Corzano e Paterno
Real Tuscany.
Like many things in Italy, the concept of an agriturismo struggles to have a fixed definition. Italy’s hyper-regionality and local nature defies generalized definition in food, travel, art, culture, and pretty much everything else. This is surely the case for the idea of an agriturismo or farmstay. Many locations that call themselves “agriturismos” are lovely, restored old buildings in the countryside with a pool and easy access to wineries and quaint villages making them ideal spots for tourists seeking an Italian rural experience. There’s nothing wrong with that, but here at Farm Table Italy, we’re on the search for a little more than just a lovely view and a glass of wine. Rather, something authentic that’s more than a pretty photo or “dig me” Instagram post.
THE FARM
With that in mind, let’s consider an amazing slice of rural Italian life nestled in the central Tuscan hills near San Casciano called Corzano e Paterno. Here, you can certainly have access to otherworldly views and a lovely glass of wine, but if you’d like to experience life on a working and vibrant farm, Corzano e Paterno is for you. Nestled in the rolling countryside, just 45 minutes from Florence, sits a piece of unique Tuscan history; where over a millennium of history & culture intersect. The route to the farm includes the ancient Via Cassia -- a road that runs from Rome to Siena to Florence is adjacent to Corzano. That same road that has carried ancient Etruscans, Roman legionaries, Lombards, Goths, and ever-feuding medieval Tuscan nobles and peasants today still delivers you to this amazing place.
The heart of Corzano e Paterno is the food it creates: its wines, olive oils, and cheese. Let’s quickly talk about each:
Grapes
The vineyards that are used to produce their wines are on the hills carved by the Pesa River and produce typical regional varietals including Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Malvasia, and Trebbiano. To those local grapes, they have added Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay. The farm normally produces a white wine, a rosé, four reds and a sweet wine.
Olives
The farm includes 4000 trees producing olives of the classic Tuscan varieties, Frantoio and Leccino; but they also have trees producing Moraiolo & Pendolino olives. They are pressed at a nearby frontoio and bottled for sale. Tuscan oils are characterized by their buttery and peppery taste.Cheese
For me, however, the signature of the farm are the Sardi sheep (named because of their Sardinian heritage) whose milk produces an amazing variety of cheeses. But more than just the cheese, the sheep feed the ecosystem of the farm by supplying the olive orchards and vineyards with manure as fertilizer. I love to visit the sheep in their stable and in the surrounding hillsides. Both inherently curious and naturally skittish, the sheep are guarded over by a unique breed of dog -- the Maremmano-Abruzzese sheepdog.
I got to know several of these noble beasts on my most recent trip to the farm, and their vigilance and dedication to their flock is a testament to their breed. As for the sheep, it was lambing season when we were there and got to meet some of the newest members of the flock! If you’re lucky, ask the staff and try to schedule a quick tour and introduction to the sheep and dogs.
As for the milk and resulting cheese, Chef Susan Grant, about whom I wrote about in an earlier post describing the restoration of nearby La Petraia, was the first person to tell me about Corzano as the producer of “the best pecorino cheese in all of Tuscany.” In addition to the pecorino, Corzano produces 15 other types of cheeses; their herbed cheeses, in particular, are my favorites.
HISTORY
If the food is its heart, the history of Corzano e Paterno reveals its soul. That history of the farm is fascinating and inspiring and I urge you to read the detailed account written by the family and published on their website. But, I will try to summarize it here to entice you to read more. It begins with the purchase of the farm and its rocky land that hardened Tuscan locals call la terra ingrata (“the ungrateful earth”) to an unlikely buyer.
Fate brought Wendel Gelpke to Corzano. A Swiss anthropologist turned architect who had moved to Florence, Wendel purchased the in the early 1970s when the family who owned it was forced to sell in order to satisfy the dowry of its daughters. The wild and untamed property near San Casciano was primitive: buildings with no water, electricity, or heating. The farm itself was overgrown and largely untended and was utilizing laborious and outdated methods. But Wendel could see the potential of the land. He began planting vineyards and olive trees. The overgrown land was trimmed back by the introduction of Sardinian sheep, who would feed the cheese manufacturing that was added to the farm’s production. (As I wrote about when describing the history of the nearby Spannochia, the farm at Corzano was the product of the feudal mezzadria share-cropping system.)
Through dedication and difficult work, the growing Gelpke family slowly brought the farm back to life. During this period when Wendel purchased the farm, the Italian population was shifting to the cities and away from the rural farms. That demographic shift presented opportunities and in 1975, Wendel was able to purchase the adjacent Fattoria di Paterno from the historic Machiavelli family and the basis of the combined farm that exists today was formed.
Over the past 50 years since he purchased Corzano, Wendel’s family has grown and with it the output and success of the farm. Slowly but surely, they modernized the processes, added to the vineyards and olive groves, and built out facilities to support their growing activities. Among many changes, formal stables were built to house the sheep; an underground wine cellar was added in 2001; a caseificio (cheese making facility) took over from the old wine cellar; and the housing facilities were developed to make it possible for guests to experience the farm and its history.
EXPERIENCE
Let’s be clear about something: at Corzano, you’re visiting their farm much more than they are hosting you and catering to your every whim. There’s no hotel breakfast room every morning with waiting coffee and a waiter to take your order. But rest assured, the staff will take very good care of you and are welcoming and generous. This is your chance to live for a short time on a working farm in an historic location whose legacy is visible everywhere around you. This is visible through the renovated buildings that serve as guest houses now. There are wonderful lodging options across several buildings spread out across the expansive properties of Corzano e Paterno. In Fallochio, you can rent one (or more of) individual bedrooms and share a communal kitchen. In Corzanello, you can rent a six bedroom medieval farmhouse that has been fully restored and expanded. Gina is a large apartment in one of the oldest buildings on the property and includes access to Corzano’s pool. Erta is for the more adventurous. (I stayed here.) Located off a rugged, dirt road on the hills between the Corzano and Paterno, Erta offers six large bedrooms, privacy, and views galore. Each location offers cooking facilities with all you’ll need to prepare something from a morning cup of coffee to a full meal. Clean, expansive, comfortable and complete with all amenities, the guest houses and rooms will enable you to experience life on the farm as well as providing a perfect base from which to explore the surrounding Tuscan countryside and hill towns.
There is an on-site restaurant (called Fienile) that operates from March to mid-October and during that time is open several days a week for dinner; and for larger groups, meals can be made available at any time. For those seeking an authentic, local, Tuscan meal featuring fresh and local ingredients, prepared by skilled chefs, I cannot imagine a better setting.
Individual dinners can also be arranged. On my recent visit, Chef Loredana’s pre-prepared & ready to heat meals were a revelation. We were arriving late in the evening and knew we wouldn’t have a chance to get to a market prior to arriving, so we ordered a meal for three. It was awaiting us when we arrived. Not only was the quality superb and the pairings unique, but the amount of food was so generous, it literally lasted three days. Our menu included a pesto lasagna with béchamel & Parmesan, pork fillet with apples, plums, & onions, a lovely cabbage salad, and beyond-all-expectations yogurt tiramisu!
ACTIVITIES
If you ask, you can schedule a visit to the stables to see the sheep and their watchful companion dogs. You can hike through the ancient hillsides and meander down toward the Pesa River that feeds the farm side. You can take a cooking class with Chef Loredana. Enjoy an afternoon by the pool enjoying a glass of Corzanello (one of the winery’s bright, welcoming red wines.) And, of course, take a tour of the winery and caseificio to see where the magic happens. I’d suggest putting on some good shoes and taking a hike on the strade bianche (“dirt roads”) around the vineyards and oil trees and take in the beauty of the landscape. The combination of natural beauty and the energy of the farm is a timeless combination; other than the occasional buzz of a local Ape (one of the ubiquitous 3-wheeled utility vehicles the local farmers use), you feel that it could be 1525 as easily as 2025.
SUMMARY
For me, Corzano e Paterno is the perfect Italian farmstay. It’s a chance to experience life on a working farm whose products you can enjoy but, beyond that, it’s a glimpse into the family and staff dedicated to making it all work. Every day brings new challenges and opportunities and, as a visitor, you can see the love and passion that makes the place so special. What’s more, the history of the surroundings seem to call out to remind you that the distant past isn’t really so distant at all. The people, the crops, the animals, the land, and the food they produce are no longer abstract things, but a reminder of a constancy over time. That assurance brings with it an overwhelming sense of place and the kind of deeper understanding that we should seek out when traveling.