Hundreds of acres of wheat and barley, an olive grove that produces an excellent extra-virgin olive oil, as well as 1,500 sheep, over 100 Cinta Senese pigs, and various donkeys and horses that populate the fields, woods and ponds across the estate.
But Suvignano’s agricultural landscape also has something else to offer.
In recent years, we have seen a growing interest in rediscovering the joys of manual labour in the great outdoors, with many trying their hand at horticulture to grow both decorative plants and much of the produce they consume at home.
This is why, at Tenuta Suvignano, we have created a community garden, the “Orto della Legalità”, where young people are taught to appreciate the spirit of community and the beauty of manual labour in a setting that was made possible, in part, by the fight against organised crime in Italy.
The community garden is intended to help young people and others experiencing financial difficulties to be more self-sufficient, while also promoting social inclusion and providing an experience with therapeutic benefits. It is a model that is being widely implemented by the Region of Tuscany as part of the “100mila orti” (“100,000 gardens”) initiative to bring together the various experiences in the region and establish a shared set of rules.
