Midsummer celebrations last night at the Fattoria Sardi Giustiniani in Monte San Quirico just outside Lucca to coincide with the San Giovanni festa – the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist.
The Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:36, 56–57) states that John was born about six months before Jesus; therefore, the feast of John the Baptist was fixed on 24 June, six months before Christmas Eve. This feast day is one of the very few saints’ days which commemorates the anniversary of the birth, rather than the death, of the saint being honoured.
The Feast of St. John closely coincides with the June solstice and it celebrated in various countries with bonfires.
Last night there were fires lit at the Fattoria and some adventurous people were celebrating in the traditional way by jumping over the fires.
This was taking place at the end of the evening as darkness descended on the farm but while there was still daylight an awful lot of the other events were in progress which also had connections with traditions of the recent and distant past.
This started with a conference – Lucca, la biodinamica e l’arte dell’equilibrio with 4 local biodynamic wine makers – Federico Martinelli (Az. Agricola Nicobio), Saverio Petrilli (Tenuta di Valgiano), Giuseppe Ferrua (Fabbrica di San Martino) and Gabriele da Prato (Podere Concori)
The province of Lucca now has many winegrowers and farmers practising biodynamic farming.
Biodynamic farmers manage their farms including fields, woods, wetlands, plants, animals and people as a self-contained, self-sustaining organism. They don’t use GMOs, synthetic chemicals, fertilizers or pesticides.
Biodynamics was developed in central Europe in the early 1920s by the Austrian philosopher and social reformer Rudolf Steiner; it is now practiced on more than 350,000 acres of farmland in 47 countries.
Steiner was one of the first public figures to warn that the widespread use of chemical fertilizers would lead to the decline of soil, plant and animal health and the subsequent devitalization of food.
Steiner was one of the pioneers of the organic farming movement and biodynamics is considered by many to be the most advanced and holistic form of farming and gardening on the planet. Steiner’s insights have also led to innovative movements in a number of other fields such as education (Waldorf Schools), medicine, finance and social therapy.
The public were then invited to try local products from other producers in the area including the Macelleria Masoni,Croco e Smilace, Caseificio Marovelliand the Maestà della Formica and from local restaurants, Antica Locanda dell’Angelo, Antica Locanda di Sesto, Diavoletti, Giglio, Imbuto, Osteria del Manzo, Locanda di Mezzo, Locanda Vigna Ilaria, Mecenate, Osteria dello Stellario, Pec, Punto and the Vecchio Mulino.
Music for the event was provided by three members of the Italian Swing band, The Aristodemos
Fattoria Sardi Giustiniani – Località Monte San Quirico, Via della Maulina, 747 – 55100 LUCCA
La Lucchesia è un territorio ad alta vocazione rurale, in cui non si trovano cantine sociali o grandi gruppi industriali ma solo vignaioli, aziende di piccole dimensioni che hanno un rapporto stretto con la terra e la sua salute. È l’unica zona d’Italia in cui oltre la metà dei produttori di vino segue i dettami dell’agricoltura biodinamica, una pratica agricola ispirata agli insegnamenti del filosofo Rudolf Steiner, che si basa su principi di rispetto del territorio e che evita l’uso di pesticidi, diserbanti e molecole chimiche in genere.
Verrà presentato un territorio votato storicamente all’indipendenza che proprio grazie alla biodinamica sta facendo rete in maniera spontanea, sottolineando come questa sia una pratica che porta alla condivisione, al confronto e alla crescita comune. Una pratica agricola sostenibile in modo completo, per l’economia, il paesaggio, la biodiversità, l’agricoltura e la salute.
Biodinamica intesa come mezzo, non come fine.
Un mezzo straordinario che permette di nutrire, di preservare la bellezza del paesaggio, di mantenere vivi i suoli e di garantire un equilibrio prezioso di cui facciamo parte tutti.
PROGRAMMA
17,30 – Lucca, la biodinamica e l’arte dell’equilibrio
Relatori: Federico Martinelli (Az. Agricola Nicobio), Saverio Petrilli(Tenuta di Valgiano), Giuseppe Ferrua (Fabbrica di San Martino) e Gabriele da Prato (Podere Concori)
Dalle 19,00: apertura al pubblico – Assaggio vini dei vignaioli presenti accompagnati dai salumi e dalle preparazioni di Michelangelo Masoni (Macelleria Masoni – Viareggio), dai prodotti di Croco e Smilace, Caseificio Marovelli, Maestà della Formica e dei ristoratori lucchesi: Antica Locanda dell’Angelo, Antica Locanda di Sesto, Diavoletti, Giglio, Imbuto, Osteria del Manzo, Locanda di Mezzo, Locanda Vigna Ilaria, Mecenate, Osteria dello Stellario, Pec, Punto, Vecchio Mulino.