{"id":28277,"date":"2019-12-08T08:00:19","date_gmt":"2019-12-08T07:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/?p=28277"},"modified":"2020-05-22T14:37:41","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T12:37:41","slug":"organic-farm-stay-urbino","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/2019\/12\/organic-farm-stay-urbino\/","title":{"rendered":"Girolomoni Organic Farm Stay: a Restored Monastery Example of Sustainable Rebirth among Urbino Hills"},"content":{"rendered":"

A fourteenth-century monastery and Gino Girolomoni tied together by a red string. How the monastery became the heart of a sustainable rebirth.<\/span> We interviewed Maria Girolomoni and discovered this magical place in the hills of Urbino, Marche Region (Italy).<\/span><\/h2>\n

A monastery<\/strong> of 1380, basically fallen to pieces, comes back to life and becomes a unique organic farm stay<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Montebello
The 14th century Montebello monastery<\/div><\/div>\n

We’ll tell you something about Gino Girolomoni<\/a>, visionary and father<\/em> of the Italian organic agriculture<\/strong>. Here you can admire\u00a0the beauty and charm of the ancient monastery of Montebell<\/strong>o in the countryside of Urbino.\u00a0Taste the pasta with ancient grains from the ground to the table.<\/span>\u00a0Then, visit the pasta factory, which from the end of the seventies transforms the grains of the Cesana highland into organic pasta<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"outdoor
Lunch at the Girolomoni Agritourism<\/div><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
We are among the soft, pretty green hills of Isola del Piano<\/strong>, fifteen kilometers from Urbino<\/strong>. Gino came to this place when he was only 18 years old and fell in love with it. Later, he decided to take care of it. \u201cEarth is the mother who feeds you and you must guard\u201c. So the Italian pioneer of organic farming decided to follow his dream. He went back to the land and resurrected the ancient monastery of Montebello to make it the heart of a peasant rebirth. \u201cI<\/em>\u00a0don\u2019t think organic farming will save the world but I’m committed to it to be on the side of those who don\u2019t destroy it<\/em>\u201d\u00a0\u2013 said Gino.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\"view
Montebello ancient monastery turned into biological agritourism<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
Today the family runs the organic farm stay<\/strong> with the same philosophy and offers a unique experience of diving and connection with nature<\/strong>.<\/span>\u00a0All around, more than two thousand hectares of fascinating, unspoiled nature. The Forest Demeniale of Cesane<\/strong> extends between Isola del Piano<\/strong>, Fossombrone and Urbino.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\"landscape
Landscape of Girolomoni biological agritourism<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
We interviewed Maria Girolomoni<\/strong>, owner of the organic farm stay and daughter of Gino, here\u2019s what she told us:<\/div>\n

How was born the Girolomoni Farm Stay?<\/h2>\n
\n
In the \u201970s Gino and Tullia Girolomoni<\/strong> decided to live in the Monastery of Montebello<\/strong>. At that time, there were only ruins. Initially, they lived in the rebuilt refectory. Then,<\/span>\u00a0in 40 years, they raise it completely.<\/span>\u00a0The first bricks were put in 1971, the last in 2011.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
At the same time, they structured the pasta-producing Girolomoni cooperative<\/strong> (first to do organic agriculture<\/a> in Italy), whose members were and are the farmers who donate the wheat.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Not by chance, Gino Girolomoni is considered the father of Italian organic farming<\/em>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\"organic
Girolomoni biological pasta<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
At the end of the 90s, both the Inn and the Monastery were raised. During the same years, they built the farmhouse<\/strong>\u00a0accommodation<\/strong> and the inn<\/strong> with the restaurant.<\/strong> In this way, they could welcome those who wanted to know this lifestyle. They allowed tasting the organic pasta<\/strong>. In so doing, they closed the production cycle and gave the chance to live the spirit of the place and the nature that surrounds it.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

What good green actions have you undertaken?<\/h2>\n
We buy 100% energy from Italian renewable sources<\/a>.
\nThe pasta factory dries the organic pasta thanks to a wood chip boiler, and a percentage of energy is self-produced<\/strong> thanks to the micro-wind and photovoltaic panels<\/a>.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\"pasta
Biological pasta of the agritourism<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

What do your guests appreciate the most?<\/h2>\n
\n
The beauty<\/strong> of the place, the entrepreneurial<\/strong> and human history thank to which the project was born and carried on. Also, they like the beauty and charm of the Monastery<\/strong> and the tremendous meals that we offer in the restaurant.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\"panorama
The beauty of the Montebello monastery where the agritourism is located<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Which organic products do you produce?<\/h2>\n
\n
The Tenuta di Montebello<\/strong>, a farm belonging to the Girolomoni family, rears cattle and produces cereals. Subsequently, they give the products to the Cooperativa Girolomoni, which transforms them into pasta.<\/span><\/div>\n

Can guests participate in farm life?<\/span><\/h2>\n
The experience we propose is the visit to the pasta factory<\/strong> and the monastery, which we name \u201ceducational farm\u201d in our sites.<\/span><\/div>\n
Moreover, on request, we organize e-bike excursions<\/strong> and short trekking on the hill for small groups.<\/span>\u00a0In the case of individual guests, we give them directions on how to move.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

What is the must-do experience near the farm?<\/h2>\n

La Cesana, which is the upland that connects us to Urbino<\/strong> (15 km) and Fossombrone<\/strong> (15 km), is dotted with paths that you can walk or cycle.<\/span>\u00a0La Gola del Furlo<\/strong>\u00a0(25 min from us) is a beautiful natural park with many marked paths.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Gola del Furlo, photo by Stefania Cimarelli, on Wikimedia<\/div><\/div>\n

The natural parks<\/a> and nature areas that you can’t miss near the organic farm are:<\/span><\/p>\n