Conditio sine qua non
the story of a traditional Tuscan charcuterie maker
From 1883 to today
Birth of Adolfo Balderi, “Nonno Adò”: a pork butcher like his uncle Raffaello and a marble sculptor.
Adolfo turns one hundred: Terzo Benedetti dedicates a poem to him.
Gianni and Maurizio found La Bottega di Adò, a modern workshop in Montignoso.
At the end of the decade, together with other craftsmen, a new craft centre is born, with the new charcuterie workshop.
The family's story becomes a book: Il mortaio e il tempo.
Memory
Nonno Adò would be proud if he could see today the “Bottega” that bears his name, a traditional Tuscan charcuterie maker that, through his family, carries on an important part of his long life. Adolfo Balderi, born in 1883, lived a full life rich in interests and very nearly reached the year 2000. He lost his mother when he was very young and his father emigrated to faraway America, so Adolfo was raised by his uncle Raffaello, a pork butcher, who taught him the trade. Meanwhile, though, the artistic flair of his lively nature fell under the spell of marble, a vital element in the villages of the Apuan Alps.
So Adolfo attended the Academy in Pietrasanta and became a skilled sculptor, enjoying this art for as long as his hands were able to work.
Tradition
Yet he never gave up his first trade as a pork butcher, which he later passed on to his grandsons Carlo and Vittorio. With their help he kept the family business going; by then it had become a tradition that everyone in Montignoso knew and loved.
But times change, and old trades must adapt in order to survive. His great-grandsons Gianni and Maurizio Lorenzetti did not want the family's experience to be lost: working alongside Carlo and Vittorio, they decided to renew the small craft business, which was no longer keeping up with the times.
Evolution
And so in 1992 “La Bottega di Adò” was born: in fact a very modern workshop purpose-built in Montignoso, in the heart of the Apuan Alps. It is fully equipped in terms of technology and facilities and guarantees nationwide production in line with European standards. But while the mind is modern and rational, the heart is still that of their great-grandfather: herbs are still ground in the marble mortar to capture the true flavours of the past, spices are carefully selected from the best importers and milled fresh to keep all their aroma, and Adolfo lives on in his workshop through his teachings.
Poetry
Gianni and Maurizio received a fine inheritance: culture and tradition. Their great-grandfather taught them all the secrets of the trade and his precious recipes. In his will he wrote:
“Use meat of the finest quality, select it carefully, use the best spices and above all work with conscience and honesty.
This is my secret recipe…
but don't tell anyone!”
feeling
On 30 October 1983 Adolfo turned one hundred. For the celebration, Terzo Benedetti dedicated these verses to him, which describe the man better than any biography (the poem is kept in the original Italian).
Buono, tranquillo, semplice e sapiente
affabile, con mille e più virtù.
Non si seppe di mal da lui dir niente.
Né in lei, né in voi, nell’eccellenza o in tu.
Musicista, norcino e qui “eccellente”,
scultore, e quel che vale ancor di più,
che da quando parla gli uomini consiglia
a rispettarsi tra loro e la famiglia.
Goditi Adolfo la solenne festa
di tutti i tuoi cent’anni meritati;
abbiane ancora tante come questa
e siano i giorni placidi e beati;
mai tu non abbia una giornata mesta,
vivi coi tuoi parenti affezionati,
che ti terranno sempre compagnia,
voglia così Gesù, e così sia.
Montignoso, li 30 ottobre 1983
Terzo Benedetti.
but the story goes on...
Progress
at the end of the 1990s La Bottega di Adò, together with a group of small craftsmen, embarked on a bold venture: they bought a disused site and created a new craft centre, where the new Tuscan charcuterie workshop with traditional production was built
new generations
new energy, new ideas and cultural growth are the lifeblood of every business
modern, efficient and perfectly hygienic equipment is essential for safe, high-quality production
innovation
ancient and irreplaceable trades must be handed down so that history and tradition are not lost
skill
experience
knowledge and mastery deliver excellent results and keep true, inimitable flavours alive
our story has become a book
Il mortaio e il tempo · Five generations beneath the Apuan Alps
Our family's story has become a book. Il mortaio e il tempo tells how, beneath the Apuan Alps, an ancient trade became a legacy spanning five generations: from the cold workshop where spices were ground in the marble mortar to the quarries of the late nineteenth century, from the Great War to the freezing nights of pork butchering, up to the festivals of the Pefana.
A narrating voice guides the reader through a century and a half of events: the childhood of Adolfo, an orphan raised by an uncle who was a pork butcher; the double life of Vittorio, Olivetti factory worker and master of the pig; the quiet strength of the women who held the family together. A tribute to the dignity of work and to the gestures that become a legacy. (The book is in Italian.)
You'll find it in our shop for €10, with €5 shipping anywhere in Italy (no extra cost if you add it to your charcuterie order). Prefer the eBook? It's available in Kindle format on Amazon.
Taste our story
The same gestures, the spices ground in the marble mortar, the same honesty in our work: every day in Montignoso, our charcuterie is still made this way. We ship all over Italy, fresh products too.