An English travel writer, Eric Newby buys a run down farmhouse in rural Italy in 1967 and in his book “A Small in Place in Italy” recounts his experiences, where over 25 years he and his wife, Wanda spend their holidays renovating the property.

Olive grove

The property, known as "I Castagni" (the chestnuts) contained a small vineyard, chestnut and olive trees, and was located between the towns of Caniparola and Fosdinovo, across the River Magra in the foothills of the Apuan Alps in northern Tuscany bordering with Liguria. 

"It was a small, two-storey farmhouse, built of stone partially rendered with a cement that, over the years, had turned a creamy colour in some places and in others a lichenous green. The overall effect was of a building on the verge of becoming a ruin." (p.19)

"Now having crossed this road we entered a dream-like landscape, travelling down long, green tunnels of vines with steep banks...roofed in by pergole in which the trellises that supported the vines seemed to be groaning under the weight of the bunches of grapes; a landscape in which every seemingly endless vista led to another, as in a dream." (p.125)

Ripening grapes under a pergola

Grapes ripe for harvesting

The book was published in 1994. In this travel memoir and autobiography we learn of the relationships Eric and Wanda develop with the contadini, their farmining neighbours, and many of their antics. As they visit the property during the summer months the reader is provided with detailed accounts of the life of the local farmers and their annual grape (vendemmia) harvests and wine production.

“And throughout the surrounding countryside, and in the nearby towns and villages, relatives and friends were recruited to take part in the picking of the grapes and the crushing of them and the pressing of them. And wherever a quorum of contadini came together to talk was of nothing but the vendemmia.” (p.107)

Crushed grapes collected in a bigoncio

"The bigonci were slightly oval in shape and were made in the same way as a barrel, using staves. Just like the barrels, they too had to be thoroughly soaked in water for at least a couple of days before the vendemmia began, but unlike barrels they could be made to nest one inside the other when empty. Because of this they had no handles, which made them slippery things to deal with when fully loaded. In fact, all in all, they were not very well adapted for the purpose for which they were constructed, as empty they weighed about as much as their contents; but there was no doubt they were picturesque." (p.138)

bigonci used to grow cooking herbs