“L’Azienda Agraria dell’Abbazia di Farneta”

di Piconi Alessandro

The Piconi farm follows a long-established farming tradition. It was established in 1968 by Mr Piconi Danilo, who decided to devote himself to managing his family's landed property, flanking sheep farming with arable crops. Seeing the results he obtained, he decided to cultivate legumes and cereals and market them directly to retail outlets.

It covers about 130 hectares around the ancient Farneta Abbey. It is active in the agricultural production of olives, vines and arable crops.

The real flagship of the company is the production of Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

The olive grove dates back to the 10th century and was started by the black Benedictine monks who founded Farneta Abbey.

Today, the olives obtained from the natural management of our olive groves located on the hills of the Farneta Abbey are harvested at the right degree of ripeness and pressed, within a short time, in the company's mill to obtain an excellent quality product that enhances the flavours and aromas of the oil of our land.

The professionalism of the staff and the continuous cold-processing cycle, today, as in the time of the Benedictine monks, makes it possible to obtain a fragrant oil with high quality values. With this system, a product of excellent quality is obtained, richer in compounds that enhance the characteristics of an extra virgin oil and guarantee a longer preservation.

Our production of organic extra virgin olive oil comes from FRANTOIO, LECCINO, MORAIOLO and PENDOLINO cultivars.

The company also produces the excellent Cortona Vin Santo Doc, made from Trebbiano, Grechetto and Sangiovese grapes grown in the company vineyard, heir to the vineyards planted by Benedictine monks.

From the vineyard we obtain the grapes that, dried and processed according to the traditions of the monks, give us Cortona Vinsanto DOC.

The grapes are harvested by hand and hung in special rooms for an optimal drying period. Their subsequent processing takes place in full respect of the ancient tradition of the Abbey in order to obtain a high quality product.

The Abbey of Farneta: a bit of history

The Abbey of Farneta has a history stretching back thousands of years, with the earliest records dating back to the Longobard era.

According to historians, it was erected around the 8th century by the monks of St Columba, who adopted the Benedictine reform in the 9th century. The first documented mention of it dates back to 1014. Then the abbey passed to the Olivetan monks. These in the 13th century made it reach the height of its splendour, expanding its territorial possessions, until it controlled the greater portion of the territory of the lower part of the Val di Chiana.

In the 15th century, its decline began. After 1799, at the height of the French occupation, the abbey was suppressed.

Of the entire abbey complex, which has been completely destroyed over time, only the church remains, which can be traced back to the 10th century.

This represents the oldest attestation of the Romanesque style in Arezzo.
At the end of the 18th century, the church and the abbey's property came under the protection of the Cortona Cathedral. In 1937, Don Sante Felice, parish priest of Farneta, successfully began the work of restoring the church and recovering the works of art and archaeological finds discovered in the vicinity of the sacred building.

Il Capitolo della cattedrale di Cortona nei terreni dell’abbazia ha costituito “L’Azienda Agraria dell’Abbazia di Farneta”, sita in località Farneta.
Dal 2021 questa e gestita dall’Azienda Agricola Piconi Alessandro a Cascia.