Bucolica — An urban farm, a cultural club, two brothers

Seven hectares in the heart of Lastra a Signa

Ten kilometers from Florence, in the town of Lastra a Signa, there's a house. It's the house where Filippo and Riccardo Zammarchi were born and raised, and all around them stretches seven hectares of land which for over fifteen years had remained uncultivated, forgotten, waiting.

In 2019, the two brothers decided that the land couldn't wait any longer. And so it was born. BucolicaA small urban farm, a family farm, an agricultural cultural club. But above all, a choice—to stop, look around, and start over from home.

Two brothers, two roads that converge

Richard Zammarchi He's a junior agronomist, beekeeper, Slow Food trainer, and farmer. His is the hand that designs fields, communicates with bees, and studies soil cycles. He's passionate about agroecology and permaculture, applying both not as theories but as daily practice, row by row, hive by hive.

Philip Zammarchi He comes from another world, yet the same: he organizes music and food and wine events, passionate about raw materials and local traditions. His vision transforms the farm into an open space, drawing people into the midst of olive trees and ancient grains, and imagining dinners and workshops where each dish also tells a story.

Together they have built something rare: a farm that is also a cultural club, where the land produces food e relations.

Philosophy: agro-ecology, community, system

Bucolica is entirely converted to certified organic farming, but the story doesn't stop there. “We believe in a systemic and agro-ecological approach connected to local communities” —and it's a phrase that should be taken literally at Bucolica. Sales are mainly through farmers' markets, direct sales, and solidarity purchasing groups, because the food that grows here is designed to nourish first and foremost those who live nearby.

The idea is that of amultifunctional agriculture: not just producing, but also training, welcoming, and sharing. Throughout the year, Bucolica hosts training courses, tastings, educational and social activities, workshops, lunches, dinners, and events. The farm thus becomes an open-air classroom where you can learn what ancient grains really are, how to care for a beehive, and why a healthy garden doesn't need poisons.

What is born in Bucolica

The olive grove — approximately 200 trees recovered

An old olive grove brought back to life, cared for without a drop of chemicals. Through grassing and green manures The brothers take care of the soil, ensuring high biodiversity and seeking the best balance between plant health and productivity each year. Production is small, primarily for the farmhouse kitchen and for family consumption: honest extra virgin olive oil, from an olive grove that has waited a long time to return to fruition.

Wheat — seven ancient varieties in rotation

In collaboration with theMontespertoli Ancient Grains AssociationBucolica reproduces seven ancient Tuscan varieties in rotation on its fields: Carno, Benco, Sieve, Verna, Frassineto, Andriolo and Gentil RossoThey are grown for two intertwined reasons: to prevent the seeds from being wasted, and to produce flour that is used on the farm and sold as surplus.

The grinding takes place at Paciscopi Mill, stone-ground, leaving the product in its coarsest grain size — a flour Type 2 Only the coarsest bran is removed, which in turn isn't thrown away: it goes back to feed the farm's animals. Nothing goes to waste, everything comes back.

The apiary — 10 hives, organic method

A small apiary with ten hives, where the bees are raised organically and without subjecting them to stress. “Bees, in addition to giving us their honey, play a fundamental role in our ecosystem, pollinating about a third of the plant species we eat.” For Riccardo, a certified beekeeper, each hive is a sentinel—a living thermometer of the health of the land around it.

The garden — natural and regenerative agriculture

A large family garden designed following the principles ofnatural-regenerative agriculture: no pesticides, no herbicides, only natural cycles and a series of techniques that integrate worm composting and disposal of household and corporate organic waste. The goal isn't to "produce a lot," but to produce healthy plants—because a healthy plant produces vegetables that truly have something to offer.

The transformation: the flavor that lasts

Bucolica's raw materials never come out simply raw. In the company they are transformed into fermented preserves of vegetables, fruits, herbs, honey, legumes and cerealsJars that capture the season's labor and the slow pace of natural fermentation. It's in these products that Bucolica's philosophy is most recognizable: craftsmanship, biodiversity, and respect for time.

Why Bucolica is in AlPassoFood

Because in a world that is running towards large surfaces and anonymous supply chains, two brothers have decided to stay at home, to return to the land of their childhood, and to make it a place that produces food and culture in the same gestureBecause every jar, every bottle of oil, every packet of Carno or Verna flour brings with it seven reclaimed hectares, a stone mill, ten beehives, and a very clear idea of ​​what it means to eat well today.