Swarming Bees in Chianti
It is so much fun for me to host guests who are from my former life as a banker. I’ve had former co-workers, clients, and other contacts from my past days join me on several of our tours over the years.
On one occasion in 2022, I had a former bank client-turned-friend join us for a tour of Tuscany. I had met John when we were both living in Cape Coral, Florida. He is an avid pilot and back then, had a T-28 Navy training plane in which he had taken me up for a joy ride out of Fort Myers. I had been in a T-28 about 10 years before, when another bank client back in Detroit took me for a ride out of Willow Run Airport. As a passenger in John’s plane, I felt I was on a balloon ride flying over the Gulf of Mexico. The clear cockpit canopy gave me an amazing view of the coastal land below and the roar of the massive engine contributed to an exhilarating experience.
John decided to join us in Tuscany in 2022 with his wife, his sister, and brother-in-law to take his first vacation overseas ever, which was a great honor for me. John and I both experienced great financial losses back in those days when I lived in North Fort Myers, and now we both found ourselves in a much better place, with my having a rewarding tour business and John having wonderful success developing a mini-storage facility or “man caves” (as he puts it), in Cape Coral. These are large facilities that are divided into individual condo units that tend to be decked out to store exotic sports cars and are equipped with drink bars and lounge areas to enjoy the space with the condo owner’s friends.
Since we would be in Tuscany, there would be several opportunities to visit Chianti wineries, however, John hasn’t consumed alcohol for over 40 years. Nevertheless, he still wanted to visit the wineries because in his childhood he grew up on a farm and wanted to enjoy that part of the experience. The week before John and his wife were to arrive, I was on a tour with my group at the Verazzano Winery in Greve in Chianti. I was thinking about doing something else with John while the guests participated in the wine tasting part of the tour, like maybe visiting the town of Greve. Then I saw some beekeeping hive boxes stacked up behind one of the winery buildings. Remembering that John was a beekeeper in Cape Coral, which I saw at his home and enjoyed some of the honey he collected, I wondered if it would be possible to meet the beekeeper on the farm while the other guests participated in the wine tasting. I emailed the office to make the connection and received a reply from Maria Sole, who was their beekeeper. She was happy to meet us, and we decided on a time the following week.
Castello di Verrazzano
After the group tour of the winery, it was time for the tasting, so John and his wife, Lori, and I met up with Maria Sole Cappellini, who turned out to be one of the owner’s, Luigi Cappellini and his wife Silvia, daughters. She grew up on the farm and participated in all the farm activities, including harvesting grapes when she was only four years old! This beautiful, young lady has already accomplished a great deal by receiving a bachelor's degree from Bentley University in Boston, graduating with degrees in Economics/Finance and the Science of Sustainability. She also has a master’s degree in Vineyard and Winery Management from the University Bordeaux Sciences Agro.
Today, it’s difficult for her to answer the question of what she does now at the winery. Since it is a family business, she does a lot of different things, mainly taking care of exports and is the one in charge of tasting and presentation in foreign markets. She also does wine tastings, guided tours and is a full-time beekeeper. What she likes most about the wine business is the experience, not just about the product. She meets new people every day and likes to share her story and connect with them. She explained, “I’ve made friends in every country I have visited!”
Maria Sole showing us one of the hives
Regarding Maria Sole’s beekeeping, she started in 2020 during Covid, however, beekeeping has always been an activity there at Verrazzano. She explained, “My grandfather was a great beekeeper, who was very passionate about honey as well. I took that passion from him.” After her grandfather passed away in 2002, there wasn’t anyone to take care of his bees, so they became her personal project. When asked what she likes about beekeeping, she enthusiastically exclaimed, “First of all, I love honey! I am a honey sommelier and have a big collection of honeys from around the world. Everything started with the passion for the final product!”
From the start of getting to know the bees, Maria Sole fell in love with them. “They are just amazing animals!” About beekeeping, she likes the experience. When she is in her apiary, she is usually by herself and as she puts it, “It’s a multisensory experience. There is always a special smell of beeswax, the sound of the wing stroke and beauty of these little insects who bring a variety of different pollens into their home.”
She explained, “Pollen has different colors, from white to dark red! I suggest you look at a frame inside the box, and you will see the beautiful colors of pollen, the small eggs of the future bees and, of course, also the honey. Trust me, it is a fantastic experience!” She has attended some classes offered by ARPAT, the organization of beekeepers in Tuscany and has also read books about beekeeping; but she believes the best way to learn is hands-on practice!
Maria Sole’s childhood home
As far as getting stung, Maria Sole says, “I don’t get stung much anymore; when they do sting me, it is because they are afraid of me, so it is my fault.” She finds the most fascinating part of beekeeping is the connection she builds with her bees. “They get to know me, and they reward me if I treat them well.” Her bees do reward her.
The production of honey in the Chianti area starts in May with the acacia flower. In July, Maria harvests “tiglio” or linden, because the flowers of tiglio/linden trees bloom at that time. In September, ivy honey comes from one of the last flowers of the growing season, and then ends with hedera/English ivy at the end of September. Then the bees rest during the cold season.
Before reaching the beehives, we all added a beekeeper’s suit over our clothes (except John) and head gear to protect us. Unexpectantly, Lori noticed a swarm of bees collecting on a tree about 50 yards away from the hives. When bees swarm, a new queen bee is born in the original hive, and the old queen, accompanied by a large portion of the worker bees, leaves the hive in search of a new nesting site.
Since it was too late in the season, there was no way the new hive would be able to survive the winter. Quickly the two beekeepers started to come up with a plan to deal with the swarm. The option of killing the queen and returning the bees to the hives didn’t please Maria Sole. So, the two devised a plan to create a new hive box to relocate the swarm and add other bees to the new box to help them produce enough food to survive the winter. To help with this process, John tried to get Maria Sole’s smoker to work, but unfortunately it wasn’t working properly so he grabbed a large bucket and proceeded to the swarm.
Now at this point, I was nearby, completely protected by the suit and head covering; however, John had taken off his head covering, walked up to the swarm using his bare hands, and scooped as many bees as he could into the bucket in an attempt to capture the queen in the process. This created great concern with Maria Sole, and she half joked, “Please don’t sue the vineyard if you get stung.” John had been a beekeeper for many years and was very comfortable handling them, so he wasn’t the least bit concerned. It seemed to work because the bees continued to stay in the bucket. He then placed the bucket next to the tree to allow the other bees to pick up the queen’s scent and join the swarm.
Next, they went back to the hives to put together a new hive that would house the swarming bees. To help populate the hive, they took bees from other well-established hives once they placed the queen and the other bees into the new hive. The added bees would help gather enough food to last the winter. This also worked, because Maria Sole let me know this year when I returned that the hive had survived and is now producing honey.
The afternoon turned into a most memorable day, one which neither Maria Sole nor I could have set up in advance. John actually did get stung when he was taking the bees from the other hives to the new hive, which I got on video. He didn’t let the bump on his forehead bother him one bit and enjoyed his day at the winery. I look forward to buying honey from the winery each time I return as a thank you to the young beekeeper, Maria Sole, for creating a different wine-tour experience for us.
Proud father Luigi Cappellini (third from the right), posing for a photo with daughter John, Maria Sole, and Robert