FARM HOLIDAYS Aia del Tufo

FARM HOLIDAYS Aia del Tufo, , Sorano

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An ancient farmhouse out of volcanic tuff immersed in a particularly evocating and wild nature. Here you will find the cordial hospitality of hosts Alfredo and Floriana, born and raised in these splendid places so rich in tradition, who are experts in agriculture and breeding. The farm is made of 25 completely cultivated hectares, faithful to nature and the environment that supplies ingredients for a healthy and light cuisine. The vegetable garden provides delicious food to taste during the summer: tomatoes, lettuce, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, hot peppers, squash etc. suitable for fresh dishes or traditional soups like the typical bread and vegetable soup “acquacotta”. Furthermore, we grow wheat, barley, grains and healthy feed for our animals: sheep, pigs, rabbits, hens, goats. And our cultivation does not allow us to omit the vineyard that brings us a delicious red that is free of preservatives (or, in the expert Alfredo’s words: “made the way the vine makes it”) or the olive trees with their oil, a very fine condiment that our guests must taste.

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A REAL HOLIDAY FARM, YOU HAVE JUST FOUND US!!!!!

Fully conscious of the importance of protecting our environment, we are a highly ecological holiday farm: we use solar panels to heat our water and we have a wood boiler to heat the farm. The holiday farm consists of 4 master bedrooms, simple yet comfortable, suitable to accommodating families, couples or a group of up to ten people as well. All rooms include a private bath and shower and have been all been repainted, each in its own distinct color.

Your pets are also welcome guests.

You can reserve your stay with breakfast included or with half-board. Our breakfast menu includes homemade cakes and pies served with honey and preserves from local farms.

The spacious parlour with fireplace is at your disposal and is the ideal place to savour traditional dishes from the Maremma area such as: pappardelle or pici pasta prepared with delicious sauces or a simple vegetable soup (acquacotta) followed by a second course that offers wild boar, lamb or pork. Signora Floriana is capable of turning cooking into an art. She will be at your disposal to let you taste a genuine and simple cuisine prepared with ingredients produced on the farm.

Our sheep’s milk is of an excellent quality and can be converted into delicious Tuscan pecorino cheese served up with honey from Monte Elmo (La Venarella Holiday Farm) and creamy ricotta  served with preserves and Tuscan bread for breakfast. Olive oil cannot be missing from the table: a light and sparkling flavor that brings a perfect balance of flavor to traditional dishes. Add the delicious wine with a light and genuine taste that crowns any meal arriving directly from our vineyards made by our Alfredo, who has inherited all necessary knowledge and passion.       

MOUNTAIN BIKE AND OUTDOOR EXCURSIONS
The position of the farmhouse offers plenty of outdoor activities such as excursions on a mountain bike. Furthermore, the farm is adjacent to the “Avaiana” river that can be reached by foot through a path in the woods; during your walk, you can see the old fountain dug out of the tuff from which the family drew its drinking water as far back as the 1950’s.

The small river that empties into the larger Lente river was used in the past for fishing, drinking water for the farm animals and to macerate the hemp before drying it out. Growing hemp is a time-honoured process around Sorano.

Since the second half of the last century, cultivation was of interest to every family in the area and as a result, very important industrial growing developed and quality products made Italy the second largest exporter after Russia. With the birth of synthetic fibres, induced development of cotton and market demands, hemp is soon driven away to then be included on the black list of drugs: the hemp grown by our grandfathers is now assimilated by cannabis indica, initially in the US and then in Italy. The end of a tradition that goes back thousands of years. However, in the past ten years, the cultivation and transformation of hemp is returning with insistence  all over Europe. The regional law of February 14, 2003 is promoting its reintegration among cultivations, having understood that the return of hemp would be a great asset in the development of an eco-sustainable economy. The very stories from the past and the innovative product with its numerous uses (food, oils, bathroom products, industrial products, fuel, fabric, eco-friendly architecture etc…) will bring the cultivation of the “plant of the future” among those at l’Aia del Tufo.  

TREKKING
Along the paths of Archaeological Park “Città del Tufo” and along the typical Via Cave.

Pitigliano, Sorano and Sovana are connected by a network of paths dug out of the tuff, the so-called vie cave (road of the quarries). Of Etruscan origin, unique and evocative it is thought that they had various functions: they led to spritual meeting places, connected villages to waterways and were useful for defense: whomever winded up in those deep canyons could fall prey to attacks from above from which there was no escape. The system adopted for channeling rainwater is also interesting: the road was dug along the centre of its entire course, leaving the travelers wide lateral roadways. There is a “via cave” only a few kilometres from the Holiday Farm that once connected San Valentino to Sorano that can be crossed by foot. 

MUSHROOM PICKING

The area offers an uncontaminated nature that is famous for the products growing in its woods like delicious mushrooms (the porcino, ovule, yellow, ordinale, drumstick and the “black trumpet” also called the poor man’s truffle for its peculiar flavour). For those who hunt and fish, the hilly area surrounding the farm, filled with woods and rivers, offers the possibility of hunting wild boar, fowl and trout fishing in the nearby streams.

 
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES 
From milk to cheese (see the barn, milking the sheep, curling the milk, make ricotta cheese).

Learning garden with lecture (In March – April, students can participate in preparing the garden. In May they can help pick the first vegetables)

Our ancestors’ cuisine: learn to make homemade pasta (tagliatelle, tortelli, potato gnocchi), explanations and tasting sessions.

Hemp growing: memoirs, tradition and rebirth. Exhibit of antique tools used in the cultivation (March – April – May sowing or touring the field, October – November harvest and conversion)

We can host up to 30 students (arriving by bus). Every child will receive an informative brochure regarding activities and the tour of our country “zoo”. Organised tours of the “Città del Tufo Archaelogical Park” are available upon request.