Field trip

The second load of stone lifted from the haricot and chickpea plot, at something like 10kg a metre squared. La terra is really bassa (see previous).

I’m thinking of starting a TerraBassa Tuscany experience.

A hands-on close-up view of pre- industrial Casentino peasant life.

Activities will include

stone picking,

bramble hacking,

wood splitting and uphill hauling using a genuine Casentino ‘treggia’ (oxen- hauled sled - oxen not included)

mosquito trapping

fence and terrace repairs and rebuilding.

Copious wine, fresh produce and rich bean stews with nightly bbqs and illuminations from the fireflies will be provided.

The opening workshop - Whither the Art of Renaissance Wood-stacking - based on Piero della Francesca’s treatise: Torto magno metodo Novegius legna stacco - will be led by Fortunato (safety clothing not provided).

Other activities will include:

Nature walks and canyoning with the irrepressible Giulio,

Four generations of vernacular building with Raffaelo,

Tuscan paintwork and hand colour mixing with Emmanuele,

Viabilità e commerciabilità: Buying a house in the Casentino with Gianluca,

Local baked and preserved specialities with Silvia,

The Casentino national park with Nadia,

‘The phytosanitary implications of climate change: a Tuscan turning point?’ by The Boss.

In 2019 a Sig. Giorgio Monbiota will present a polemic on:

‘The Wolf, the Tiger Mosquito and the Acacia: missteps in rewilding and species transfer.’ (Free subscriptions to The Guardian included).

I will provide tools, (Renaissance axes not included) a bottle opener and hydrotherapy (sitting by the spring watching water flow out of the ground - groundwater permitting).

Field trips to include:

The local water-fired flour mill,

The magnificent Casentino beech forests,

Wine and grappa tasting at the Ponte a Poppi wine shop (minibus transfer included and complimentary corkscrews from mine host),

La Verna and the Franciscan way,

Cycling the high Casentino gravel roads,

River swimming in the Arno headwaters,

‘Alla funghaia’ (what not to eat in the woods)

Finishing with a 24 endurance test with the Caiano charcoal burners.(spaghetti carbonara included).

For the more adventurous a motorcycle race to the top of the Consuma Pass and microlight trips with Tito the hardware merchant will be available (insurance not included).

A late autumn workshop will focus on:

‘Conquering your fear of heights, widths and ladders: a comparative approach. ‘

I will lead in a grounded manner this experiential progression through the time-honoured cycle of olive, chestnut and sorbus harvesting on a series of ever-longer and ever-popular antique ladders with additional road-time in the narrow lanes of Fiesole (transport not provided).