Honey
Collected in two different apiaries located throughout the estate, our honey conveys a palpable sense of its floral surrounds. From lavender growing in profusion near the apiary to chestnut, ivy and orchard blossoms found throughout the grounds, our raw artisan honey changes subtly in perfume and flavour depending on the flowering season. Produced by indigenous local bees and free from chemicals and added sugar, it’s collected and cold-extracted by our onsite beekeeper to fully retain its potent natural properties. Borgo honey is an intrinsic part of our ‘farm to plate’ philosophy, served to guests at our breakfast buffet and restaurants, and harnessed in our range of natural skincare.
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Type: Millefiori (blossom/nectar).
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Bee strain: Apis mellifera ligustica (Italian honeybees), indigenous to the Siena area.
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Extraction: Cold-extracted via centrifuge.
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Flavour notes: Lavender, chestnut and fruit blossoms (July harvest); hints of ivy (September harvest).
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Colour and consistency: Golden amber brown with a viscous, grainy texture.
Our animals
Our flock of more than 300 sheep graze on lush pasture land along the River Merse, producing milk used in the artisan dairy and tender 0km lamb for Borgo Santo Pietro’s restaurants.
We also raise pigs for the table. Free to roam throughout extensive tracts of forest, our pigs enjoy a nutritious diet of acorns that also enhances the flavour and quality of the prosciutto, one of Tuscany’s regional specialties.
Our free-range chickens produce fresh eggs for the table each day, while our busy Borgo bees collect pollen throughout the estate to produce raw honey that changes subtly in perfume and flavour depending on the flowering season; in fact guests often pick out notes of lavender derived from the bushes growing in profusion near the apiary.
We also keep a herd of alpacas that we are breeding to develop a cottage wool industry from the animal’s luxurious fibres, while our resident peacocks add a touch of novelty to a stroll around the gardens.
Herb farming
Set within our 300-acre organically cultivated estate, the 6-acre herb farm grows a wide assortment of plants, including rosehip, rosemary, lavender, calendula, juniper, peppermint, melissa and hypericum.
These herbs are specifically grown for use in our on-site laboratory, where our expert alchemist blends the potency of the plants with science in order to extract the active ingredients for creating the regenerative skincare collection – Seed to Skin. Guests can learn about herb farming from our master gardeners while taking a guided tour of the property.
