Cinta Sinese (aka "Prosciutto") Tour

The next morning was one for enjoying and exploring some of the cool things about Spannocchia: we were going on the Cinta Sinese Tour! (or as T likes to call it, the Prosciutto Tour!) :)

We met in front of the Fattoria and got to talk to Carrie, our tour guide for a bit while we waited for the rest of the group. We were the only ones on the tour staying at Spannocchia- the rest were a family staying in Sovicille, the next town over.

This family, it turns out, were also Americans, and they were in Tuscany celebrating the grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary! Grandma and Grandpa had done more travelling- they went to Turkey first- and the rest of the family flew here from all over the US to celebrate and have a vacation together! They seemed to be having a great time, and they reminded me of our family, only instead of having their family reunion/get-togethers with a picnic at Nana's, they traveled together! The kids were in the 6-16ish range, but the teenagers stayed back at their villa and slept in- they didn't want to be bothered with a dorky "pig tour!" :)

Anyway, with all of us now being scattered across the country, it made me wonder what our family reunions are going to be like in the future, as these first little ones grow up and are joined by more cousins! We're already travelling all over the country for each others' weddings, so who knows? Family, don't laugh- you never know! ;)

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So the first thing we did once the tour started was meet the pigs.



The pigs raised at Spannocchia are of an heirloom breed called Cinta Sinese. Cinta means band, or ribbon, and Sinese means Sienese. So suddenly the name of the tour made sense: we get to meet the pigs who are named after their region and their distinctive stripe around their middle!



In keeping with the sustainable goals of Spannocchia, the livestock here is all of heirloom breeds. Historically, domesticated animals were very local- they were bred and raised over the centuries with traits that worked well in that particular region.



With the industrialization of agriculture we are losing many of these breeds, as farmers focus their efforts on the standardized, "higher yielding" breeds, just as they are with varieties of apples, tomatoes and anything else you can think of. This is a huge loss, from ecological, cultural and gastronomical standpoints.



Spannocchia is one of the places where great efforts are being made to preserve the heritage of these Cinta Sinese pigs, along with the other animals and crops raised and grown here. (SO cool!) They breed the pigs as carefully as any thoroughbred dog- or horse- raiser does: watching for the trademark traits, and maintaining a strong line of these animals.



Cinta Sinese pigs are very much associated with this region. There is a 14th century fresco by Ambrogio Lorenzetti in Siena's Palazzo Pubblico, or town hall, of "Allegory of Good Government" and "Allegory of Bad Government." (yes, I had to look this up!) On the "Good Government" side, along with the happy and industrious people are Cinta Sinese pigs! The fact these pigs are depicted is indicative of their place in the local heritage.



...so now you've gotten to meet the pigs, too! :)

We walked further up the hill, to meet the piglets, and learn how they are fed.



Here's another one of the dry-laid stone retaining walls I was telling you about in the last post. Also, note where I am in relation to the group. Unless I do a good job editing my pictures, you'll notice that most of them are from this perspective- I'm too busy taking far too many pictures to keep up with the group! (thanks for putting up with your shutterbug friend, AM and T!) :)

This is one of the fields where the pigs hang out.



They weren't anywhere to be found. It was getting to be a hot day already, and Carrie thought they had probably found some cool spots in the shade at the edge of the field. So she taught the kids how to call them:

Maiale! To! To! To!

No pigs. The kids thought it was pretty cool, though, and kept calling, in time to the stick they were banging on the ground as they walked, and in a sing-songy kid-sort of way. (Yeah. They SO easily could have been Bren and Aud!) :)

We got to meet two of the interns who were preparing the food for the pigs- Cinta Sinese pigs get to eat farro, too! Then we continued on to meet the piglets...

...but they went squeeeeaaaaling away as soon as they saw us coming! Oh well. :(



But we enjoyed some fresh-off-the-tree cherry plums on our way back down the hill!





Next we got to see where the meats are prepared, cured and stored. This all happens in the ivy-covered building on the left.



Here are the legs, curing into prosciutto!



Finally, we all sat down around the dining room table for a salumi tasting!



Salumi is a collective word meaning cured meats. Prosciutto is a type of salumi, as is salame. We had five different salumi on our plates, which we tasted, clockwise from the really white one at the 5:00 position around to the dark reddish one at 3:00: lardo, pancetta, prosciutto, capicolla, soppressata. (Thanks, AM, for remembering what they all were!) They were really yummy! We tasted all of these meats along with Tuscan bread, olive oil and white wine; the entire meal was made, start to finish, at Spannocchia!

It was pointed out to us that Tuscan bread has no salt in it. The meats are salty and fatty, and the local wine is very acidic, which cuts the fat. In that way, these three foods work very well together!

It was a fun and tasty start to our day! :)

Oh, and our run-in of sorts with the pigs the day before? They were Cinta Sinese pigs, hanging out on another part of the estate! Now we know. :)