The Russian history of Pietro Mazza began more than 20 years ago, when a hereditary cheese maker from Calabria married a Russian girl and moved to Russia.

- I was shocked by what I saw - a huge area and no one around. I drove 200 km by car and didn’t meet a single person! This is simply impossible in Italy!– Pietro says with enthusiasm.

In 1996, Pietro and Zhanna founded a cheese factory in the village of Mednoye, Tver Region.

- At first we had 16 hectares of land and 100 cows. The territory was falling into disrepair; it was necessary to repair, restore, and buy equipment. We did everything ourselves with my own hands, it was a kind of experiment.

Later they built a rural hotel - an agritourism, and tourists began to come. At that time, such a vacation was new in Russia - people joined in peasant life, ate natural products, got acquainted with cheese production.
Things started to improve, and the Mazza family decided to purchase an abandoned collective farm in order to transfer the increased herd of cows there. Later we bought a second collective farm.
Now the family farm has 1,100 animals, more than half of which are dairy cows. Main activity – cheese production.

- We make cheeses according to family recipes, which are several centuries old,- says Pietro Mazza, - I brought our traditions with me to Russia. Most cheeses are produced using the pasta filata method, which is typical for southern regions Italy.

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Pasta filata– a term meaning “stretched curd” or “strands of paste”, this refers to the process of heating and stretching the curd at the end of cheese making. Once stretching is complete, the melted cheese is given its final shape and cooled.
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Pietro Mazza and his family coat of arms

- I settled on the Sychovo breed, it is similar to our European white and red cow. Their milk is closest to that used to make Parmigiano,- Pietro Mazza shares his experience.

- Previously, Russia fed all of Europe. There is a lot of good land and enough water, unlike Italy. But the Russian problem lies in feeding livestock: the basis of the menu is silage, which spoils the cows, gives rise to high acidity of the milk and a specific smell. The menu of our cows is not similar to the traditional Russian one; it does not contain silage. Only proper feeding can produce suitable milk, and this is very important in cheese production.

It's interesting that Tver has historical connection with Italian cheeses, which was reflected in the gastronomic letter of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.
In 1826, the poet wrote to Sergei Sobolevsky:

At Gagliani il Colloni
Order yourself in Tver
Parmasan macaroni
Yes, cook some eggs

Paolo Demyanovich Gagliani and his wife Charlotte Ivanovna brought it into use among visiting travelers and local residents Italian dishes.
In the 21st century, Pietro and Zhanna Mazza produce natural cheeses made using Italian technology, but with a Russian “accent”.
Tender fresh ricotta ideal for breakfast, the aged version will be an excellent dessert in combination with jam, honey or fruit, butirro and burrata are good on their own, but mozzarella has long become a popular cheese with a wide range of uses.

- Our mozzarella must be eaten within 5 days, many chefs do not like this, they ask for an increase in shelf life. But this is a natural product that does not contain preservatives, so it does not last long.

It is worth noting that All Little Italy farm cheeses are made only from... natural products without preservatives, dyes or any other additives, so the shelf life of soft cheeses is about 5 days, stretching (pasta filata) - about 10, and only aged cheeses can be stored for 20 days or more. Exists unspoken rule: As long as the cheese is aged, it can be stored for as long. But there are also exceptions.

One of the aged cheeses from Little Italy is called yunkata(or junkata), historically it was made in baskets woven from reed (junka). This herb has unique property: It releases natural antibiotics that extend the shelf life of the product. Usually the yunkata is left for some time in olive oil and then sprinkle with black pepper.

- Many Russians travel around Italy, then come to our farm, try the cheeses, and say that they better than Italian ones, - Pietro says proudly, - and for me this means more than the opinion of professionals.

- On a farm you have to work 24 hours a day, so I haven’t been to Italy once since 1996, I simply don’t have the time. My presence on the farm is needed every day. My wife, like any Russian, of course, wants to go to Italy, but it doesn’t work out when you have a household.

In addition to making cheese, Jeanne and Pietro devote a lot of time to tourist groups. A cozy rural hotel, horseback riding, a restaurant serving dishes made from its own products - cheeses, freshly baked bread, deli meats and hot dishes. For curious visitors, cheese tastings and master classes are held, during which you can get acquainted with the production of cheese and personally participate in the process. Many are infected with ideas homemade cheese and come back again and again to master the technology and ask detailed questions.

- Now that sanctions have been introduced, many people want to be cheese makers, but this is just talk; to make cheese you need to study and work a lot,- Pietro smiles slyly, - The cheese maker must feel the milk, this is not mathematics, you cannot simply add enzymes to milk and get a quality product.

Cheese production during a master class

- I live in Russia and make cheeses for Russian consumer. There is a lot of chaos in Russia, but it is my country and I like it. I feel better here than in Italy.

You don't have to go to Italy to try the freshest, freshly prepared Italian cheeses. There is a closer alternative: the Italian cheese farm La Fattoria Little Italy in the village of Mednoye in the Tver region, near Torzhok.

This farm is Italian not only in words. Its owner is really an Italian, Pietro Mazza, who several years ago married a Russian girl and came to Russia to engage in cheese making. So this cheese story is really romantic, because it began with love.

Pietro himself is a native of the Calabria region, and he grew up in a family of cheese makers, so he probably knows everything about the production process. And he puts his knowledge into practice: cheeses are made here in the same way as a hundred years ago in his native Italy. This means that they are all completely natural, with a very short shelf life, and therefore you cannot buy farm products in supermarkets. To ensure that production remains environmentally friendly, the Mazza family keeps its own herd of several hundred heads.

By the way, the farm is located on the territory of a former collective farm, which Mazza bought in the 1990s in an almost dead state. Frankly speaking, outwardly the farm continues to give the impression of the same collective farm, with old technology and sloppy buildings. But don’t rush to be disappointed, because inside, in the large tasting room, decorated with antique restored furniture, you can already feel Italy.

In such a completely authentic setting, tastings of cheeses that are not produced on the farm take place. There are a total of 19 varieties in production, but 9 are presented for tasting - both young and aged; The guide will tell guests about each of them. An Italian lunch is served in the same room (of course, from local products, but according to traditional recipes), if desired, you can order wine.

In addition to celebrating the belly and getting to know culinary traditions Calabria, guests of the farm can walk around its territory and look at the mini zoo. You shouldn’t expect any discoveries: it is indeed very “mini”, and, perhaps, its most interesting inhabitants are ostriches and horses. If you like cheeses (and you can’t help but like them!), it’s worth stopping by a local store and buying a few pieces to take with you.

For those interested, master classes are held where you can learn how to cook one of the easiest Italian cheeses to prepare - ricotta. Master classes are organized only for groups of 8 people or more, so if you want to feel like a cheese maker, gather your friends

And the farm in the village of Mednoye is an “agritourismo”. This term in Italy is called farms, which invite guests not only to dine and stroll around the farm, but also to stay in the rooms and breathe fresh air, improve your health with natural food. All this is available at the cheese farm - cozy rooms, breakfast from homemade products. There is only no TV and Internet - not at all because of the greed of the owners, but only so that guests can disconnect from the outside world and enjoy life, as the Italians know how to do.

How to get there, map

From Moscow you need to drive along the Leningradskoye Highway without stopping in Tver. At the 194th kilometer - turn to the village of Mednoye (left), on the road to the monument to those killed in the Great Patriotic War. From the monument - about 1.5 km along the left road to a concrete wall and iron gates with a sign informing that there is a reception room for a certain deputy. No need to be scared, come here. Not to the reception, but to the gate :)

N 056 55.433, E 035 26.876

Tastings and excursions and master classes must be booked in advance by calling the numbers listed on the official website of the Italian farm in Medny.

The Italian agricultural farm “FATTORIA DEL SOLE” (translated from Italian as “Solar Farm”) in the village of Mednoye, Tver Region - a real piece of Italy in Russian territory. The farm was created by a sixth-generation Italian cheesemaker “in the image and likeness” of similar agricultural farms in Italy.

The village of Mednoye has been known since the end of the 14th century. Subsequently, it was described in “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” by Radishchev; Pushkin also visited here while passing through. A few years ago, the Italian Pietro Mazza came here - he came for a short time, just to meet the relatives of his young Russian wife Zhanna. But, fascinated (by his own admission) by Russian nature, he remained forever. He decided to do what his family has been doing for four hundred years - cheese making. At first, the couple made cheese for sale, but they found it rather boring and not very profitable. Things have gotten much better with tourism - now their farm receives up to 100 visitors a day. The 16-hectare site employs 25 people, including Pietro and Jeanne.

The tour to Fattoria Del Sole begins with a walk around the farm. Workers and a professional guide will tell guests about technology and production different types cheese, about the production and rules of tasting pasta, they will tell you about the history of the creation of the farm, show local attractions, and introduce the youngest visitors to the local “zoo”: the farm is home to wild boars, ostriches, horses, ponies, goats, sheep, rabbits, a donkey and a camel Michael . If you wish, you can ride a pony or feed the animals you like (food will be provided to you by the farm staff). Already accustomed to tourists, representatives of the local fauna happily eat directly from the hands of guests.

The walk lasts about an hour, after which hungry tourists are invited to a cheese tasting. Guests will be able to try ten varieties of the freshest homemade cheese- hard, soft, cow's and goat's milk, mozzarella, young ricotta, Parmesan. The cheese is made personally by the owner of the farm, Mr. Pietro Mazza, from milk from his own cows, which - to make the cheese good - are fed only with fresh grass, and not with cheap silage. The varieties you like can be purchased at a local store (where you can also buy local bread, desserts, Italian seasonings and other products). In the future, the owners of the farm, Pietro and his wife Zhanna, plan to go even further. During the “cheese Sundays” that they have planned, tourists will be able to make cheese themselves and immediately try the resulting product (this is what agritourism looks like in Europe: guests not only observe, but also actively participate in rural life). For now, unfortunately, the cheese production process is not shown at all.

After the tasting, guests will enjoy a full lunch consisting of traditional Italian dishes (lasagna, tiramisu, etc.). Lunch consists of several set menus to choose from. Moreover, everything that is served to the table - from fresh bread to new wine, from appetizers to desserts, from fresh vegetables to sun-dried tomatoes cooked in a special oven - is produced right here on the farm. The result is very tasty and authentic - not every Italian restaurant in St. Petersburg can taste such high-quality and proper Italian food.

The Mazza family has even bigger plans for the future: opening guest houses so that tourists can stay for a few days (the houses are already being built), opening a restaurant with 350 seats (it’s almost ready) and planting their own garden (apple and pear trees have already been planted).

Agrotourism, very popular among urban residents of Spain, Italy, France, is still an extremely rare form of leisure for Russia (working on your own six hundred square meters does not count: it is still more of hard work than relaxation). The Fattoria Del Sole farm is a great way to get acquainted with this type of tourism, visit the Italian countryside without leaving the country, have a great time away from the noise of the city, and at the same time stock up on delicious organic products.

I'm a cheese addict. I love cheese in all its forms. And when I found out that near Tver, in the village of Mednoe, there is a farm owned by an Italian, where cheeses are prepared using Italian technology, I simply had to visit there.
Visiting a farm is a whole ritual that begins with visiting a restaurant and watching a presentation about how cheeses are made.

1. Meet the owner himself. They say that in 1999 he bought a half-abandoned farm, took a Tver woman as his wife, and together they began to raise the farm. A few years later they had a restaurant with 10 seats, now the hall can seat more than 100 people.

2. Always smile while viewing slides. Where else can you see cheeses that tell you how they are prepared?

3. An obligatory item is tasting 9 types of cheeses and Italian cuisine. Cheeses look much more appetizing in person than in the photo - poor lighting for shooting. And what they taste like!

4. This parmesan is about 8 years old or something. Used as a demonstration for visitors.

5. After a hearty lunch, we “roll out” to the street to meet the inhabitants of the farm and shake off the accumulated calories. What I didn’t expect to see on an Italian farm in the Tver region was the Australian emu.

6. I don’t think it’s worth telling whose patch this is.

7. Horses, and all animals on the farm, welcome guests.

8. And this is not surprising, because this is feeding out of turn. Didn't know horses loved bread

9. They love carrots too

10. Dairy cows. I don't know why, but this is my favorite photo from this trip.

11. Cows also enjoy eating bread.

12. Some “portrait” shots with cows

13. Each cow has its own character, and this is clearly visible in the photo. No one is the same.

14. But these cows are for slaughter, that’s why their eyes are so sad. My vegetarian mind was outraged by this. But everyone has their own karma

15. This cow is no longer there either.

16. And my wife nicknamed this representative of ungulates Leontyev, for his hairstyle :)

17. I must say, he deserves this nickname, he rushes around the paddock like an artist on stage!

18. And this is his “more tanned” double

19. If you wish, you can ride a horse, this one, as I understand it

20. I don’t know much about horses, this one is of Arabian blood and is considered a tough breed.

21. It is especially worth noting the signs with names and comments for each ungulate

21. There is also a whole family of identical white dogs living on the farm. They attack tourists and force themselves to comb their hair.

22. Sandy nose

23. And then there will be shots taken in the Tver region on the way to the farm.

24. Stairway to nowhere

25. The weather was just super! We used GPS to take the shortest route :)

26. There is something in this...

27. The dome of this church amazed me. I've never seen a blue dome!

28. Unfortunately, not all churches are restored

29. And further photographs were taken on the outskirts of Tver. You can’t tell from them that 2011 is just around the corner.

30. Game frozen in frame

31. And again the GPS advised us not the most successful route - some kind of road, but even that ended :)

32. And finally, I wish everyone the best!

Program

Italian farm in Mednoye “La Fattoria LITTLE ITALY”, which translated means “Little Italy Farm” is located in the village of Mednoye, Tver region.
Italians in Russia. Real European traditions cheese making in the Tver region. Haven't you seen this yet? Then join us!
Here tourists are invited to get acquainted with the farm, where a professional guide will tell about the history of the creation of the farm, its structure, tell everything about the cheeses that are produced here, their production and tasting rules.
More recently, this tour was new in Russia. But today it is already a well-established, very memorable, and most importantly delicious journey. Yes, it’s absolutely delicious, especially if you are a lover and admirer of cheese.
Both adults and little guests of the Italian farm in Medny will learn a lot of new things! It will be interesting to look at the inhabitants of the farm: horses, ostriches, ponies and even a mule. Some animals can be fed (feed is provided).
In a cozy tasting room, decorated in the style of an Italian Trattoria, guests of the farm will be able to taste various types real Italian cheeses from soft ricotta to “golden” caciotta, made under the strict guidance of the farm owner, Mr. Pietro Mazza, a fourth-generation cheese maker, from the milk of his own cows, which are kept on a neighboring farm in Selizharovsky district, Tver region.
The tasting consists of approximately 8-9 types of cheeses: burrata, butirro, mozzarella, ricotta, golden parmesan and others) /Affettato di formaggi italiani 8-9 tipi. Don’t rush to eat..., listen carefully to the guide, he will tell you about each cheese separately that is on your plate, explain how and what the product was prepared from.. enjoy the process...
You will learn that cheeses come in 3 categories - soft, hard, made from stretchy cheese grains. Hard cheeses (for example, aged caciotta) are difficult to cut; they can only be grated. The readiness of durum varieties is checked by tapping with special hammers. The basis of the assortment is made up of classic Calabrian and Neapolitan cheeses (stretchy varieties are brewed exclusively from cow's milk): mozzarella, ricotta, butirro (filling: butter), burata (filling: cream). Ricotta translated from Italian language- “twice boiled.”
And then you will be invited to an Italian lunch:
- Lasagna “Alla Bolognese” - pasta sheets “lasagne” Beef, mozzarella cheese, tomato, spices).
- Cabbage salad with balsamic vinegar / Polpetta di manzo con la provola Insalata di verza con aceto balsamico.
- Second course: “Polpetta” (beef, parmisanino cheese, provola cheese, tomato sauce, spices).
- Dessert: “Profitterol” (custard balls with cream and cream) “Coffee farm” dessert (with added coffee and ricotta cheese cream) / Profitterol Dessert al caffe con la crema di ricotta.
- You will be offered the same mineral water and freshly baked bread according to Italian recipes (Cibata), tea.
You can order a glass of Italian wine (for an additional fee).
If necessary, you will be happy to advise you on how best to taste and use the proposed products in cooking.
All tasting products can be purchased in the specialized shop on the farm: exclusively fresh cheeses, butter, milk, freshly baked bread and other products produced on the farm daily in limited quantities. There will also be an opportunity to purchase various Italian souvenirs and gifts. As well as Murano glass products, various masquerade masks, porcelain dolls and much more. It's all done the best masters Venice, Florence and Rome.
On the way to the farm we will visit ancient city Torzhok, formerly called New Torg located on the banks of the Tvertsa River.
Torzhok was founded by Novgorod merchants and was first mentioned in the chronicle of 1139 under the name New Torg. Residents still call themselves novotors. It flourished at the beginning of the 19th century, when this county town and its surroundings were built up on a metropolitan scale by the architect N.A. Lvov. Torzhok is widely known for gold embroidery. All buildings in Torzhok have unique facades. Indeed, it is impossible to find two identical, or at least similar, houses in Torzhok.
In addition to inhabited houses, the city is decorated with shopping arcades late XVIII century. “Here, in the quiet, spacious, dimly lit shops, Bogaty Torzhok reigns. Here on deep shelves rest heavy piles of wool and silk fabrics of domestic and foreign production, here are fragrant textiles, dishes, shoes, icons and church utensils - in a word, everything that the city needs" - this is how they wrote about the shopping arcades at the beginning of the 20th century... In Torzhok it has been preserved There are many architectural ensembles of churches and monasteries from the 18th – 19th centuries. The oldest building is the wooden Ascension Church, the Resurrection Monastery, Tveretskaya embankment, Borisoglebsky Monastery, etc. N.V. Gogol, S.T. Aksakov, A.N. Ostrovsky, I.S. Turgenev, V.A. Zhukovsky stayed here , there were A.N. Radishchev, V.G. Belinsky, churches. Back in 1668, a Dutch traveler wrote: “Torzhok is very populated and beautiful because there are over thirty churches and chapels in it.” All this creates the unique atmosphere of a small town with cozy quiet streets and cute houses along them.

• Travel information
• Torzhok: Sightseeing tour of the city with a visit to the Boriso-Gleb Monastery of the 11th century, with a visit to the wooden Old Ascension Church, a shopping area with monuments architecture XVIII c., panoramas of the Transfiguration Cathedral and the picturesque embankment of the Tvertsa River.
• Visit to an Italian agricultural farm with cheese tasting and Italian lunch.