A Tiny Tuscan Island's Artisan Revival

Capraia is a remote volcanic island in the Tuscan Archipelago, roughly a three-hour ferry crossing from Livorno and home to only about 150 residents. For decades it has been a place people leave: families have moved to the mainland for work and schooling, the local school now has just 12 pupils, and winter storms can cut the island off entirely.

Now a small group of artisanal food producers is trying to reverse that drift. At Azienda Agricola Il Saracello, the island's only cheesemaker, 28-year-old Alessio Peroni makes about 15 kg of cheese a day—ricotta, primosale and mursa di Capraia. Founder Massimiliano Della Rosa, a Capraia native, brought around 100 camosciata delle Alpi goats from Piedmont in 2016, reviving a cheesemaking tradition after the island's native goat breed had disappeared. In 2019 the farm's mursa won Gold at the World Cheese Awards.

The revival extends beyond cheese. Roberta Bonomo has restored a small apiary and produces honey and wildflower salt; Daniele Molinari and Angela Malaguti hand-harvest capers; and two small vineyards, Azienda Agricola La Mursa and Azienda Vitivinicola La Piana, make limited quantities of wine. Many producers sell direct to visitors and island businesses, turning Capraia's agricultural past into a new reason to travel there.

Why Capraia's Small Producers Are Drawing Attention

Why Capraia's products stand out

Capraia's story is less about scale than about scarcity. The island's isolation raises the cost and difficulty of farming, but it also gives its products a distinctive identity. Il Saracello's mursa, for example, carries the warm, curry-like aroma of helichrysum, a wild plant goats graze on across the volcanic hills. That kind of place-specific flavour is hard to replicate and easy to market.

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The limits of an island revival

The business model is deliberately small-batch. Azienda Vitivinicola La Piana produces about 17,000 bottles a year, and winemaker Alice Bollani sells through tastings and, with government investment, plans to expand the winery into a larger agrotourism experience. La Mursa's Francesco Cerri sells tiny quantities online and direct from the vineyard. Rather than competing aggressively, the island's winemakers share resources such as bottles and barrels—a practical response to isolation.

The main constraint is demographic and seasonal. Tourism is largely Italian and concentrated in summer, while winter storms isolate the island. The small school and limited workforce make it difficult to attract younger residents. The producers' bet is that agritourism and reputation—such as international cheese awards—can extend the season and give young people more than one economic reason to stay.

How to Experience Capraia's Local Produce

If you visit Capraia, the journey is to Pisa, then a 15-minute train to Livorno and a 2h45m ferry crossing with Toremar. The following stops make the island's food economy easy to support.

  • Try the island's award-winning mursa at Il Saracello's cheesemonger by the port, alongside fresh ricotta and primosale.
  • Book ahead for dinner at Agriturismo Valle di Portovecchio, which serves a fixed seasonal menu using local produce.
  • Visit Azienda Vitivinicola La Piana for wine tasting; the winery sits inside the island's former penal colony and plans a larger agrotourism offering.
  • Buy local honey, wildflower salt and capers from the port gift shop run by Federico Ferrarini, which stocks Roberta Bonomo and La Sorgente products.
  • Eat at Il Carabottino for a no-menu seafood dinner next to the 16th-century fort, where the dishes depend on the day's catch.
  • Do not assume year-round access: ferry service and visitor amenities are far more limited in winter, when storms can isolate Capraia.