Il Pagliaio: From Farm to Table

The monthly market Il Pagliaio in Greve in Chianti is an organic antidote to the pitfalls of modern consumerism - and makes a great day trip from Florence.

Held in piazza Matteotti on the fourth Sunday of each month, Il Pagliaio (“The Haystack”) has been running for 15 years and became a popular monthly ritual for locals, as well as for tourists. The piazza of the village fills up with more than 40 producers selling a wide choice of goods, from local and seasonal fruits and veggies to fresh bread and baked goods, goat and sheep cheeses and honey. Regional wines and oils are regular fixtures, and there’s a rich range of jams and juices, fresh and dried herbs, pulses, flour and the famous Mugello chestnuts (just now in autumn ). Setting up shop alongside the farmers are artisans and crafters who sell kitchenware fashioned from olive wood, ceramics, soaps and creams, clothing and accessories handmade from wool and natural fabrics, paintings, woven baskets, jewellery and more.

For the farmers, living in harmony with nature is a lifestyle choice, and it follows that all their products are made fully organic and anything up for sale is in season and specific to the region - like Tuscan black kale, wild asparagus, saffron.

Everything is made using natural materials, and the lovely vendors are the ones who grew, prepared or handcrafted whatever you may be buying. 

Piazza Matteotti is the beating heart of the town, so the market has a social element as well. Every edition has a certain theme with special activities, workshops and events, live music, performances and theatrical events performed by local groups.

If not in Tuscany, do come visit us in Singapore’s Cluny Court and Tangs where our new winter collection has just arrived!

With sunny greetings from Italy and „alla prossima volta“!

Yours, 

Alfie Browns