Articolo disponibile anche in: Italian

Paolo Cianferoni is the heart and soul of the Caparsa winery, in the hills of Radda in Chianti. He is a character in the real sense of the word: histrionic and optimistic.

He doesn’t mince his words. He is often provocative and attracts attention on his blog and on social media. The title was enough this time. We asked Paolo, “And if the life of a winegrower were bullshit?”.

“All there is is work,” he writes. “There are 1.000 problems to resolve 1000 unforeseen events, and 1000 things to think about day ant night. Your private life is screwed, you work every day including holidays. When others are on vacation you are still working like you do every day. Yes, it is true that it is a life choice and a noble job, but once it was easier. There wasn’t as much to think about. There weren’t all these rules, deadlines, up-dates, all of which oppress you every day of the year”.

“There are no holidays,” he writes. “The wine grower works on May 1, April 25, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. You can hardly find a time slot on Saturday and Sunday to spend with your family. You don’t have hobbies, because after you finish work you have to think about your program for the next 10 years: agriculture is this way”.

Paolo uses colorful expressions which we don’t censor. “Working for others could be a solution, perhaps working for some rich guy who has no idea what he is doing. It’s the finances that have to work. In this way you can have days off, find time for a hobby or to go on a two week vacation”.

“I know other wine growers who made that choice,” he concludes. “To work for others, give up, leave something in order to regain your liberty which the system traps you in with its 1000 bureaucratic rules. Perhaps wine growers don’t actually exist and are only imaginary. Perhaps I’m the only one who thinks he’s a wine grower but am really privileged, one who chose something. Or perhaps the others thing that I am a wine grower. I would like to understand who I am while I am approaching the age of 60. And then, there are always worse things, etc… . Well, okay. I am tired today. Tomorrow I will see things differently… maybe”.

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