Col d’Orcia’s “show and tell”

In the land of Brunello, Col d’Orcia shows visitors biodiverse organic farming



Col d’Orcia, the “organic island in Montalcino”, has recently inaugurated a new attraction for visitors to the wine cellar. A newly created path allows visitors to see the farming of different organic crops. Close to the wine cellar, on the edges of the beautiful gardens where truffles can be found, a path leads to different fields where various crops are farmed for didactic, conservation and research purposes. Visitors are able to learn about the organic growing of varieties such as:

Grass Pea (cicerchia)  – Lathyrus sativus  - ancient variety of legume in origin from Asia with high protein content. Used since ancient times and dubbed “insurance crop” because it yields fruit even when most other crops fail.

Black and White Chickpeas (Cece nero e bianco) - Cicer aretinum. Legume rich in iron, deeply rooted in the Egyptians and Greeks ancient civilizations.

Toscanello Bean (Fagiolo Toscanello) - Phaseolus vulgaris. It is a very fine quality bean, rich in vitamins A, B and C. It was brought to Europe and to Italy by Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors from the New World in the XVI century.

 

Toscanello Bean - Fagiolo Toscanello

 

Spelt (Farro) - Triticum, the oldest farmed variety of wheat. Its origin can be traced back over 5,000 years in the Middle East where Iran is located today. Romans legionaries used this wheat to make biscuits they could carry in their journeys. It was also used as offering to the gods for a good harvest and fertility.  In fact, it was sacred to the ancient civilizations of Italy.

 

Field of Spelt - Farro

 

Kentucky Tobacco – Nicotiana -  Organically grown for the production of cigars, it’s the only variety used for the Tuscan cigar. It’s a niche crop, which accounts the 1% of the global production and it is limited to few Italian areas including Siena and Arezzo. This tobacco undergoes a unique production process, that has become a cultural heritage.

Wheat “Senatore Cappelli” – Triticum. Considered a superior wheat variety in the 1930’s and 40’s. It is a durum wheat obtained by genealogical selection in 1915, by the Italian geneticist Nazareno Strampelli. Thanks to its hardiness and capacity to grow in height it is capable of defending itself from weeds. It is ideal for organic farming. Moreover it contains high percentage of lipids, amino acid, vitamins and minerals as well as characteristics of high digestibility.

The “show and tell” path includes fruit trees, vegetables and a unique experimental vineyard of old grape varieties.

 

View of Col d'Orcia's garden

 

The visit to the organic garden is open to the public and wine lovers who want to know more about the extraordinary biodiversity of the Montalcino area. The varieties might be observed during their respective farming cycles. For further info contact: info@coldorcia.it