Just a few kilometres from Prato, in the foothills of the Calvana hills, we find the small rural village of Fabio. The area is of particular historical interest, as illustrated by the origin of the name Fabio, which is the name of an ancient Roman family, “la gens Fabia”. It is also an area of striking landscapes: the dark green of the woods in contrast with the light green of the meadows and the gentle slopes, interspersed with terraces of olive groves. The unchanged agricultural and woodland landscape is full of settlements which still have the original rural architecture. It’s an ideal area for hiking and for mountain-biking: the old shepherds’ paths lead up to the top of the Calvana hills, an area which has recently been designated as a nature reserve.
The Azienda Agricola Fabio (the Fabio agricultural company) has been owned by the Cipriani-Romei family for more than four generations. The company focuses principally on breeding animals with two breeds of rare animals in danger of extinction,: the Calvana cows and the Cinta toscana pigs, along with other small animals and wild horses. Younger members of the family have continued to develop the company, giving renewed emphasis to the traditional activities which have long characterised the company.
Respect for nature has lead to the decision to adopt the guidelines of integrated agriculture, avoiding the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides . The two thousand olive trees on the farm provide olives for the production of top-quality extra-virgin oil, with its characteristic aroma of ripe fruit with a slight hint of olive leaf, which remains piquant for a long time. The bees in our hives produce acacia and millefleur honey of the best quality.