By Claudia Stocchi & Asia Caldelli
Passion, family history and an eye always turned to the future.
Being born into a family like Calvo Pegna means carrying within oneself a legacy that goes beyond the simple concept of business. The Fattoria di Rimaggio is not just a physical place, but a story of passion, courageous choices and an indissoluble bond with the land. Today, now in its fourth generation, it continues to be the beating heart of a history that has its roots in the past and looks to the future with determination.
The Origins of a Far-Sighted Vision
It all began in the second half of the nineteenth century, when the family started a small chemical laboratory in Florence. An industrial activity that, over time, expanded to Pergine, where land rich in carbon dioxide, essential for their activity, was purchased. But the land is not just a resource to be exploited: it becomes a passion, a destiny. Enrico Calvo, with a look far beyond his time, chooses to give priority to agriculture: in fact, first developing the processing of the land, he later expands into the livestock sector to the detriment of the industrial activity initially started. A risky step, but dictated by love for nature and the conviction that true value lies in the land and its fruits.
A Bond that Spans Generations
Enrico’s choice, anything but economic, with passion and feeling, has taken root in the territory, both physically and symbolically, giving life to a bond that is handed down from generation to generation. His son, Paolo Arturo Calvo, continued with the same dedication, overcoming challenges and making the Farm a point of reference for the community. 120 years after its foundation, this story is told in his book: a journey through memories, anecdotes and choices that have defined the identity of the family and the company.
The balance between tradition and innovation
Today, the management of the Fattoria di Rimaggio is in the hands of three brothers, sons of Paolo Arturo Calvo: Stefano, Fabrizio and Alessandro, each with a well-defined role, but all united by the same vision. The strength of their company lies precisely in this family continuity, where past and future are constantly intertwined.
Stefano, head of administration and finance, leads the entrepreneurial activity with a vision that took shape as early as the 60s, when the Calvo family managed to change the relationship with the territory, opening up directly to the final consumer and focusing on the direct supply chain. Diversification was the key: buffalo breeding, introduced by his father in the 80s, represented a revolution for the area, as well as the choice to intensify the production of milk and honey, but above all of typical local products such as wine and oil. Attention to the environment is always at the centre of their choices, with investments in solar energy, energy accumulators and in the constant improvement of animal welfare.
Fabrizio, on the other hand, responsible for agronomic and livestock production, preserves the balance between crops and breeding. The Farm does not produce only to sell, but to feed its animals in the most natural way possible. Cereals, olive groves and vineyards are integrated into a sustainable system, where the land and animals support each other. The key element of this vision is the mill, a symbol of self-sufficiency and a guarantee of quality: here, in fact, the fodder harvested in the fields is transformed into nutritious flours to complete the natural growth of the animals raised, perfectly closing the circle of the short supply chain. This mill, which has always been a symbol of tradition and innovation, guarantees this production and manages to support a differentiated diet for all the animals present. In fact, the integrated agricultural philosophy sees the latter fertilizing the soil, and food crops as a circular system, where everything is interconnected in a natural cycle. The farm model not only minimizes the environmental impact but guarantees the quality and healthiness of the final product.
Finally, Alessandro deals with the processing and marketing of agricultural products. The aspect that distinguishes the Fattoria di Rimaggio is its ability to produce with artisanal techniques handed down for generations and the link with its consumer. The Fattoria di Rimaggio has chosen to maintain direct contact with customers, through its network of agricultural outlets: here visitors find not only genuine products, but also the beating heart of the farm, where craftsmanship is the protagonist. The meats, cured meats, cheeses, wine, oil and honey produced on the farm are the result of a constant commitment to attention to every detail and respect for traditions. The manual work of expert artisans, such as butchers, is essential to guarantee the quality of the products, processed as in the past, with methods that respect the tradition and authenticity of each product. This artisanal commitment is a reflection of the passion of Fattoria di Rimaggio, which has been able to keep its roots alive while always looking to the future. The agricultural outlets are not just points of sale, but places where visitors can get in touch with the history of the Farm, discover what animates each product and rediscover the value of a diet that comes from the earth. The Calvo Pegna family has never succumbed to the temptation of large-scale distribution: time must have a completely different value and nothing is accelerated for the needs of the market. Each step must be perfectly taken care of in the name of dedication, enhancement and respect for the raw material.
The 120th Anniversary and Their Plans For the Future
The adoption of ecological technologies is an integral part of the company’s strategy to reduce environmental impact and ensure increasingly sustainable production. In fact, attention to animal welfare and the continuous search for innovation are fundamental values for the Calvo brothers, who aim for an even greener future and a continuous improvement of the production process. 2025, which will mark the company’s 120th anniversary, will be a year full of initiatives to involve the local community and all those who wish to discover this unique reality. The new website, which will be launched soon, will offer not only a digital showcase to tell the story of the Farm, but also the virtual vision of all the parts that make up its territory.
The goal is to open the Farm more and more to people, creating an immersive experience that allows visitors to experience daily agricultural work and understand the value of the choices made every day. Visits to the farm, with itineraries that tell the story of the farm and its products, offer the unique opportunity to enter the Tuscan tradition and to understand how strong passion can give life to a business that resists time. An agricultural tourism that is not only discovery, but also awareness.
An Invitation to Discover the Fattoria di Rimaggio
Visiting the Fattoria di Rimaggio means immersing yourself in a history made up of deep roots, courageous choices and love for the land. Stefano, Fabrizio and Alessandro carry on a legacy built with sacrifice and passion, renewing it every day with their work.
Each visit is a sensory journey: the animals immersed in their natural environment, the noise of tractors working the land, the sight of olive groves stretching out on the horizon, the smell of fermenting wine, the scents of cured meats, the magic of milk transformed into cheese. Here, every corner involves the visitor, making him feel part of a tradition that goes far beyond the simple purchase.
Those who enter the farm, those who taste its products, those who listen to the story of this family, take away a piece of history with them. Valley Life invites its readers to discover this reality because in a fast-paced world, stopping to rediscover the authentic value of things is a priceless experience.
I’ll Tell You a Story
There are stories that smell of wet earth, industrious hands and bold choices. Stories that are not limited to being remembered, but must be lived. They have the flavour of the earth, the breath of memory and the beat of time that flows, transforming every experience into a legacy. I’ll tell you a story is more than a title: it’s a promise, an invitation to enter the heart of a journey that crosses eras, events and courageous choices. A history that does not belong only to the past, but continues to pulsate in the present and to project itself into the future.
Paolo Arturo Calvo, guardian and protagonist of this story, guides us along the thread of memory through pages that span two centuries, intertwining the events of the Calvo-Pegna family with those of a territory and an Italy in transformation. From nineteenth-century Florence to the difficult years of the war, from the courage of exile in South America to the determination to return, he reaches the construction of a legacy that today lives in the hands of the new generation.
Born in Chile to Italian parents forced into exile by racial laws, Paolo Arturo Calvo returned to Italy as a child, bringing with him a story marked by resilience and the desire for rebirth. Raised between Florence and the Tuscan countryside, he cultivated an authentic passion for the land from a young age, transforming it into an entrepreneurial mission that marked the fate of the Fattoria di Rimaggio.
Every word of this book is a piece of a larger narrative, made up of challenges and indissoluble bonds that have marked our territory. It is the story of Pergine, born from the exploitation of carbon dioxide, and it is the story of the Fattoria di Rimaggio, where the land has become a mission and passion. It is the story, therefore, of those who have been able to innovate without ever forgetting their roots, transforming a farm into a symbol of tradition and sustainability.
With a gaze that blends personal experience and historical knowledge, the author gives us a vivid and authentic fresco of a family that has realized its entrepreneurial dream, maintaining its tradition and opening up to innovation. A story of deep roots and far-sighted visions, which still continues today with the new generation, ready to pick up the baton and project the heritage built over time into the future.
This is not just a story to read. It is an appointment with memory, a journey that does not end in these pages but continues in the places where it all originated and in the voices of the three children, who today carry on the tradition of the farm with dedication. Because the Fattoria di Rimaggio is not just a place, but a living legacy that does not stop.
Soon, this story will find new spaces to be told. And we will be there, ready to live it together.
Info: www.fattoriadirimaggio.it
