Agriculture and contemporary art, the perfect combination in Volterra
ENOGASTRONOMY / BRIDGES BETWEEN SARDINIA AND TUSCANY
Giovanni Cannas, the shepherd in love with art, has brought sculptures and installations among the fields where his flocks graze. From Sardinia to Tuscany, he aims to renew the bond between the two lands, distant geographically but close in values.
Many years ago, people used to ask me, “Do you feel more Sardinian or Tuscan?” Each time, I’ve responded the same way: “My parents came here 60 years ago with their sheep, and in this land, we found connections, starting from the ancient bridge of relationships and exchanges between the Etruscans and Sardinia. Then, millennia later, it was us who brought the knowledge of dairy to Tuscany.”
Speaking is Giovanni Cannas, producer of Pecorino from the Cliffs of Volterra DOP and director of the protection consortium. We stand overlooking a lunar landscape as he introduces me to this land that has welcomed his family for decades. Then, in the 1990s, he entered the scene and built his entrepreneurial story on the hills of Volterra, alongside his sister, shaping his philosophy as a contemporary farmer.
On one hand, there’s livestock farming and cheese production; on the other, agritourism, contemporary art, circular economy principles, and sustainable development. All of this can be found among the hills surrounding the Lischeto farm. And it’s art, with a sculpture by Mauro Staccioli, that welcomes visitors along the dirt driveway, leading them on a slow exploration journey to the stables and then to the tourist complex and restaurant.
A “V” turned upside down, a red triangle in corten steel, it leads to a world that tells the story of rural Tuscany but also the memory of traditions, of the present and contemporaneity. Of respect for the environment and – why not – also of future vision.
Cannas: I COME FROM A FAMILY OF SHEPHERDS AND ARTISTS
“I come from a family of shepherds and artists,” explains Cannas, pointing to the distance where the artwork “Equanimity” by Emilie Cummings stands, a symbol of balance and inner strength. Here they are, those agricultural and artistic souls merging atop a hill. Fields scattered with creativity and messages. Among them is also – on the opposite side – “Terra di Toscana,” the sculpture by Destroy Be (Dominique Breullion). Mysterious monoliths that impose themselves in the valley, towering over the landscape to remind us of the connection between what man will be tomorrow and what nature is today.
Part of Cannas’ philosophy lies in this artwork. The present, the future, that balance and harmony that must be preserved by walking in the here and now. Writing pieces of the future, respecting the teachings of those who came before, without forgetting to write a new story today.
Among the stories of yesterday that intersect with those of today is, for example, the ancient recipe of curdled milk with wild artichoke flowers. Then there is the photograph of the present: that of herds grazing semi-wild, feeding on wild herbs. Small artisan producers, over a million liters of milk a year, 400 thousand kilos of cheese as a hypothetical production because what is missing here are the industries for pecorino production. But the local system is well organized: a network that focuses on synergy. On one side the shepherds, on the other the restaurants, the grocery stores that can be the first approach to knowing the product for travelers.
KNOWING A PRODUCT THROUGH THE TERRITORY? UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
“The idea is to bring tourism to the territory,” says Cannas. “I would like travelers to experience the beauty of the Val di Cecina, tasting our dishes and getting to know our agritourism farms. I think it’s a unique experience to know a product through the territory. This is also a way to make people understand the efforts we put into making a kilo of Pecorino delle Balze.”
Then there are also the spectacular events. In October, in the streets of Volterra, the Palio dei Caci is held. The eight city districts, with runners in medieval clothes, compete by rolling forms of pecorino down the descent of Via Franceschini, through straw obstacles until they reach the finish line.
Finally, there are the tourist experiences, the emotions. Cannas has also created the Spa del Casaro at his Lischeto farm, where you can immerse yourself at 40 degrees in whey, to make the skin soft and hydrated.
Then I ask him about travelers, post-pandemic. He lights up. “The Americans have returned, you know. It was nice to have breakfast together.”
After all, the beauty of food is precisely this. Sharing. Just as it happens in this land, halfway between paradise and the moon. That has welcomed new people, that opens up to the contamination of the arts, leaving the wind the role of ambassador of its voice. That continuous music that resonates among the balze. It speaks to us of a thousand stories. Among these is also the story of Giovanni, the shepherd who knows how to look beyond the bark.