A few years
ago a dilapidated caravan appeared at an equally dilapidated farm, one
kilometer further up the hill. There were rumors in the village about young
people from the big city who wanted to start a tourist activity there.
It took
several months before we got to see those mysterious city people. Just like us,
they had indeed said goodbye to city life and also wanted to start an Agriturismo
and cashmere goat farm.
Over the
next few months, we saw more and more goats walking in their fields, a little
later joined by two cute donkeys and a lot of big dogs who serve as goat
protectors as we also have wolves here on our hills.
Because
they don’t have that many goats, compared to other professional goat farms,
only about 50, all their animals have been given a name too. For example, they
are called Pirata, Castagna and Rucola. Whether they listen to it, of course,
is a another story.
The first
question that our guests usually ask us: can we also buy goat cheese there?
That is not possible, because these goats are bred purely for their fur, which
is processed into wool, separating the soft cashmere from the rougher coat.
According our neighbor Giulia, about half remains, and it’s a lot of work. No
wonder cashmere is so expensive.
If you want
to buy their cashmere wool, you have to pay no less than seventy-five euros for
a ball of fifty grams (225 meters). But then you do have natural Italian
cashmere from happy goats.
Giulia has
since become a real cashmere specialist and she travels all over Europe with
her wool. Not bad, for someone who had never seen a goat up close until a few
years ago! She is very passionate and has been working a lot. For example, she
spins her wool on an old-fashioned spinning wheel and she also has her own
loom.
You can
follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lanivendole/
