Le Barbarighe - Az. Agricola

The farm Le Barbarighe, which is located in San Martino di Venezze in the heart of Polesine, is managed by the Gagliardo family for three generations. The land belongs to the family company since 1920; Leonardo's grandfather, the current owner, began precisely in the years of the Battle of Wheat, for which he received awards and honors. In the 60s and 70s here he prevailed cultivation "per hectare launched", a strong boost to productivity brought about by an intensive exploitation of the land: in 1998 Leonardo, sensing the failure of this senseless policy, converted part of the land in organic farming, producing the first grains with certification, and joined in the agri-environment initiatives, such as the restoration of hedges, maintaining crops to lose to wildlife purposes and herbaria, never to leave the land "naked" in the period of rest.

In 2002 he decided to have its own mill, which he placed in the old renovated barn, with millstones to preserve the nutrients of cereal. In the 90 hectares of cereals (including 30 in organic farming), the company also produces soft wheat, durum wheat, spelled, barley, oats, rye, corn "fifty", from which it draws biological flours and cereals soup. Here it produces flour polenta as before, by the variety of Biancoperla corn grown in organic agriculture and ground stone.

Among the cultivated cereals are also two types of non-hybrid varieties of open pollinated such as Marano our national and Biancoperla, the latter disappeared from the countryside in the 60s. The company ensures the freshness grinding, as grinding cereals to order and stores them in small quantities.

The company is also part of the network of educational farms "Children on the farm" since 2003. It welcomes, for half-day tours, school groups throughout the year and offers seasonal routes, with topics to be agreed with the teachers; the paths that proposes and the picturesque environment that surrounds the company are also admirably suited for families and elderly groups.