OUR FARM ANIMALS!

 

Here at the Farmhouse, we have a host of animals that our guests are more than welcome to visit and interact with. The animals that you will notice right away as you see the Farmhouse from a distance are our two horses, Ischia and Karat. They are friendly and extremely large they were once horses used for jumping competitions who can no longer compete.

Manuele's sister Elisa and Ischia and Karat won many ribbons and trophies together back in the day, but now the horses are in retirement and enjoy relaxing on the farm in the company of who is perhaps our most popular farm animal Gaia the Sardinian donkey (who is not a foal, but is a miniature breed and will always remain her current size). Gaia is about to give birth to her first baby this summer and we are very excited to welcome this new addition to the farm! :) Gaia loves children and loves sweets!

In addition to our horses and donkey, we also have 2 noisy geese couples whose purpose is chiefly to alert us to the presence of any arriving guests they are watch geese really! The females also lay eggs on occasion that Grandma Rita uses to make her famous tagliatelle.

To keep the geese company, we also have a less noisy couple of ducks. Manuele made a pond so that all of the birds can cool off during hot weather and not suffer from pool-envy, as they watch all of our guests enjoying themselves in the summer!

The eggs that are included in the breakfast come from our free-range chickens who are given the highest degree of nutrition, all natural feed and even flax seeds, and who spend their time happily grazing in the pasture and sleeping in what we call “La Villa,” rather than your typical crowded chicken coop. Manuele is extremely protective of his chickens and counts them every day. Ask if you'd like to help Grandma Rita collect the eggs sometimes they're hard to find!

At the Farm, we also keep a few goats and sheep in the pasture. We used to have more until a wild dog got to them! :

We certainly have our share of domestic animals, as well for the guests to enjoy interacting with. There are a few cats roaming around the Farmhouse; the two orange males came here as 3 week old kittens when their mother was hit by a car. They were always a bit feral and still haven't come around. The grey cat is called Mammina, because she has mothered many a kitten in her day. She is extremely friendly and loves affection, but be careful: do not leave your lunch unattended, as she is also sneaky and quick!

The two loves of our lives are our dogs Diana, who is a Gordon Setter mix, and Natalina, a Boxer-German Shepherd mix. We rescued both of them from the shelter in 2009 and 2010 respectively. Natalina actually came to us one day after following a guest who was returning to the Farmhouse after a jog. They are extremely friendly and loveable but as different as can be! Diana is more independent and loves to hunt for lizards...we've actually seen a few without tails! In contrast, Natalina is more of a people dog who always wants to be in human company and never gets tired of playing fetch- you can say she is clinically obsessed, actually!

Also to take note of are the many swallows (rondini in Italian) who return to our farmhouse every year after migrating to Africa for the winter. They like to build their nests in various different places around the Farm, and it's always a joy to hear the new offspring chirping for the first time.

Finally, we also keep bees at the Farmhouse, as Manuele has taken a special interest in beekeeping over the last few years. The bees reside in their homes at the foot of the fruit tree grove, near the pomegranate tree. We collect honey from the bees in spring and summer and we have a fresh, organic supply all year round that has a slight hint of lavender, as it is the principal flower that we have currently growing at the Farmhouse.