THE AMIATA MOUNTAIN

THE AMIATA MOUNTAIN

A full “Natural Basket” of typical products (Oil and Chestnuts)
there are no facilities along this route

suggest a facility along this route


The Land

While you get in the land between the provinces of Siena and Grosseto you forcely encounter one of the mountain tops representing the Toscana region besides of the whole Appennini mount-chain or the better known marble caves of Carrara province.

We talk about Amiata Mountain , that is an ex volcano whose cliffs are across the province of Siena and Grosseto and for ages it has been well known about the extraction of Cinnabar.

 That was known to Etruscans and Romans who used it both as a tanning matter (purple red that was used to tan fabrics, to mix with colours to paint walls or for paintings and for branding cattle breeds) and to extract metallic mercury.

As it occurs in other areas of the same nature the ancient volcano activity (has produced and) still produces sulphur that can be smelt in spa sources of Asso Valley and Crete Senesi or Orcia Valley.

 

 

The chestnuts from Amiata IGP

Around Chestnut tree and its fruit in Amiata Mountain for a long time several activities have been revolving; that is the reason why on last February 16th 2000 43 members in Arcidosso decided to give birth to an Association to give value to that fruit: that is called Association for the promotion of the Chestnut IGP from Amiata (Protected Geographical Indication).

What is the target to reach? To give value and protect the chestnut by the amelioration of production conditions, to provide technical information of associated firms, to promote cultural and scientific activities linked to that product, to organize technical courses specifically addressed to young people and eventually to promote the chestnut as a whole.

In these first years of life the Association has already reached several targets: the strengthening of social base that nowadays has got over the 300 units whose 200 can certify their own product.

As far as the marketing of fresh chestnut is concerned, a station for product packing has been created further to a project by the Association.

That establishment represents a concrete answer to the needs of producers and a fundamental moment for their chestnut growing.

Concerning the transformation of the product, after the realization of the plaint for Chestnut Beer that is produced in a Handicraft laboratory in Arcidosso village, they think it is fundamental to create an operative unit to end the chestnut line (from growing to eating).

As to preserve their chestnut patrimony they created some camps of care in order to avoid the disappearance of chestnut bio-diversities present in the Amiata chestnut woods. Concerning the promotion and advertising the Association participate to national and international events, among them in particular there is the project "thousand species for a sole warranty" in collaboration with other Tuscan DOP and IGP for the period 2008-2010 in the whole Europe and they organize local events since the last weekend of September for the whole month of October.

  • CASTEL DEL PIANO (GR) – Chestnut Feast
  • Abbadia San Salvatore (SI) – Autumn Feast
  • Monticello Amiata (GR) – Chestnut Feast
  • Vivo d’Orcia (SI) – Mushroom and Chestnut Feast
  • Arcidosso (GR) – Celebrating Chestnut
  • Cana (GR) – Biondina Feast Santa Fiora (GR) – Feast of the Santafiora Marrone chestnut
  • Piancastagnaio (SI) – The "Crastatone"
  • Campiglia d’Orcia (SI) – Marrone chestnut Feast

The collection occurs in Autumn season, by hand or by suitable mechanical tools so to safeguard the product.

In the collecting centres the fruits are left fermenting in some water at the same temperature as the environment’s for about 4-7 days and then dried off under the sunbeams, over the asphalt that can absorb them and allows a quick and successful drying; if it rains the chestnuts are placed in windy cells inside suitable containers.

Then the selection phase follows by which the chestnuts are shared according to their weight and the wrapping up in bags so that they are preserved as fresh and dry. Matters, tools and places used for production:

  • Collection tools
  • Windy Cells
  • Collection bags

By dried chestnuts you get even flour by which you once made bread and other products. The Amiata chestnut flour is light-brown coloured, sweet taste and intense smell of toasted chestnuts.

The product has to acknowledge its tradition mainly to the use of "METATI" for the 40 days of drying period and to the crushing by means of stone mills.

The use of this buildings provides the flour with a taste, a consistence and organic quality totally different from those of the flours industrially produced.

Once the chestnuts are collected and sorted out they are brought to the Seccatoio (Drying area),they are laid down over a wood grill placed upstairs (about 2 meters over the ground) and dried by warmth and smoke of a fire that is lit up on the ground floor.

After the drying operation, lasting about 40 days, the chestnuts are peeled, preserved in jute bags and then delivered to the area mill. From the bags the chestnuts are reversed onto a hopper linked to the stone mills by means of which the milling is made.

The flour that is obtained is then stocked in suitable containers checking up the duration and modes of this process.
The Matters, the tools and places used for production are: METATI for drying Jute Bags Hopper Miller stones That is the purpose for which the Association for Valorisation of Amiata Mountain chestnut PGI that was born in Arcidosso (GR) on the 16th of February 2000.

The founders members are 43 among them are 8 public and 35 private institutions including chestnut growers and sellers.

Nowadays the Association count more than 200 members. By the arrival of the PGI the valorisation of Chestnut sphere in the Amiata mountain has undoubtedly led to a further reprise of chestnut trees cultivated areas previously abandoned (that will increase the 5151 hectares already cultivated) and to an increase of the lands value for market.

A project of research about genetics and morphology of our chestnut woods has been elaborated and now it is still in an actuation phase working with Regional Association called A.R.S.I.A. (www.arsia.toscana.it) the University of Firenze (www.unifi.it) and Siena (www.unisi.it about the research of GENOMA of cultivars existent in Amiata Mountain.

Particularly the project concerns the jurisdictions of CASTIGLIONE D’ORCIA, ABBADIA S.SALVATORE, PIANCASTAGNAIO as a part of the COMUNITÀ MONTANA AMIATA VAL D’ORCIA and ARCIDOSSO, CASTELDELPIANO, CINIGIANO, SEGGIANO within the COMUNITÀ MONTANA AMIATA GROSSETANA.

A Sales Marketing study about PGI and a project for realising a marketing line both for fresh chestnut and for the treated one, to be realised in collaboration with the CONSORZIO AGRARIO PROVINCIALE of Grosseto.

Association for the improvement of IGP "Monte Amiata" chestnut

The Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Though the cultivation of chestnut tree in Amiata area has been limited by climate and altitude factors, its presence is mainly due to the existence of a local cultivar (Arcidosso, Castel del Piano and Seggiano areas): such olivastra and its pollinator, the "GIOGLIAIO" that is not encountered in any other olive grove in Italy, featured by a remarkable resistance to lower temperatures.

The oil obtained by Olivastra from Amiata is special for its productivity (in some years you reach and touch or get over the 29-30% level) and for its content of acidity (so low that it is classified among the most successful foods in anti-cholesterol diets, especially if it is used as raw).

The medium production per plant is about of 15 kg, even though in favourable years some plants can produce quintals of olives.

In other areas of Amiata land, with a very high rate of olive production (Comuni di Cinigiano, Roccalbegna, Semproniano, a part of Castel del Piano and Arcidosso), other species of olives exist such as: Moraiolo, Leccino and Frantoio; those species are spread all over Toscana Region.

The olive growing in the Comunità Montana area, is practiced by 2700 farms within an extension of about 2.500 hectares. A part of the lands destined to that kind of culture have been abandoned or have been degenerating for a long time, so it is necessary to intervene for recovering the existent patrimony even considering a new economical interest for that sector. 
 You can count about 400.000 olive trees despite of the frequent freezing (the last is the 1997 one). The olive colture acts an important function concerning landscape and land safeguarding, especially through hilly areas, that is an extremely important function as far as the rural development is concerned.

The structures for treatment of the olives existent in the land are 18. In Cinigiano there is one of the major Oil Mills in Grosseto Province managed by the Cooperative "Colline Amiatine" (Amiata Hills).

By pieces of information which Comunità Montana dell’Amiata Grossetana provided us with You can come to knowledge of an olive cultivar waiting for a DOP acknowledgement regarding the final product:
The Oil from Seggiano (cultivar: Olivastra Seggianese). The Olive Oil is among the agriculture products subjected to Common Organisation of Markets (COM – Italian OCM); that ruling says that since November 1st 2001 only Olive groves planted before May 1st 1998 will be able to use Production Helps (except for well definite limited dispensations). 

The "OLIVASTRA" from Seggiano

You need to say that "where the olive tree finishes the olivastra from Seggiano starts".

That is because the climate conditions to which it has adjusted itself to produce olives make it a unique plant.

The Olive trees producing Olivastra from Seggiano are very tall, the drupes are generally small and plants are large-sized if you compare them to the most diffused ones.

Its "cultivar" come from the "Olea Europea Sylvestris" then during the ages it adjusted itself to micro-climate of the Amiata Mountain.

Its high altitude (in some cases it reaches the 650 meters above sea level) protects it against the "oil fly" and so it does not need particular treatments against parasites.

Association for the care of the DOP "Seggiano" Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Loc. Colonia 58031, Arcidosso (GR)
phone / facsimile 0564 4969615
Web site

By the crushing of its olives a particularly rich in polyphenols oil bears out and, since they are natural antioxidant they make the oil longer living and more healthy.

In 2002 an association of producers was born to care about the regular and correct execution of different passages from the countryside to the shelves of the best shop in the whole world; therefore, besides the ward the association is even a valid mean to promote the culture of the extra virgin olive oil and of the Amiata Mountain area.

Dealing with Olive Oil has become a vogue topic, the oil means health, the oil means pleasure, the oil is pleasure of the mouth and when it is well matched to the good food it makes unique and inimitable even the poorest dishes.

Only few years ago you could see the Extra Virgin Olive Oil as a simple lubricant for salads, while today, in the modern Italian cooking, you have succeeded in making excellent matching that previously were unthinkable.

The Recipes

Chestnut Soup

Ingredients: Chestnuts 300 gr Onion 1 Milk 3 litri Pepper q.b. Salt or Sugar q.b. A rope of DOP "SEGGIANO" Extra virgin Olive Oil
Time: 60’
Cooking Process: The night before cooking put the white chestnuts in some water. Let a little onion fry in a pot with some butter, add the chestnuts and merge under some milk. Cook everything on a low flame for about 1 hour while mixing slowly not to let chestnuts break. As they are cooked just add some salt and a rope of "Seggiano" Extra Virgin Olive Oil. You can add even a tea-spoonful of sugar instead of the salt. That soup is excellent even if you eat it cold the day after.

Bread crusts with chicken livers

Ingredients for 4 people: 400 gr of Chicken livers or spleen "Seggiano" Extra Virgin Olive Oil, onion, capers, 2 spoonful of vinegar 2 anchovies salt and pepper as enough roasted tuscan bread parsley

Cooking process: Mill the raw livers (or spleen or mix them together), capers and parsley, then put it in a pan where you have already some minced onion browned in some extra virgin olive oil and let it all fry at low flame. Thus water it down by some vinegar or even some broth in order to end up cooking. The mix must be soft and dense. Before leaving it out of the fire just add broken anchovies and capers twisting until the anchovies melt, and add some salt and pepper if necessary. Then cut some Tuscan bread and divide the slices in two parts, let it grill in the oven then slightly wet them on only one side by hot broth. Lay the mix on each half slice of bread and if you like garnish by parsley and capers.

Nettle flavoured Gnocchi with cottage cheese and Pennyroyal

Ingredients for 4 people: for gnocchi: 800 gr. Of potatoes 175gr. Of flour, 100 gr. Of Nettle boiler and minced by mixer salt. For dressing: 200 gr. Of sheep cottage cheese, a small bunch of Pennyroyal, Seggiano Extra Virgin Olive Oil Sweet garlic (scalogno) Salt Grains of white pepper.

Cooking Process: Prepare gnocchi. Then boil some olive oil in a pan and add some finely minced sweet garlic (scalogno), a part of Pennyroyal cut in stripes and cottage cheese. Cook gnocchi and jump them in some cottage cheese, add some salt and end up cooking with some pepper. Before serving add the remaining Pennyroyal finely minced.