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Le Farnie is an certified and
active 12 hectare organic farm situated on the
hills of Altomonte, in
Calabria, at an elevation of about 350 meters,
between the Tyrrhenian and Ionian
seas.
The B&B is operated in an old farmhouse
built at the
end of the 1800s and now entirely
renovated with many of the original elements -
stone, bricks, beams etc. - creating an
authentic Calabrian farm experience.
Guests can enjoy good, traditional food (book in
advance). Among the renowned and tasty dishes
are “lagane e ciciri” (hand-made pasta with
vegetables), “zafarani crushki” (crisp peppers),
wild chicory soup, home-made flour gnocchi with
ragù, and farmhouse chicken en casserole with
wild oregano.
Most of the farm is covered by an olive orchard,
and the owners produce a high quality
extra-virgin olive oil for local consumption and
specialty export on their own artisan olive
press called the Antico Frantoio del Castello.
There are also vegetable gardens, fruit trees
and grape vines which the owners use to produce
a wide variety of products which guests can
sample during their stay (aubergines,
wild onions, artichokes, crushed olives, cream
of chilli peppers; jams from grapes, peaches,
cherries, plums) and a fantastic marmalade).
There are even a few farmyard animals to lend
more to the farming ambience.
What to see.
“Le Farnie” lies 1.5 km away from the historic
centre of Altomonte, which is reachable on foot.
Altomonte is a village of medieval origins and
has been described as “an island from 14th
century Tuscany in Calabria”.
You can visit the gothic-angevin cathedral
church; the dominican cloister and the civic
museum (with the works of Simone Martini,
Bernardo Daddi, and Paolo di Ciaco); the norman
tower; the church of San Giacomo; the Minimis’
monastery and the church of San Francesco.
During the summer, the village amphitheatre
hosts the “Mediterranean Festival of the Two
Seas”, with open-air art exhibitions, theatre,
dance and music performances.
Other places to visit (less than 40
minutes by car):
Ionian coast: bathing beaches;
archeological sites and museum at Sibari; the
historic centre of Rossano, the liquorice
factory; the baths of Cerchiara (grotta delle
Ninfe) and the sanctuary “Madonna delle armi”.
Tyrrhenian coast: bathing
beaches; the village of Guardia Piemontese
(Waldesian communities) and the mountain of
Fagnano; the Luigiane baths; the tourist port of
Cetraro.
Pollino National Park: the
village of San Donato di Ninea; Civita and the
other Albanian communities; the gorges on the
Raganello river; the village of Morano Calabro.
Sila National Park: set in the
mountains above the town of Cosenza with the
Cecita and Ampollino lakes. |
