I’ve long wished to stay in an Italian agriturismo and the chance came when we saw a Naturetrek holiday advertised – Go Slow in Tuscany uses an agriturismo for accommodation – Fattoria il Duchesco, a farm/agriturismo in Alberese in the province of Grosseto in the Maremma. The Duchini family began the business in the 1970’s and it is now run by Cristina and Fabio, with help from Mateo, Cristina’s brother. Il Duchesco is certified organic and since 1997 the farm has been dedicated to energy saving; the restaurant offers ‘zero-kilometer products’ and has a 70% organic slow food philosophy, promising authentic Tuscan food plus wine from their own grapes.
When we arrived we were greeted by Cristina and Mateo; there was a table with tea, coffee, cakes and biscuits waiting – a daily event laid on for us – and then shown to our rooms. Most of us stayed in a terrace of single storey back-to-back standard rooms that followed the design of a typical hotel room, i.e. a bedroom with shelves, hanging space, desk with tv and a bathroom with state of the art shower. Although we didn’t have air-conditioning, some of the rooms did. Each of these `rooms` had a small outside space with table and chairs and views from the courtyard of the garden and farmland beyond. There are superior rooms available in the farmhouse and also in the onsite spa building but we were happy with our simple and clean room.
We had wonderful Tuscan cuisine during our stay. Breakfasts were mainly a cold buffet but toast, eggs, bacon and cheese could be ordered; the bacon was like pancetta, thin and crisp and absolutely delicious. The cold buffet, with Mateo helping to serve some components, comprised many types of cake, pasties and rolls, fruit, yoghurt and jams, a lot of it home-made, plus muesli. There was a machine for coffee, also hot water, milk and fruit juice. We had picnics and the food was bought for us or made by Cristina and her staff but I assume lunches are available in the restaurant. Evening meals were long affairs and a highlight of the holiday for me. The group sat together at one long table and this is where we got to know each other by sitting next to different people each night and chatting between courses. We’d chosen our meal from a choice brought round by Mateo at breakfast each morning, things like sharing salad platters, homemade soup and pasta dishes, wild boar sausages, local beef and delicious desserts. Where necessary Mateo explained what was in each dish so vegans and vegetarians could make appropriate choices; his English is very good as he had lived in London for some years. I assume other guests would have just chosen from a normal restaurant menu. Bottles of water plus red and white wine from grapes grown on the farm were on the table for us to pour for ourselves while those who preferred beer were charged on a bar bill. Other guests could opt for bed and breakfast or half-board. The restaurant is also open to non-residents; one day we arrived back at Il Duchesco just as a large group of Italian ladies were heading back to their coach presumably having stopped for afternoon tea, some of them were clutching food items they’d bought from the shelves in the restaurant – rather like visiting a farm shop in the UK.
As I mentioned earlier there is an onsite spa that has three small hydro massage pools, one of which also has counter current for swimming; massages are also available but these facilities have to be booked at extra cost: our holiday included a free session in the spa but as only four of us were interested time was spent doing something else. Outside there is also a barrel sauna.
I can thoroughly recommend Il Duchesco: the authentic Tuscan food is delicious, the staff are helpful and friendly and it’s surrounded by the amazing landscapes of the Maremma Natural Park with its many opportunities for outdoor activities including horse riding and cycling.
