LIFE IN A HOLIDAY FARM

In the autumn months, our farmhouse lights up with wonderful shades of colour ranging from yellow to red without losing any hint of burgundy and brown. A sight to behold!

A few days before the olive pruning, a practicle pruning course was held at La Fonte agritourism!
We have about 400 olive trees arranged in the shape of an amphitheater that produce four different varieties of olives – Raggiola, Frantoio, Morella and Corniola – from which we obtain La Fonte extravirgin olive oil.

Like every year, we harvested olives which is an activity we care a lot about.
Because it gathers the whole family!
Because it allows us to produce our delicious La Fonte extra virgin olive oil!
Our oil has an acidity index of 0.01% and is therefore extra virgin because it has an acidity between 0 and 0.8%.
We care a lot because the 400 olive trees of the olive grove are an important part of the farm and are arranged in an amphitheater in a space near the apartments.

Our swimming pool is open again!
A path covered with a refreshing blanket of grass that leads from the apartments to the lawn around the swimming pool.
Near the swimming pool there is a ping-pong table, a shower and deck chairs for sunbathing.
Salt water is a panacea for cooling off on hot summer days.
Enjoy the view of the surrounding hills and relax surrounded by nature!

Since last September Marco has been working to complete the project of our field cultivated with hay!
In March, he resumed working on the field and sowed a mixed pasture for horses.
He took advantage of the good weather and mild days to prepare the field with excavator, disc harrow, hoe and to sow. The sowing was followed by a few moments of rain.

Now we just have to wait a few weeks to see the hay sprout!

To learn more about the previous steps, read further down on this page: Large plowed field to be cultivated with hay and The grubber.

 

Life at our farm includes the daily care of our six beautiful horses!
Here they are: Nina, Luna, Nero, Ballerina, Molly and the professor!

Paola goes down to the stable 2 times a day.
In the morning, the care of the horses includes the thorough cleaning of the stable and of the drainage channel, the supply of water, the division of the hay in the mangers.
In the afternoon, the cleaning of the stable is repeated, then Paola refills the water and prepares the hay for the next morning.

Our horses are always free to move in a couple of hectares of land, but they also have their own little house where everyone has their own place to eat!

 

Paola gives them water and feed them, cleans and tidies up the henhouse and the egg box and takes care of the mirror of water, near their henhouse, where they drink and where the geese and ducks bathe.

We have 3 geese, a rooster, 6 laying hens, 2 guinea fowl and 3 ducks.
In the morning at sunrise, they eat sunflower seed and corn. They drink the water in which Paola adds a drop of vinegar to disinfect it.

An area of the farm is dedicated to backyard animals. They live outdoors, move around and everyone of them has a wide space available. This area is isolated enough for animals to be quiet, but is easily accessible from the apartments. Our younger guests can spend time and have fun discovering the beautiful world of our courtyard animals!

The olive trees in our farm produce three types of olives: Raggiola, Morella and Corniola.
The RAGGIOLA is an olive that is a bit lighter, longer and greener than the other two varieties.
The MORELLA is darker than the Raggiola, but otherwise resembles it.
The CORNIOLA, on the other hand, stands out because it is smaller and rounder than the others. It is also more difficult to detach from the branches of the tree.

Contact our farm to buy LA FONTE EXTRA VIRGIN OIL obtained from the processing of our olives!

 

Our family has spent some days to harvest the olives.
The first phase consists in spreading out the nets on the earth under the olive trees.
We then detached the olives from the branches with the help of the rakes.
The olives were placed in crates and brought to the mill where they were squeezed and bottled.

In October Marco closes our salt water pool.
The swimming pool is open, exclusively for our guests, during the warm period.
In the area dedicated to the pool, our guests can cool off, swim, relax enjoying the surrounding greenery, sunbathe and refresh themselves with a nice shower.

Marco closes the pool during the winter in order to preserve it and to make it work at its best in the summer. The pool is covered with a special cover.
The cover prevents pine needles and leaves from falling into the swimmingpool water and stops the birth of seaweed.
A pump is placed in the center of the pool. When the rainwater begins to weigh too much, the pump removes it from above the swimmingpool cover. In this way the rainwater’s weight can’t push the cover down.
Due to the wind, the cover could fly away, so Marco makes sure to fix it with weights along the entire perimeter. He also washes the pool filter very carefully and then put away umbrellas, sunbeds, deck chairs and ladders.

Now everything is ready for the pool reopening in spring!

In September we plowed one of our fields which will then be cultivated with hay.

We had to wait a few weeks longer than expected to restart working on the field because, after some rainy days, it was too muddy.
The wait gave positive results and Marco passed the grubber!

The grubber is used to remove the roots in the soil and to level the ground, where it is possible, by breaking the clods already plowed.
Now, during the autumn period and the first part of winter, the soil can rest. Marco will then pass the harrow and dedicate himself to sowing!

An Italian tradition that has been handed down from generation to generation. The clothes hanging in the sun are traditional in the streets of Italian historic centers and have often been shot in Italian cinema and for a long time have colored our imagination.

The threads are laid between the buildings, moved by pulleys or protrude from the balconies. The important thing is that clothes are dried by the sun in the open air.
The facades of the buildings, old alleys, farm and courtyards are colored by freshly washed sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths and clothes.

At La Fonte we have a large wooden drying rack in a sunny area. What a joy to see colorful towels swaying in the wind!

We have a lot of space at our disposal and we know that the clothes hanging in the sun have a very good smell of clean even more intense than usual!

The activities dedicated to wood are among the most important jobs to be carried out during the fall.

600 quintals of wood have already been stacked by Marco in two stacks: one of logs and one of branches.
The two stacks are near the field which will be cultivated with hay and are not visible from the apartments.

The branches will follow the long drying process during which they will be gradually cut.
The logs, on the other hand, will be split in four and then cut into strains. The strains are placed in an outdoor woodshed where they are left to dry.

Near the woodshed there is the area of ​​the farmhouse dedicated to our beautiful animals: chickens, rooster, goat, guinea fowl, geese and ducks!

The wood will be used to light the stove, the fireplace, the barbecues and the wood-burning oven.

In September we move from summer to autumn.
On the one hand, we keep the swimming pool functioning and our guests can still enjoy the open and green spaces, on the other hand we start the first activities for the autumn and winter season.

Marco has already plowed a field inside the farmhouse, far from the apartments, but easily reachable with a nice and relaxing walk.
This field will be cultivated with hay. Today it is recognizable by the large clods of soil.
On our farm in April there will therefore be a beautiful green lawn, while in May we will dedicate ourselves to cutting hay!

We will produce hay balls for our beautiful horses who often trot, stroller or graze among the olive trees of the farm. Come at La Fonte holiday farm to see them!