A1980

Region: Lazio

Business name: A1980 by Alessandra Nicolai

Location: Montefiascone (Viterbo)

Historical context and birth of the company

“Yes the employee, for 4 years I worked in private practice, 4 very interesting, very stressful, very visceral years and a lot of everything.
It was the end of the summer of 2011 and an emotional tsunami was forming inside me.
Do I continue a safe job, a salary at the end of the month, a very nice working environment, people who have transformed me or do I give up / leave all this? I left all of this because the four walls were finally taking my life.
Do you want to put on the same level the sensations you feel on a November day, the north wind that lashes your face, the cold you feel, the physical fatigue, the clear sky, the olive trees full of fruit, the countryside of my father and his stories, a sandwich and coffee in the thermos with a day in the office to answer the phone, make photocopies and always have a smile even if you don’t feel like it?
Even today I would make the same choice again even if the sky is not always clear and the olive trees are full of fruit, yes there are moments of discouragement of so much effort and little production but after years I could not be happier, the countryside I gave a new life. ”

“I never imagined that my life would be the countryside, I never imagined that one day to the question” what do you do? ” my answer could have been oiling it “.

Alessandra Nicolai

Tuscia, thanks to its volcanic origin, is particularly fertile and therefore suitable for the cultivation of numerous varieties of fruit and vegetables. The vineyards of Tuscia are famous, from Montefiascone to Vignanello, the olive groves of the Canino area, the chestnut groves, throughout the Faggeta area, from Vallerano to Soriano del Cimino and beyond.
Agriculture has always been the vocation and pride of the territory of Lake Bolsena as well. Since the time when the Etruscans cultivated them, the “rich lands of Etruria” evoked by Tito Livio have given those who take care of them products of excellence such as olive oil, wines (the famous Est! Est !! Est !!!, Cannaiola di Marta, Aleatico di Gradoli), legumes (lentils from Onano) and cereals. To date, agricultural activity in the basin of Lake Bolsena is very varied: the landscape alternates with olive groves, vineyards, fields of cereals and forage plants, but also the hazelnut plantations are expanding.
The sandy soil of volcanic origin with very fine and particularly permeable ashes, offers the ideal conditions for obtaining high quality olives, as it is also particularly rich in nutrients and very fertile.
The climate is sub-Mediterranean, temperate and mild, the microclimate in the lake basin is protected by the surrounding hills and mountains, has good ventilation and is affected by the mitigating action of the volume of water.
These conditions have made the biodiversity of the area one of the richest in Europe.