HISTORY
It was the year 1955, and the strong arms of old Pietro Falcini and his wife Irene, had already resisted for a time longer than their physical possibilities trying to obtain from the bare, arid and mean land of Collevecchio, the food for their five children.
Therefore, also the Falcinis, as all other families in the end, left Collevecchio... Here it is still possible to see an eighteenth-century building, which was restored after the earthquake in 1984. Next to the building, there is a chapel dedicated to Maria SS. Addolorata.
Another two buildings are the summer residence of the owners.
There are another two abandoned cottages which, wear and time make more and more run-down.
Next to the building, there are also some rooms of an old farmhouse, and close to it an old stable used as barn with architectonic features which remind of old Maria Santissima Addolorata oratory. This former oratory and its spaces adjacent to the eighteenth-century building, are today property of Commendator Antonio Falcini. After leaving Collevecchio, the Falcinis, due to their open and calm character, immersed themselves fully into city life.
Soon afterwards, the two brothers, first Vincenzo and then Antonio, moved to Turin where they opened the “Falcini Travel Agency” where they worked full time, bringing with them the memories of a not comfortable life, although peaceful and rich of hope. This memories, or better, these roots were the cause of the changes of the arid and bare hills of Collevecchio. In November 1981, the birth of their son Simone was for the couple Antonio Falcini and Mariella Mignacco an event which brought hope for the family's bright future.
It was then that Antonio drove his car all the way to Collevecchio, almost by instinct. There he strolled to the farmhouse where he was born, and he looked around enjoying once again that beautiful landscape…
From that wonderful terrace of the Umbrian High Tiber he considered and recalled the words uttered by his father almost tearful the day when he left Collevecchio and walked towards: “We, like most men, are not made for the town, but for the land; the land is our mother and when the mum is missing you cannot be completely happy. If sometimes you suffer too much, it is not the land to blame… Man should learn to live happily in touch with nature… Nature rewards men and men reward nature”. Enlightened perhaps by these words, Antonio believed in that strip of land and felt the needs to walk behind his father's spirit.
With great sacrifices, he decided to buy those small patches of land and those small valleys: around 54 hectares.
In 1984, the renovation works started with the repair works of the old roads that lead to the fields. Along them around seven thousand plants were planted – from pine trees to cypresses, walnut and cherry trees – giving the landscape a more gentle and welcoming appearance. One of the most demanding work was the restoration of the old olive groves. The old olive trees have been carefully restored and more than 6,000 new olive trees have been planted.
At the bottom of the valley there is a farmhouse (Ranco de Luca) with a large threshing floor where until 1992 it was possible to see the threshing made with a period threshing machine and an old “Landini” tractor. Such machinery is still to be seen at the Collevecchio as a memento of the bygone days, not yet forgotten, and as a sign of our Umbria. Today Antonio and Mariella Falcini farm is a well established modern activity, at the same time rich of folklore, history, habits and memories. This was possible not only thanks to the owners, but also to those (workers, farmers, electricians, plumbers, bricklayers, technicians, etc…) who work there and are fully committed with their professionalism, passion, and heart to an always growing activity, which is constantly striving for excellence. This brief reference to Collevecchio events intends to provide a please opportunity to get closer or to reconcile with a period in the past which needs to be revisited with great respect and affection. This is the only approach that makes it possible to understand all values and feelings still capable to speak to our heart and to instil the beauty and happiness of a life in full balance with the environment. Each visit to our farm should give you the opportunity to reconcile with the slow, eternal rhythms of nature which turn us from individuals to people.
From the book “Collevecchio ieri e oggi” – Don Torquato Sergenti
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