From milking parlour to olive mill, Tuscany’s Maremma is a land of short supply chains, and the BuyFood Toscana 2026 press tour took journalists right to the heart of it. On Day One, they visited a sheep farm in Magliano in Toscana, where the Pecorino Toscano PDO supply chain begins. The second day led them from organic dairy in Orbetello to artisan pasta in Grosseto and the new oil season at Frantoio Franci in Montenero d’Orcia, while the final day was devoted to the butteri and the Tenuta di Alberese.
Day 1: Pecorino Toscano PDO in Magliano in Toscana
The tour began at Società Agricola Garofani e Nofroni in Magliano in Toscana, where journalists watched the sheep being milked on a working sheep farm. It was a rare chance to see where the Pecorino Toscano PDO supply chain begins and to understand how much promotion, protection and traceability matter, areas in which the Pecorino Toscano PDO Consortium is active.
Day 2: Organic dairy in Orbetello, pasta in Grosseto + olive oil in Montenero d’Orcia
Day Two began in Orbetello, where the group was welcomed by Giuseppe and Andrea Rustici, who run Azienda Agricola Biologica Rustici. The two brothers took over the business from their father in the early 2000s and have since followed the path of organic farming. Cow’s milk is processed here into cheeses made exclusively from the farm’s own herd, in keeping with a short supply chain and a commitment to sustainability. Animal welfare is the principle behind every production decision. A tasting of ricotta, primo sale, yogurt, mozzarella and fresh milk showed how caring for animals benefits the whole chain and the finished product.
The day continued in Grosseto, at the production site of Pastai in Maremma. Owner Roberto Delli, president of the Associazione del Tortello Maremmano, introduced Tuscan artisan pasta, the careful selection of local durum wheat semolina and the value of the short supply chain. The Tortello Maremmano, for which the process of PGI recognition is under way, strengthens the bond between local durum wheat, sheep’s milk ricotta and the traditions of the area. The group then travelled to Montenero d’Orcia, home of Frantoio Franci, in the middle of the new oil season. Among the owners, Giorgio Franci gave journalists an overview of the Italian olive oil sector, stressing the importance of focusing on quality and protecting the short, local supply chain. Founded in 1958 by Franco and Fernando Franci and now one of the most awarded oil mills in the world, Frantoio Franci sits at the meeting point of the Maremma, Monte Amiata and the Val d’Orcia, and produces several lines of extra-virgin olive oil (EVO oil), including certified PGI and organic Tuscan oils. Here, extra-virgin olive oil is treated as an ingredient in its own right, not merely a condiment.
Day 3: The butteri + Tenuta di Alberese
The third day took the journalists to the Tenuta di Alberese, a farm of the Tuscany Region managed by Ente Terre Regionali Toscane, which was established in 2012 to replace the former Azienda regionale agricola di Alberese. The Ente manages the region’s farms, where it also carries out applied research and experimentation, and works to protect and promote Tuscany’s native genetic resources.
Against this backdrop, the ancient tradition of the butteri, the Maremma cowboys, is more alive than ever: not a show for tourists, but an integral part of a high-quality cattle-farming system. Former head buttero Stefano Pavin guided the journalists through the life of the butteri and the way this trade is adapting to the challenges of today.
The tour ended at the Tenuta di Alberese, where centuries of history are woven into the landscape, offering an overview of all that the Maremma stands for: land, people, animals and supply chain.
From freshly drawn milk to the new oil, from handmade pasta to the butteri of Alberese, the BuyFood Toscana 2026 press tour showed a Maremma in which every product springs from a direct bond with the land and with those who work it. It is an excellence built on short supply chains, respect and memory, and one that keeps looking ahead.
