Fattoria Bistecca is a family farm at the foot of Cortona, in the heart of the Valdichiana — the homeland of the Chianina breed of cattle. The farm takes its name from the Salvadori family’s own heritage: bistecca (T-bone steak), a nod to the great Chianina tradition of this valley.
The farm is run by Lapo (known to everyone as “Farmer Lapi”), his wife Paola (who tends the kitchen garden that supplies the classes), their daughter Ilaria (a trained chef who leads the cooking and cheese-making), and Laura. The whole family is present.
The “Under the Tuscan Sun” Connection
The farm’s sheep are the very flock that appears in the 2003 film Under the Tuscan Sun — they stop the bus in front of Bramasole at the pivotal moment when Frances decides to buy the house. The farm’s ricotta is also mentioned by name in the Under the Tuscan Sun Cookbook.
Pecorino Cheese-Making
Using unpasteurised raw sheep’s milk from the farm’s own flock, you learn the traditional Tuscan method of producing pecorino. You make three cheeses hands-on: raveggiolo (a fresh, delicate sheep’s milk cheese), pecorino, and ricotta. The experience ends with a tasting lunch on the terrace — panoramic views of the Valdichiana and Cortona.
Cooking with Ilaria
Ilaria’s classes draw on Paola’s kitchen garden for fresh seasonal produce and focus on classic Tuscan pasta: pici, tagliatelle, pappardelle, gnocchi, plus a seasonal antipasto. You prepare antipasto, two pastas, and a dessert, then eat together.
The Farm
The farmyard is home to ponies, sheep (the famous film flock), chickens, geese, ducks, doves, and turtle doves. Fifteen hectares planted with grain, sunflowers, alfalfa, and vines. A genuine working farm that is also wonderfully alive — especially for children.
