In the hills between Bologna and Imola there was once land that had been left behind. Old farmhouses stood empty, fields slowly disappeared under the undergrowth, and generations passed without anyone tending what had once been worked.

In 2015 the decision was taken to bring it back to life. It came from the people who had restored Palazzo Bentivoglio, a 1705 country house that became the reason to take the surrounding land in hand again. It started with the buildings, then the soil, then the trees. The olive groves were replanted with varieties that had belonged to these hills for generations, bringing names like Nostrana di Brisighella, Maurino, Grignano and Correggiolo back into the landscape.

Slowly the land found its rhythm again. Vineyards returned between the groves. Vegetable gardens took shape. An orchard grew. Even saffron flowers here now, an unexpected small treasure in the Emilia-Romagna countryside.

The harvest stays true to its origin: each olive variety is allowed to show its own character rather than disappear into a single house style. The same thinking applies to the fruit, where carefully chosen Italian fruits are handled with a light touch, so the flavour of the fruit itself comes through.

There is something quietly special about food that grows on land once given up. It carries the character of its place, of course, but also something harder to name.

Patience. Persistence. And the belief that what has been forgotten can still bloom. Sometimes bringing a place back starts with planting a tree.