Fattoria Valle Magica

Among the mountains of Abruzzo, within the Gran Sasso National Park, lies the Fattoria Valle Magica. This activity was born where once stood the ancient farmhouse of the monastery of the Baronia di Carapelle Calvisio, which had been abandoned for many years.
Ralph Boston and Ninke Sengers, in addition to restoring a historical activity and transforming it, followed a dream that pushed them to completely change their lives.
 

Fattoria Valle Magica: the courage of a family pursuing a dream

The idea of Fattoria Valle Magica was born just that way: from a dream that over time seemed increasingly close to reality. This was thanks to the determination of Ralph and Ninke, and also a touch of madness.

He is Irish, she is Dutch. At 43, he was the managing director of Amazon Slovakia, and she was a psychologist specializing in neuroscience at 31: their lives were very hectic and busy, just like those of their four children Airik, Lucian, Anakin, and Nimue.
Ninke spent four hours a day assisting Mr. Riccardo, who suffered from Alzheimer’s, residing in the United Kingdom but of Abruzzese descent, and it was from his stories that the dream took shape.
Despite his fragmented memories, Riccardo always spoke of the beauties of Abruzzo Montano, and his tales increasingly fueled the couple's desire for a different life, one that was human-sized and closely connected to nature.

Thus, the family decided to move to Carapelle, where they purchased the agricultural estate with the farmhouse needing renovation. The place became a laboratory dedicated to product transformation, and being immersed in greenery, surrounded by olive trees, pines, and centuries-old oaks, it was the ideal home for many rare breeds of animals, far removed from modern industrial farming.
It took a lot of courage to make such an important choice, but the results have been excellent and, above all, it was worth the effort.
 

Fattoria Valle Magica: where nature and tradition come first

The primary goal of Fattoria Valle Magica is to give everyone the opportunity to rediscover the flavors and habits of the past, through the ethical and sustainable farming of rare and ancient breeds.

Caring for the natural environment is of primary importance, which is why the agricultural methods used are traditional, sustainable, and non-industrial.
One ancient breed being raised is the Nero d'Abruzzo pigs. This breed actually descends from the black pigs that were brought to Italy by the Romans over 2000 years ago.
Nero d'Abruzzo pigs are suited for a natural life and are distinguished by their quality and flavor. This breed was also nearly extinct, and the farm is one of the few actively raising it.

The "flavor of the past" is achieved by combining quality, health, and ethics with artisanal processing in a CE certified laboratory.
Fattoria Valle Magica currently produces numerous types of salumi: sausages, ventricina, salami, loin, and guanciale are just a few.

But Ninke and Ralph's dream doesn’t stop here: their spirit of innovation and originality is constantly moving towards new initiatives, from new products, to trekking with animals, to educational farming.