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Published: April 30th 2023
La Masseria Farm
Antique olive oil pressToday we had booked a 4-hour tour of La Masseria, a family-owned and operated farm in Massa Lubrense, a village located about 5 miles to the southwest of Sorrento. The pick-up point for our group of 20 people was about a 10-minute walk from our apartment on Via degli Aranci, and we arrived slightly early for the scheduled 3:30PM rendezvous with the minibus and driver that would deliver us to the farm.
Our driver today, a grumpy-looking guy who looked to be in his 60s, turned out to be quite a character. Dee noted straight away that his fly was at half-mast (so I quickly dubbed him "Flyboy"), and he was clearly agitated at a few late stragglers (and some no-shows), while all the while muttering expletives in Italian.
But the real fun began during the wild and crazy drive to the farm. Once we left Sorrento, the narrow roads and blind curves on the way to Massa Lubrense were even more tortuous than on the Amalfi Coast drive! It was a truly white-knuckle experience, as "Flyboy" weaved his way around and through traffic, while leaning on the horn as we approached the many blind curves on the route
to the farm. On several occasions, we avoided a collision by the narrowest of margins.
When we reached the farm, with its sloping terraces and hills, we were greeted by the eldest son of the owners, the Gargiulo family, who represent the fourth generation of the family that began with a lemon orchard back in 1898. During the course of this fascinating tour of the farm, visitors get to see a typical Sorrento Peninsula garden, beautifully landscaped with a wide variety of crops.
About ten years ago the family decided to offer tours of the farm, no doubt to supplement their income, which is derived primarily from the production of lemon fruit and olive oil. The 7-acre property extends to a valley composed of volcanic rocks and soil, while its stunning terraces slope down to the Gulf of Naples. On the terraces, olive trees produce the typical Sorrento Peninsula extra virgin olive oil, lemon trees produce the exclusive "Oval of Sorrento" variety of lemon, and chestnut trees produce sweet, fragrant fruit.
Trunks of these chestnut trees are used to build the famous “Pergolas” to defend the lemons from bad weather. In addition to citrus fruits such as
oranges and mandarins, the farm cultivates different varieties of fruit trees and seasonal vegetables. Summer time crops include eggplants, zucchini, and onions. The farm maintains some livestock, such as hogs, a cow, goats and chickens, that help to make the family self-sufficient.
They also cultivate tomatoes, and make their own wine (from grapes purchased locally), as well as limoncello, both of which we were to enjoy later. While John, Cindy and the rest of the group walked downhill into the lemon groves, Dee and I opted to stay on the farmhouse terrace, chatting with the younger brother as he prepared the outside dining area for the traditional-style meal to be served at the end of the tour.
The entire group sat down for a meal prepared by Mama, the matriarch of the family, and it was quite a spread. It started with various meats and cheeses, bread with olive oil, fried dough balls, bottles of the farm's homemade wine, lemonade, bruschetta (with the sweetest tomatoes imaginable), a plate of pasta and a delicious slice of lemon cake for dessert.
We were all stuffed to the gills by the time the feeding frenzy was over! While we said
our good-byes to this lovely family, Mama graciously posed for a photograph with Dee, and then the group piled into the bus for the ride back to Sorrento (which was thankfully less nerve-racking than the first ride!).
Dee's Comments: Our day at the farm was an exciting experience, especially the ride on the bus; the driver drove the bus like in a circus performance! We arrived at a beautiful little family farm (fourth generation). The goats, cow and pigs were very amusing; and the history of the place was fascinating.
The sit-down dinner we were served was traditional Italian, with appetizers and pasta, followed by dessert and the farm's homemade limoncello. Our bellies were certainly full as we re-boarded the "clown bus", but the tour was well worth the time and expense. The images of the sunset during our return ride to Sorrento were beautiful!
The last few days have been a whirlwind! The beauty of driving along the Amalfi Coast, and the images of the sea, were amazing. Our lunch with Francesco was memorable, too. He's a lovable character, tour guide and jokester who has become like family to us. I'm taking home so many
Mama and Dee
La Masseria Farm memories! In the words of Gustave Flaubert, "Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world."
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Jeni
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Sounded like you were on Mr. Toads wild ride to start! Hilarious you called him flyboy! I love the farm and the terrace, a nice view. The olive tree is beautiful and Bossy is precious. Great photos of everyone. And please stop with all the lemon desserts, I’m craving all of them. Lemon desserts and cocktails are some of my favorites! Thanks for letting us join you on these adventures!