I joined Heather Jarman’s group recently to visit the farm of Catia and Maurizio Citti in Lugliano. Giocondo has 20 hectares of land with chestnut trees, olive trees and various crops. The main attraction was their herd of Cinta Senese pigs.
Cinta Senese is an ancient breed of Tuscan pig. They have been raised in the area for centuries. After almost becoming extinct, the breed is now being bred again. Unlike normal pigs which are usually intensively bred, Cinta Senese are kept in large outdoor pens and fed a diet as close as possible to their preferred diet of acorns and food from the forest floor.
They are prized for their excellent flavour. Catia makes her own prosciutto, sausage and other pork products. Once you try salumi from Cinta Senese you will be spoiled forever.
As well as the pigs, there are cows and sheep bred for their milk to make cheese, and donkeys just for fun.
Catia also grows apples, pears, figs, strawberries, raspberries and chillies to make jams and preserves.
While Catia was preparing our delicious lunch I wandered around the forest on the property.
The views from the property are spectacular.
Lunch was prepared using only local products. First we had porcini mushrooms with polenta and pecorino cheese made by Catia.
Next was prosciutto, salami and a mature pecorino with onion jam and chillie jam, and crostini with lardo and sausage with stracchino.
Catia had also made a cake for us, which she served with a blueberry sauce.
Take a look at Giocondo’s website to see all the products they produce. I don’t know when they sleep.
Thank you Catia (right) and Heather for a fun day.
Bella Bagni di Lucca 
Another fabulous post.the food looks so delicios. The pigs look so healthy. Lyn
Porchetta from Cinta Senese pigs is the best.
We’ll definitely be visiting Giocondo next visit. Can you buy the wine as well as the food products? I find the red wine in Conad/Punto/Essalunga a bit hit and miss, so we’ve been buying it from a winery on the side of the road from Bagni to Lucca (Socciglia?). €8.50 for 5 litres of their ‘best red’. Its ok but only ok, and i’m looking round for another supplier -maybe the Fattoria in Gallicano that you did a post on a couple of weeks ago?
I’m nit sure about the wine at Giocondo, but I’m fairly sure you could buy it. The wine from the organic grower I wrote about is very good. Also, have you tried the Enoteca in La Villa, Non solo vino? He is very good with local wines and gives good advice.
As you said, Debra, the Cinta Sense was very popular in Tuscany, until some years ago it almost disappeared and only survived in the hills near Siena. It is good to see that it is coming back to the territory. In the Middle Ages they were raised even in Venice!!!
The food looks superb and the place is great. We shall visit. Thank you, Debra!
It is great to see old breeds being preserved.
Food Book. Just sayin’. <:-D
Beautiful so beautiful photographs… Thank you dear, love, nia
Thank you so much and Erica, I hope to have you back to me soon.
kiss
Catia
We had a great day Catia, thank you.
have to go and eat there!
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the polenta, meats, cheeses and cake look DIVINE!! now I want to make some polenta 🙂
I hope it is as delicious as ours was.
I could kill for that bowl of porcini and polenta! Heather has the best friends.