A NEW STORE SELLING ORGANIC SEASONAL FRUIT, VEGETABLES, NUTS and HONEY opens in CASPERIA’S CENTRO STORICO

Last year Manuel Montanari, a young up-and-coming film director produced a short film called “Da qui se ne vanno tutti” which translates “Everyone is leaving here”. This poignant short was filmed here in Casperia. The protagonist, a young man, returns to his home town after a long absence only to find it completely changed, virtually empty of the family and friends he knew, and the houses vacated by the former townsfolk being bought up by foreigners with money. “Da qui se ne vanno tutti” is a lament often heard in these picturesque little hill towns where you see fewer and fewer young people, and more and more closed storefronts and “For Sale” signs.

For sale signs on Casperia's Piazza del Comune

It is over a 1000 years that the Saracens stopped their rape and pillaging of the Sabina and little more than 400 years have passed since Aspra, known as Casperia since 1948, was absorbed into the Papal States. Casperia’s hilltop position and imposing crenellated walls have been basically meaningless ever since. Changes in transportation technology and the post-war trend for the countryside’s younger generation to move away to seek employment and a new life in Italy’s larger cities has sucked the vitality of many of Sabina’s hill towns. Casperia’s centro storico, the historic social and commercial hub of the comune, which once boasted a bank, an alimentari (grocery store), at least two macellerie (butcher shops) a frutteria, a latteria (milk shop), a beauty parlour, a working frantoio (olive press), and a tabacchi, not to mention a bar. 

Casperia's Piazza del Comune in 1935

However for many of the years we have visited here, the only commercial activity in the walled town was Friends Cafe, now Osteria Vigna, and two part time drinking establishments, Johnny Madge’s Gecko, and Al Solito Posto, (and an Orologiaio or clock store, which we never saw open). The commercial core of the town has transplanted itself outside Casperia’s gates, which is car accessible and therefore easier to reach not only by customers but by suppliers as well.

Modern commercial buildings outside Casperia's Porta Romana

This trend has been challenged by a number of people recently. For about a year or so, a very interesting artist’s shop, which also sold jewellery and women’s accessories, made a go of it on Via Cola di Rienzo, but sadly, it closed just before Christmas of 2014. Though not exactly “inside” the centro storico, though technically “inside” the castle walls, a popular Lego, yes Lego shop has opened near the Porta Romana in the old Pro Loco office. Customers go and make what they want with the Lego and the Lego is then apparently sold by weight. 

The subject of this post though, concerns the opening of an organic vegetable, fruit and honey store at #20 Via Tomassoli run by two friends of ours, Paolo Nucciotti and his wife Sarah Defranchi. 

Paolo and Sarah admire Genovese and cinnamon basil plants which they plan to give away during their store's opening 

Paolo was born in Rome and Sarah was born in Genoa. They have been living here in Casperia for the past two years. Their 14 month old son Luca was born here in Casperia. Paolo and Sarah’s 5.5 hectare farm, which they have been operating as organic for the past two years but is waiting to be legally certified, lies on an olive tree dotted fertile sunny slope of land just below the ruins of the medieval village of Caprignano. There they produce potatoes, zucchine, leafy greens and other vegetables, as well as their own Sabina D.O.P. olive oil. Recently, they bought a number of hives of bees so they will be soon producing and selling their own honey too.

Paolo and Sarah have and association with a group of organic farmers based in Forano dedicated to promoting local, sustainable, organic agriculture called VerdeFoglia Bio. The members of VerdeFoglia Bio have land producing organic greens and vegetables. They not only produce and sell organic produce, they use their land and their resources to teach others how to grow organically and sustainably. 

Wooden boxes lined with heavy paper ready to receive lettuces, zucchine, beet greens and other produce 

For months, Paolo and Sarah have been working very hard to refurbish the property at Via Tomassoli,10 and get it ready to function as their store. Over the months I have watched Paola and Sarah working on the store, it has been totally and beautifully transformed.

This beautiful olive tree bonsai was a gift to Paola and Sarah from their friend and neighbour Yoshinari

The property was once a frutteria. The mother of the current owner planted the giant ivy that now sprawls above the door of the store during the time she worked there. 

Stefano and Zara on their morning walk pass by the store as Sarah gets everything ready for the opening

A few weeks back, our friend Antonio’s old art shop across the street at Via Cola Rienzo, 24 was reopened as a women’s clothes store. Who knows? Perhaps now with a Lego store down the road and a women’s clothing store across the way, not to mention the new Fendi Sewing School opening soon on Piazza del Comune, there will be enough local and outside traffic to support everyone. I sure hope so.

Paolo and Sarah’s Ortofrutta opened this morning around 9 o’clock. Sarah was still working lining wooden boxes with paper making them ready to receive the beautiful lettuces, striped romanesco zucchine, and beet leaves harvested from their garden earlier in the morning. 

When I arrived to do my interview for this post, Paolo was still out picking up a basketful of freshly picked red cherries and some last minute greens. I wandered down to the Porta Romana where I saw him pull up in a borrowed truck. 

“Ti serve una mano?” “Do you need a hand?” I asked. Paolo smiled and let me carry up the cherries.

Back at the store, customers were arriving in twos and threes. The box of beautiful organic romanesco zucchine which had been full when I left the store 15 minutes ago was now half empty. 

Paolo arranged the box of cherries in among the other boxes full of fresh greens. I noticed a back of black coloured nuts. “Cosa sono?” “What are they?” I asked. 

Paolo explained that they were a type of local sweet almonds. do you want to try one he asked, reaching for a tool to break one open. 

I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t like any almond I had ever eaten before… It was fresh, sweet, with a beautiful consistency. So this is what an almond right off a tree tastes like, I thought. Well not exactly. Paolo explained to me that the almonds needed to dry out for a period after they were picked before they could be eaten. 

I didn’t buy any almonds this morning. I had to content myself with a beautiful big head of Romaine lettuce. Tonight I will try my hand at making a Caesar Salad. But I knew that the next time we visited Paola and Sarah’s store that we would be buying a large bag of those beautiful almonds, and that the next time that we visited the Poggio Mirteto Friday Market that we were going to need to buy a nutcracker, and perhaps a cherry pitter too. Cherry pie…. Hmmmmm!

From June 5, 2015, Paolo and Sarah’s Ortofrutta store will be open Friday and Saturdays from 09:00 to 13:00 when it will close for the lunch break and will reopen later in the afternoon from 17:00 to 20:00. 

Their store will also be open on Sunday mornings from 09:00 to 13:00. Besides seasonal organic fresh fruit and vegetables, they also sell a variety of bulk dry herbs and spices and honey as well. 

It is located at Number 20 Via Tomassoli which is the road that starts at Casperia’s Porta Romana and the Lego store and climbs up into the town through a second gate just past Osteria Vigna. If you watch Manuel Montenari's short film “Da qui se ne vanno tutti” you can see how to get to the shop as the protagonist passes by it in the film between 3:49 and 3:54. 

SABINA TRAVELOGUE 2013 PART 21 - SCIROCCO & AMADEO'S FARM IN CANTALUPO - March 25, 2013

Scirocco, Amadeo's prize Chianina bull

Outside of Cantalupo on the SR313 is the GS Supermarket. When you cannot find what you want at the smaller Conad Market in Casperia, this is one of the places where people go to shop when they don't want to bus or drive all the way to Poggio Mirteto.

Entrance photo of G.S. Market Cantalupo courtesy of G.S. Market Cantalupo website

A while back, our friend Stefano showed us how to make the ragù he uses at his restaurant. It was quite a process that required specific ingredients including above all Sabina D.O.P. extra virgin olive oil from our friend Andrea's parents' farm at Castelnuovo di Farfa, and certified organic beef which Stefano buys at GS Market from Amedeo, one of the owners who works behind the well stocked butcher and deli counter there. 

One day Stefano took us to shop at G.S. Market and introduced us to Amedeo, an ex-policeman of sturdy build. We got to talking about the meat he sold, much of which is raised on his own farm. On top of the counter there was a large display explaining the Chianina breed of cattle he raises. Stefano explained that this was the breed of cattle which produced the meat that he used at the restaurant. 

Amedeo went on to explain that the Chianina was one of the oldest breeds of cattle in the world and that because of their massive size and strength Chianina were, up until recently, primarily used as draught animals.

Stefano explained to Amedeo that I wrote a blog about the Sabina. Amedeo in turn invited us to come visit him on his farm and see Scirocco, his massive prize Chianina bull.   

My mother was brought up on  farm in Prince Edward Island. My father, when he was in his teens, worked on a turkey farm associated with the University of Guelf in Ontario. It is my guess that both of them are much more acquainted with the circle of life that sees cute baby cows, pigs, lambs and chickens eventually end up on a dinner plate.

During my close to sixty years on this planet I, as a privileged North American, have consumed more than my fair share of animal protein. I am fully aware of what happens behind the scenes in order for me to eat a steak, a burger, a roast chicken, or a rack of lamb. There have been times in my life when I was headed toward vegetarianism but never quite made it. Heaven help me, I am a meat eater.

So it was quite an experience to drive out with Stefano and Nicoleta and visit Amedeo's farm and meet his prize Chianina bull Scirocco... a gentle, Ferdinand of a bull if I ever met one. 

The perspective is a bit misleading. Scirocco is a huge, magnificent animal

These younger Chianine were quite curious... Perhaps we were the first Canadians they had seen on the farm

Amedeo led Scirocco out of his pen so that we could get a better look. Remember, Amedeo himself is a big burly man... This hopefully gives you an idea of how big Scirocco is.

We were then invited to stand beside Scirocco for a picture... The reason why Richard and I look large relative to this majestic bull is that we were standing a few respectful paces away.

Here I was standing beside not only over 2000 years of breed history... the same breed of white cattle that most likely pulled Romulus' plow when he was delineating the initial boundaries of his new city Rome...

Photo of this suovetaurelia courtesy of Wikipedia

...the same magnificent white bulls you see in the Ara Pacis and other ancient Roman monuments showing the suovetaurelia, a pig, a sheep and a bull being led to the sacrifice....  

but also, sadly one day for Scirocco, the famous beef used when cooking Bistecca alla fiorentina, and Stefano's ragù.

Amedeo's farm lies among gently rolling green hills to the south of Cantalupo near the recently restored Sant'Adamo church. 

To the east you have a wonderful view of Poggio Catino. 

Poggio Catino in the distance

To the west is a checkerboard of pastures and olive groves from which Amedeo harvests some great Sabina D.O.P. Olive oil.

Scirocco, from all that I could see, led a pretty good life on Amedeo's farm. He is a prize stud bull... He gets all the food, sex and rest a guy could need... But then there is the dark at the end of the tunnel...  

When we visited Amedeo's farm the clock had been ticking for Scirocco... Apparently he only had a couple of more weeks to left and then...  By the time we would be heading back to Canada, Scirocco would be slaughtered, butchered, and end up as so many anonymous cuts of meat on a plate of fine china served on a candle-lit white linen covered table with a side of roast potatoes, a steaming plate of chicory, and a great bottle of Sagrantino. Hopefully, at some point in the meal, the thoughts turn from business, or romance, or the impending bill, to the source of the delicious steak on the plate... and that the diners are mindful and thankful.

When I was younger, we would always say grace before meals. "For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful. Amen." I understood that we were thanking God for the food on the table, and asking God to bless what we were about to eat.  

Here in the Sabina, there it is impossible to delude oneself into thinking even for a second that steaks and chops are born in the supermarket. When you see a chicken at the macelleria, it still has its head and feet attached. Along with the nicely prepared loin cuts, roasts and steaks are displayed more recognizable body parts: pigs feet, beef tongue, tripe, even lambs heads... 

Their lifeless eyes stare out of the glass case at you as you are waiting for your sausage and pork chops... 

No... Meat comes from animals... Soft, cuddly, cute, sometimes affectionate, pain-feeling animals.

I remember a Jamie Oliver show from a couple of years back. I think it was called Jamie's Great Italian Escape. It was a brilliantly done culinary tour of Italy in which Jamie visited a number of different Italian regions sharing their culinary treasures... The highlight for me was when Jamie visited Farfa Abbey and worked with the monks in the Abbey kitchen. I loved it...  

One of the things that struck me about that particular show was when Jamie was going to cook lamb and the family who owned the farm invited Jamie to actually slaughter the little sheep... something he had never done before.  I don't know if I could ever do that myself... I have caught, killed, butchered and eaten salmon and other fish, but a lamb or a calf... I don't think I could do it... 

Posing with Stefano and Nicoleta, Amedeo's son and wife and the family's sheep dogs.  

But that is the life of those who live and work on a farm. From what I could see and understand Amedeo and his family are committed to raising top quality animals raised in an idyllic environment and which are fed only natural and organic feed. And I am grateful to these amazing people who do this work that puts meat on my table... 

Nicoleta gets an inquisitive nudge from a sheep dog while I make friends with another

Later that night, back at Il Sogno, we had a light meal... Italian olives, bruschette with mountain prosciutto (pig), a salad of arugula, tomatoes, and chickpeas, and some of Richard's amazing risotto with porcini funghi (chicken in the stock).  

As we prepared the meal I reflected on each ingredient and its origins... This and that comes from plant... This prosciutto was a pig's leg... once attached to hopefully a happy living pig... Chickens died for this rice rice dish... It wasn't a macabre meditation... I was being mindful and feeling thankful.   

Postscript: At the time of this writing. one and a half years after our visit to Amedeo's farm and our encounter with Scirocco, it is our understanding that Scirocco, for the time being anyway, is still with us.