurant’s only open for lunch and do feel free to use
whatever you want from the vegetable garden”. Then, just before leaving, he
handed us his mobile contact number and one final piece of advice: “remember,
nothing in the pool”!
As it turned out the Italian family that stayed in the
apartment before us had harvested everything remotely edible from the narrow
strip of an excuse for a vegetable garden. I assume that they too had felt
cheated and were seeking compensation in whatever way they could find. We ate
once at the restaurant and the food was reasonably good. However, it was
over-priced and nothing that was on offer was produced on the non-existent
farm. As it happens, even the prettily packaged artisan conserves sold on site
were actually made off site. Although there was a pool and a Jacuzzi (which,
incidentally, didn’t work), there was no sign of a working farm – indeed there
was very little evidence even of the farmer – he lived in a house on the other
side of the valley. After 5 days we’d had enough and left. That’s the Bad.
There are an estimated 20,000 agriturismi in Italy .
In the past 10 years their number has almost doubled (up by 90%), with Tuscany leading the way
with over 4,000, followed by Alto Adige. Despite Italy ’s economic woes, every
indication suggests the trend is set to continue. When I arrived in
Castell’Arquato 7 years ago I knew of one agriturismo
situated 10 kilometres from my door in the town of Vernasca . Today there are as many as 10
within a five minute drive.
The idea of coupling farming and tourism originated as a
response to the decline in the 1950s and continuing through the 1970s in small
scale farming. As profits eroded, farmers abandoned their holdings and took
flight to the cities in search of work. In 1985, in an attempt to halt the
trend, a law was passed which enabled farmers to supplement their income with
tourism. The law saw the birth of the agriturismo.
Intended as a means to reunite city dwellers with the
countryside whilst at the same time providing a financial incentive to
safeguard traditional agricultural practices that were in danger of being lost,
no one could argue with the spirit of the law. City folk could pick fruit, tend
to the animals, help in a country kitchen, learn how to make cheese or water
the vegetable patch, knowing that by doing so they’d not only be having a good
time, they’d also be helping to foster organic farming practices, help preserve
indigenous breeds of livestock, antique varieties of fruit and vegetables and
support artisan cheese and salami makers. That’s the Good, and sometimes the
Ugly.
When the law was first passed in 1985 to allow farmers to
open their doors to tourists, government grants were awarded as an incentive to
do so. Herein lay the problem. Some farm owners saw this as an opportunity to
cash in. In short, tourism was the primary motivating factor and the farm was
maintained (if even that) merely as a façade to disguise what is nothing more
than a glorified restaurant. In one case I’ve even heard that the proprietor
used the grant allocated to refurbish a dilapidated ancestral family home. He
then registered the business in the Yellow Pages, as was the law, and promptly
told anyone that happened to call that the establishment was booked solid for
the foreseeable future. After 3 months few people bothered calling anymore!
So how do you separate the fraudsters from the genuine
article? How do you tell from the Good,
the Bad and the not necessarily Ugly?
- As for
the latter, it’s important to point out that an agriturismo is supposed to be a working farm. Appearances can
be deceptive and it’s not necessarily the case that mud and manure equates
to a Bad agriturismo. It may be
Ugly (and smell a little), but that’s often a good sign that the farmer is
following the letter of the law. So the first rule is choose a farm where
the given agricultural activity is actually visible and that activity,
whatever it may be, is run by the farmer and his family.
- True
farmers are passionate, knowledgeable and proud of what they do and most
will appreciate any interest that is shown. Most will also be more than
happy to demonstrate their skills and experience. And all genuine farmers,
from my experience, tend actually to live on the farm!
- A
further clue is always on the menu. Ask if any of the dishes are based on
ingredients grown or produced on the farm? Ask if they bake their own
bread, make their own conserves, grow their own vegetables, rear their own
meat, make their own cheese, hams, sausages or salami? Check also that dishes
are seasonal and local – if the restaurant is only cooking Barilla pasta covered in a jar of
sauce, then there’s something wrong. Not that I have anything against Barilla, but if I want a bowl of
dried pasta, I’ll make it at home.
- Finally ask the farmer about what recreational activities the farm has to offer. A wandering donkey is not evidence of a working farm and although a pool might offer welcome respite from the Summer sun, if that’s all they can offer, find a hotel!
I’d be most interested in hearing your stories, your
experiences – whether good, bad or ugly! In the mean time, the owner of one
good agriturismo that I had the
fortune to stay in once gave me a great piece of advice. To separate the wheat
from the chaff, ask if they bake their own bread or make home made cakes for
breakfast? If they do, it’s always a sign that you are on the right track. So
here’s the recipe for an Italian country classic.
Country ring cake
Ciambella Rustica
I’ve eaten some great meals at
true agriturismi in and around the
country and the menu always differs depending on where you happen to be.
However, one thing that I’ve found is that most good agriturismi will often prepare a cake or tart of sorts for
breakfast. The three most common are the ciambella
rustica, the crostata or the torta di frutta (the fruit depending on
whatever’s in season). Simple to prepare, in the countryside a slice of
ciambella or tart is often eaten as an alternative to brioche. Ciambella tends
to be dry and when eaten for breakfast is usually accompanied with a caffelatte. It’s also eaten at the end of a meal, most
often on Sunday’s with a glass of white wine, or as a mid-afternoon snack for
the children after school.
Makes 1 26cm ring cake
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 40-45 minutes
400g self raising flour
180g caster sugar
160g unsalted butter at room
temperature
3 free-range eggs
150ml tepid milk
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
This cake is simplicity itself…
just throw all the ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together well! Grease and dust a ring-shaped baking tin with
flour and add the cake mix. Bake in a
pre-heated oven at 180°C for 40-45 minutes.
If you wish, you can decorate the top of the cake with sugar sprinkles
or chocolate drops; simply sprinkle these on top of the cake before baking.
Once cooked, allow to cool on a baking rack.
