Corzano and Paterno Farm and its cheeses

Raise your hand if you do not like the quality of food! To this invitation few, very few probably none would react as requested. Yes it is true, “de gustibus non disputandum est,” but good food and good drink at every latitude on earth help one live better.

In most cases it is enough to be able to enjoy the gifts that Mother Nature gives us every day; in others, the skill of humans transforms those gifts daily into as many masterpieces that gladden our senses.

If you happen to be traveling along the Via Cassia heading south about fifteen kilometers from the pearl of the Italian Renaissance, you may be lucky enough to come across one of the many pleasure factories that dot the rolling hills of Tuscany: La Fattoria Corzano e Paterno. You will not find it along the state highway but at kilometer 17 you will have to pay attention to the signs and coming from Florence with a sharp turn to the left you will enter a dirt road and in ten minutes you will have reached your destination.

A word of advice to those who care about the suspension of their cars: moderate speed, no rush, and enjoy the wonderful corner of Tuscan paradise.

You have arrived. In general, the Tuscan countryside is inviting, it is stimulating. Intoxicating us with scents and enveloping us in flavors it helps us disconnect from the everyday. If you are then fortunate enough to find yourself at Fattoria Corzano and Paterno at dusk on a sunny summer day then you will think of nothing but letting your senses enjoy.

The official website reminds us that “The Corzano and Paterno Farm belongs to the Gelpke and Goldschmidt families, heirs of Swiss architect Wendelin Gelpke. The farm is the center of intense rural ‘activity to which they are all, directly or indirectly, connected. It covers two hundred hectares and produces wine, extra virgin olive oil and cheese. The property consists of two separate farms that were united in 1976 (…) Gelpke bought Fattoria Corzano in 1971 from descendants of the Niccolini, a noble Florentine family (…) The neighboring farm, La Fattoria di Paterno, was a much-loved property, consisting of the villa, a rectangular building with two inner courtyards around a central tower (the oldest part of the complex, dating from around 900) and three farmhouses with barns. In the past it had been owned by the Pitti family of Florence until the cost of building the Pitti Palace forced the family to sell in the 15th century. This was then inherited by the Rangoni-Macchiavelli family, who had many properties in the San Casciano-Montespertoli area. The family used the property as a hunting preserve, and the villa remained abandoned for many years. In 1976 the hunting law changed and the Rangoni-Machiavelli family decided to see it through. Gelpke once again proposed to buy it without altering its original form. The houses were in a state similar to those in Corzano. They had been practically abandoned and were in need of major repairs …”

A few lines to remark on an important history that from the 1970s to the present has seen the development of a thriving business, wisely dedicated to viticulture and later extended to dairy production of the highest quality.

I remember the first time that, together with my wonderful life and work partner, I went to the farm: every corner of the land, every stone of the pavement deserved a pause, a moment of peace. When my friend Oscar pointed me to the valley that opened up before our eyes, down to the rivulet of water to rise immediately to the time of the cluster of houses placed to the west, telling me that “our flock grazes here, in our lands” then I understood in an instant that from those lands, from those lush green fields could only be born masterpieces, and the cheeses of Fattoria Corzano and Paterno are.

One more excerpt from the official website: “At first, milk produced by our five hundred sheep was sold. Later, in 1992, a dairy began to operate within the farm. Antonia, after an apprenticeship with local cheesemakers to learn how to make Pecorino, began our production. After several attempts and with conscious experimentation, she created a range of sheep’s milk cheeses with an international reputation …”. I regarding the international reputation can only confirm and add, as we would say in our parts, that “they’re really good!”

A brief roundup of tempting flavors starting with the Picciò, with its small, round shape, fresh taste and intense milk flavor. Moving on to the Pecorino, processed at low temperatures to keep the natural aromas of fresh milk unaltered. Next comes the fantastic and unpredictable Buccia di Rospo, for its strong taste comparable to certain French cheeses. A soft and creamy cheese in summer under the peel, in autumn it is found more mature and firm while still maintaining the good taste of milk! The name is inspired by its particular “flowery rind,” gray and wrinkled like precisely that of a toad.

We come to Blue whose dough has a white color with typical blue veins and tends to crumble when cut. And again the Saffron with a yellow dough created by adding saffron (grown around Florence) and in addition green peppercorns that are more delicate than the black ones.

A small leap toward stronger, more seasoned flavors, and here we are at the Dante and the King’s Wheel: the former appears to be a cross between a classic Italian cheese and an English one. “…Its dough resembles a good Parmesan, but inspired by a great English cheesemaker I wrapped these big round wheels with linen soaked in lard, just like they do with real Cheddar.,,” The other is one of the first cheeses made to have a middle ground between plain pecorino and aged.

There are others but these are my favorites and so here I always stop ready, however, to be amazed again. Corzano and Paterno Farm can this and so much more.

Until next time.

Marino Macciò