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"Questa
è la terra che ha ricoperto nella tomba i miei vecchi e i vecchi dei
miei vecchi e quei bambini che non ce la fecero ad avere i calli
nelle mani e nei piedi.
Questa terra, che quando la rivolti si
fa odorosa, forse non mi ricoprirà perché ora si mura tutto con il
cemento.
Questa terra è stata rivoltata dalle nostre vanghe fino
al cuore. Secoli di vanga. Anche a me, quando da ragazzo entravo nel
solco, ha fatto sentire la sua voce; ma c’erano anche quelle delle
streghe del grano e della vite"…
(in Magnelli, F., "Vinsanto in Terra di Arezzo /
cenni di una filosofia naturale e di un’etica della vite e del
vino", Identità Toscane – Erreemme ed., Provincia di Arezzo, II
edizione, 2004, p.8) |
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It was almost spontaneous to
use a title among the most famous ones of the American writer Ernest
Hemingway; either for himself, as a journalist, used to travel so
much and report his notes in his "Moleskine" (his personal notebook)
and then make some good pieces of it in US newspapers or to use them
as a source for enduring literary works; or for even the title
perfectly mirrors the travel that is suggested hereinafter by
starting from the Arno River source and ending up through woods and
fields in Casentino and the neighbour Pratomagno. If the Casentino
area nearby Stia, Pratovecchio and Badia Prataglia tears apart
Toscana region from Emilia Romagna, the Pratomagno, still in
Casentino for a part of it, tears Arezzo apart from Valdarno and the
most Florentine area.
VALDARNO WITHIN AREZZO
PROVINCE
Pratomagno side – Pian di Scò, Faella, Castiglion
Fibocchi, Sant’Agata, Poggio, Gello Biscardo, Isola d’Arno, Laterina, Impiano, Anciolina, La
Trappola, Rocca Ricciarda | |
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Laterina
: (historical news excerpt from the
web site of Laterina commune) The commune jurisdiction of Laterina, in the
Higher Valdarno, extends for about 20 square-km, both on the
plainside and on the hillside.
It was a feudal centre and
passed through by a variation of Cassia way during the Roman eve and
by the Arezzo Master Way in the Middle Age, then it became a
residence of a podestà. In 1774 it became the seat of a community.
Eversince the beginning of the XIth century, Laterina was a feud of
the Ubertini family from Arezzo. |
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It was occupied and garrisoned
by florentine armies in 1288 who provided it with a fortress as it
was considered the basis for Arezzo ghibellin party's incursions
throughout the valdarno.
In 1304 it went back to Ubertini's
power who besieged and conquered the castle as they were heleped by
Arezzo armies and by the Pazzi from Valdarno.
In 1326 it was
destroyed by Guido Tarlati and in 1336, as Buozzo degli Ubertini
became the bishop of Arezzo he handed it over to the florentine, who
provided to build up the fortress again.
In 1347 after a faliure
of an attempt of reconquer by Tarlati, in 1384 it was definitely possessed by the florentine Republic. The industry, that absorbs the half
of the local manpower is present in this area with a
plaint for the early handling of tobacco.
Mr. Magnelli in his work "Vinsanto in Terra di
Arezzo", invite the reader to take two roads along the Setteponti
way: the one towards Pratomagno Mountain, the other towards Arno
River, finding out the "Tempio di Santa maria in Valle" ("Temple of
Saint Mary in the Valley") where devotional acts were to protect the
harvests.
A refreshment by Vinsanto was offered to the
partaking families. During the Festa d’Estate (Summer Feast) the
Laterina Christ on the Cross (the Miracles’ one) is moved up to
Santa Maria in Valle.
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THE ZOLFINO BEAN FROM
PRATOMAGNO
At the slopes of Pratomagno,
where you can find age-old chestnuts trees and pore mushrooms in
large quantities, if the season is favourable you can find another
well known Slow food Presidio: the Zolfino bean.
After the
Discovery of the Americas (the New World), Charles V seems to have
introduced beans in Tuscany giving them as a present to the Pope
Clemente VII (in the world Giulio De’ Medici).
Besides the
most diffused "cannellino" and "Toscanello" beans here the above mentioned "Zolfino" and
"Coco Nano" beans survive. |
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Just because it is sewn
on the 100th day of the year it is also called "Fagiolo del 100"
(The Bean of 100") or even "Burrino" ("small butter") for its
consistency as it is cooked.
The "Zolfino" bean is
small, round, pale yellow and a thin skin. The production area is
within the Arno River and the Pratomagno mountain, in the Province
of Arezzo.
The preferred latitude is
between 250 and 300 mt, but it may grow up even at 600 mt a.s.l.
It prefers a poor earth
and it cannot survive on the plain for its almost superficial roots
apparatus cannot stand stagnation waters.
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usually during the month of April, often on the terraces under the
olive trees, so that water drains through the dry-stone walls.
Some years ago this kind
of bean could be found only in the fields of a few local farmers.
For a period it was even
disappeared for the minimum produced quantities and the prohibitive
prices of cultivation and sale as to the most common species.
The "Zolfino" bean keeps
on being the same as ever, no genetical alteration have been
adopted, so that some years of production it may happens that you
miss it because of the sudden frosts or summer hot peaks that it
suffers and that take it away from the market. |
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For those reasons
just mentioned pay attention to the speculations about its name! As
the "zolfino" beans are cooked they are thick and creamy and they
melt in your mouth as if they were butter. They can be tasted as
boiled, along with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (the more pickled and
fruity they are the better it is) and leaned upon roasted slices of
tus can bread or as side dish of Florentine Steak.
In the past they were
used to be put in a glass flask; that one, deprived of the narrowest
part of the neck after adding some water, olive oil, salt, hot
pepper, sage and hanging tomatoes, was put within the ash and the
still hot burnt wood, adding some water every now and then but
paying attention not to let it go and wet the flask by the outer
side not to risk that it could burst.
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The issue of what above is the
best recipe that glorifies not only the zolfino bean but also the
"cannellino".
The leftovers (whenever they were there) would
be excellent for "Ribollita" a recovery recipe as people used once
to apply.
The production area is within the sites
in the western side of the Pratomagno: the communes of Castiglion
Fibocchi, Laterina, Loro Ciuffenna, Terranova Bracciolini,
Castelfranco di Sopra, Piandiscò (all in the province of Arezzo) and
the commune of Reggello (province of Firenze). |
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FAGIOLI AL FIASCO (BEANS IN THE FLASK)
It is a recipe used by those ancient families
provided with wood oven and used to bake home-made bread on their
own. Once the bread is cooked, before throwing ash away, after
covering garlic plant with it, you take a typical Tuscan glass flask
which the straw shell has been left off from and cut its neck at the
point where the bottle starts to get larger.
Merge into it a little water and oil as enough, 300 gr of
dried cannellini species beans and previously softened in a little
water besides of a branch of sage, garlic, salt, pepper, hot
peppers, and cherry tomatoes (this recipe in Firenze does not
provide any tomato), the recipe is simple, it does not need
pre-cooking of any of its ingredients but you have to pay attention
not to get them dry too much and whenever they need more water add a
little more carefully without letting it exit from the neck not to
risk to let it burst in the oven. They can be served simply or over
some grilled bread slices and in rather wide bowls.
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Pappa al pomodoro (Tomato Pap)
Ingredients: 1 kg of
mature tomatoes; 350gr of dried bread; 1,5 lt. Of light broth, 4
garlic cloves, much of basil, 100 gr. of extra virgin olive oil,
salt and pepper. Wash the tomatoes, cut in dices, leave the seeds
off, then cook on a low flame. As the cook ends mash them.
Cut the bread in thin slices and let it
toast in the oven. Heat the broth then add it to the mashed
tomatoes, the bread slices, the oil, the minced garlic, the basil
leaves, salt and pepper. Cook it until the liquid has ended almost
completely by mixing often in order to reduce bread as a “pap”. That
soap is served both hot and cold and wet with a good extravirgin
olive oil. Serve it with a fresh basil leaf.
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where to eat
where to sleep
Ciboviaggiando suggests: