2025 Anniversary: February

In 2025 Anniversary by Sarah

2025 Anniversary CELEBRATIONS: US EVENTS WITH NICCOLò

In February, our Italian Farm Education Director, Niccolò Merighi, visited us in the US to bring together the Spannocchia community in New York City, Boston, and Portland, ME, while also exploring like-minded farms and food producers in the region and attending the NOFA-VT Winter Conference. We had so much fun welcoming Nico to the States and spending time with inspiring leaders and incredible organizations in our field!

Most of all, we loved seeing so many "Friends" throughout our travels. Over 130 of you joined us over three events, coming from as far as South Carolina, New Orleans, and Belgium! Attendees included intern and apprentice alumni, past program participants, Spannocchia guests, board members, and people who are looking forward to visiting our farm in the future. Being together and sharing our collective love for Spannocchia was energizing, rewarding, and a true joy for Nico and Sarah. Check out our tour timeline and some photos of our travels below!

Special thanks to Cellar 36 (NYC), Curio Spice Co. (Cambridge, MA), and Friends & Family (Portland, ME) for helping to host our community gatherings!

A timeline of events from our February tour around the Northeast.A timeline of events from our February tour around the Northeast.
Three men squat or bend over leafy greens growing in a large greenhouse.
A crowd of people in small groups of conversation in a restaurant space. In the foreground is a bar counter, yellow globe pendants hang from the ceiling, and an exposed brick wall is in the background.
Two people walk with their backs to the camera, bundled up and crossing a snowy field. Bare trees and a low white building are in the background.
Brown pigs gather at feeding troughs while two people stand, looking at the pigs.
A group of 6 people stand, smiling for the camera in a retail space.
A young brown cow standing outside in a mix of hay and snow looks toward the camera as a hand reaches out and scratches its nose.
A man, Niccolò, stands behind a butcher block counter in a restaurant space, pouring olive oil from a can into little tasting cups. Some other people are seen in the background.
Two people stand in the snow on top of a hill, overlooking a vast expanse of bare trees and then a lake below/behind them. The sky is clear blue with some puffy white clouds.
Photos, from left to right. Top Row: Niccolò (center) with Jack Algiere (r) and Jake du Pont (l) at Stone Barns; guests gathered for our NYC event at Cellar 36; Sarah (l) with Kathleen Finlay at Glynwood Center; Martin Ping and the pigs at Hawthorne Valley. Bottom Row: Francesca Cinelli, Niccolò, Sarah, Board Member Loring Schwarz, Trustee Emeritus Richard Olsen, and Trustee Emeritus John O'Keefe at our Cambridge event at Curio Spice Co.; a cow greets us at Wolfe's Neck; Niccolò pours olive oil for the tasting at our Portland, ME event at Friends & Family; Niccolò (l) with Vera Simon-Nobes at Shelburne Farms.
Photos, from top to bottom: Niccolò (center) with Jack Algiere (r) and Jake du Pont (l) at Stone Barns; guests gathered for our NYC event at Cellar 36; Sarah (l) with Kathleen Finlay at Glynwood Center; Martin Ping and the pigs at Hawthorne Valley; Francesca Cinelli, Niccolò, Sarah, Board Member Loring Schwarz, Trustee Emeritus Richard Olsen, and Trustee Emeritus John O'Keefe at our Cambridge event at Curio Spice Co.; a cow greets us at Wolfe's Neck; Niccolò pours olive oil for the tasting at our Portland, ME event at Friends & Family; Niccolò (l) with Vera Simon-Nobes at Shelburne Farms.

Click here to learn more about our milestone anniversaries in 2025 and how we are celebrating!