So, after attending the residential course, Eric and his sister Elisa started a small business which – following in the footsteps of their parents – produces herbal teas and herbal salts. Eric takes care of each and every production stage, “from ordering seeds to taking care of the seedbed for the plants, from transplanting to maintenance, all the way to harvesting, drying and marketing, be it through direct sales or looking for shops willing to sell the products”, explains Eric.

Harvesting is almost entirely done manually, and so is drying. In the fields on the hills around Upacchi, agricultural equipment can hardly be used. “More land would be needed, but then it would become a totally different business”, says Eric. The few pieces of equipment in place are small and specially designed. To harvest the herbs, for instance, Eric adapted a tool used in India for the harvesting of tea leaves. An alternative is using a hand scythe. Pontepietra grows forty different types of herbs, both aromatic and officinal. Eric lists some of them: lemon balm, hyssop, mallow, marigold, cornflower, fennel, Moldavian dragonhead, savory, chives, oregano, thyme. They are grown in many small plots. After drying, at the end of July, they are mixed and bagged. . Seven herbal teas are produced, all with wonderful names, like Mazzo di fiori (Bouquet) or Tempaccio (Crappy weather), to drink in particularly stormy weather. And then Sole della sera (Evening Sun), Tisana del Benvenuto (Welcome Herbal Tea), Calmati (Quiet Down), Sole d’inverno (Winter Sun). Two herbal teas are produced for the German market only: one is Erbe del sole della Toscana (Tuscan Sun Herbs), the other is made with wild herbs only, gathered in the area: “This is a lovely place, truly uncontaminated”, says Eric.