Close to the Brenta Dolomites, Mrs. Lucia welcomes us into a new facility built with clear references to the territory, nature and the mountains. It is the farmhouse Florandonole, in Fai della Paganella, where every detail is aimed at creating a familiar and serene atmosphere.

What led you to open a farmhouse?
Everything is linked to my husband’s beekeeping business, as an extension of the workshop of beekeeping and snail breeding. We added the accommodation facilities in order to enhance our beekeeping and honey production and our beautiful natural heritage.

What do you love the most of your land?
Nature is undoubtedly our strong point, and the mountain and the unpolluted countryside are our surplus value.

Honey is your specialty.
Yeah, our beekeeping is “nomad”: we move bees in diferent areas in Italy, also at the South, by following flowering. This allows us to get honey derived from one single kind of flower. We produce about 10-12 different kinds of honey: sunflower, acacia, cirtus… Since last year we have been experimenting the cultivation of officinal herbs, such as mint and lemon balm, in order to make herbal teas, which is quite uncommon for these areas.

Do you carry out any activities with your guests?
In summer we organize different tastings in order to spread the knowledge of honey, by explaining the whole production process and the life of the bee: we match honey with cheese, beer and wine, in order to show various uses of honey, different from its simple sweetening function. Every Saturday instead we organize a convivial country dinner with the products of our vegetable garden, in order to enhance the farming work by offering the typical and slow-food products of our land.

You care for the alpine design of the rooms.
This furnishing style is eco-friendly, by using recycled materials, old wood salvaged from old barns and country houses, in order to cause the less impact possible with the environment. Fabrics, such as wool, cotton and linen are completely natural as well, paying special attention to the respect of nature. It is a design withouth frills, and the sweet scent of wood permeates the rooms.

Special attention is paid to children: can you tell us of the activities dedicated to them?
Beside the spaces dedicated to children, we organize some activities aimed at letting children know the world of bees (not in the presence of the insect itself, but in complete safety), by using drawings and the empty beehive, with tastings aimed at letting children understand the difference between tastes and smells. For breakfast we offer authentic products that children can like, such as jam.

What characterizes your farmhouse?
The environment is especially comfortable, intimate and perfect for both couples and families, with the chance to take part in activities such as dinners, which are part of the life of a family, but at the same time everything is carried out with extreme discretion, with no obtrusiveness at all.

What is your greatest satisfaction?
Seeing that our guest recognizes the passion you put in the things you do, be it simply the care in preparing the breakfast buffet, is undoubtedly our greatest satisfaction.