We are in the heart of beautiful hills a few kilometers from Florence. Undulating ridges, cypresses and farmhouses draw the skyline on the edge of Chianti, next to the hamlet of San Pancrazio, a stone’s throw from San Casciano Val di Pesa. Sheep cheese, wine and extra virgin olive oil; high quality production, but above all, production with soul. The men and women who work at this farm have a deep attachment to the earth and to the values of a simple and productive life, tiring but full of rewards. The history of Corzano e Paterno is one of symbiosis; Mitteleuropean organization and vision intertwined with Mediterranean feeling and creativity. In a world overflowing with marketing, labels, virtual images, the farm is an experience that does not need slogans. And as all experiences it is told through the lives of people, the hearts and hands that make up the framework of Wendelin Gelpke’s greatest project. Its symbol is the Buccia di Rospo (Toad’s Skin), a famous and precious cheese, created by mistake, almost fed to the pigs and now found on the cheese trolleys of the best restaurants. Fortunately all this cannot only be enjoyed through excellent cheese and noble wines but also first hand as Corzano e Paterno is also an agriturismo (farmhouse rental), an ideal hideaway in the heart of Tuscany. Chianti is here, but Chiantishire’s princes and counts seem gray and faded. At Corzano and Paterno passion is in the air as hands work the earth.