MAPPING TUSCANY

GAT Scansano's vegetable box  House-delivered, tasty and organic only Nothing makes me happier than the weekly arrival of our organic vegetable box from Scansano. At least from spring to autumn. The sight of a box full of cabbages in the winter can be a little disheartening even for a lifelong vegetarian like me.  Italy is Europe's biggest producer of organic food (w hich may come as a surprise, considering that the country is better known for its garbage heaps in Naples and other  ecological crimes).  Around 50'000 farms and wineries in Italy are certified organic and almost 20% of the country's agricultural land is farmed according to organic or biodynamic standards.  Nevertheless, organic vegetable boxes haven't been around for too long. At least not in the Tuscan countryside, where distribution is complicated due to low population density.  A group of hardworking Italians is about to change this now. If you're a resident in Maremma,...

What better time to learn about synergistic gardening than spring. Just when we all want to get outside and spend some time working the soil. Whether it's the hard, unyielding and maddening chunks of earth in a Tuscan olive grove or the black and crumbly material filling the terracotta pots on our balconies.  Synergistic agriculture was invented by Emilia Hazelip, who integrated the theories of Japanese microbiologist Fukuoka Masanobu into her work. Agriturismo Le Pianore is organising a seminar with Mattia Pantaleoni, a member of the Italian Organisation of Permaculture and teacher at the Italian School of Synergistic Agriculture .