Podere Il Casale
When Sandra and Ulisse moved to the Pienza area of Tuscany in the 1990s, they had one dream: to build a farm surrounded by healthy soil that would produce clean food according to natural rhythms, as was common in the past. And their dream came true at the old stone farmhouse Podere Il Casale.
In the beautiful, unspoiled landscape of the Val d'Orcia valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, they built an organic farm that is completely self-sufficient, even in terms of energy. From the very beginning, they began farming organically without pesticides, herbicides, or artificial fertilizers. Unlike many other farms, they did not focus on a single crop, but planted the land around the farm with a variety of crops, from grain, vegetables, olive trees, and grapevines to fruit trees, which provide them with a harvest throughout the year. Between the beds, fields, and orchards, they left wild nature, which together with them creates a harmonious living organism, provides shelter for various animals and insects, and helps maintain biodiversity and healthy soil. The farm supplies the local area and its own restaurant with its produce. Anything that is not eaten immediately is carefully processed into jams, marmalades, sauces, or preserved in oil.
In addition, the farm raises 200 Sardinian sheep, goats, pigs, and donkeys. The animals have access to extensive outdoor pastures full of diverse herbs, which they feed on naturally. The milk is not "killed" by pasteurization, so it remains alive, full of healthy lactobacilli, retains all its properties, and gives the cheese its unmistakable full flavor and aroma, which changes slightly throughout the year depending on what plants the animals are grazing on. Immediately after milking, the milk is cold-processed directly on the farm, without preservatives or other additives. Only rennet and a pinch of salt are added, the cheese is shaped into molds, and then left to mature for 1 to 24 months, with regular turning, brushing, and, if necessary, coating with olive oil.
Website: Podere Il Casale