From a corner of Tuscany to dessert: this is Marco Sforza’s approach to locally sourced pastry

July 24, 2026

Author:
sogoodmag

TAGS #
Marco Sforza so good #36

From a corner of Tuscany to dessert: this is Marco Sforza’s approach to locally sourced pastry

Marco Sforza manages the Michelin-starred gourmet restaurants Saporium and the Relais & Châteaux Borgo Santo Pietro in an enviable and inspiring location in the province of Siena (Tuscany), and not just because of the scenery.

Here, the Italian chef cultivates and showcases numerous products from local farms and orchards. We find chickens and poultry from his own henhouse, artisanal honey, goat’s milk ricotta, the spectacular surrounding vineyards, plantations of various nuts, vegetables from his garden, and, of course, wild herbs.

It is an earthly paradise where Sforza can unleash his creativity through firsthand knowledge and direct contact with the land, as we explain in so good.. magazine 36.

Photos products, Lollo Neri

Discover so good.. magazine 36

The ingredients that define Marco Sforza’s pastry

Honey

‘The bees are right at the end of the walnut field, before the bushes. They are a symbol of a clean and healthy environment. We collaborate with them, borrowing honey, pollen, and wax!’

Chickens

‘Borgo has free-range chickens, and we have the luxury of using their eggs in our kitchens. They live in cute, colorful wooden houses, and we collect their eggs every morning!’’Borgo has free-range chickens, and we have the luxury of using their eggs in our kitchens. They live in cute, colorful wooden houses, and we collect their eggs every morning!’

Elder trees

‘We are literally surrounded by elder trees. By the end of April, they bloom into beautiful white flowers. We collect the flowers and preserve them in syrup. We use the fresh flowers as much as possible before they turn into berries.’

Sheep

‘We have sheep here at Borgo, so we milk them and prepare fresh and cured cheeses. I choose ricotta because the milk is at its best this time of year!’

Walnut trees

At the end of October, with the arrival of fall, we harvest our walnuts from more than 200 trees on the beautiful Borgo Santo Pietro farm, in the province of Siena, in the heart of Tuscany. Once the ‘green husk’—that is, the dome and the first outer layer of the fruit—has been removed, we dry them for a week in our dryer until they reach a moisture content of 10–12%. Only then do we crack the shell— which will later be used as compost for the garden—and carefully extract the nut.

Next, we lightly roast them at 160 °C for 12 to 15 minutes to achieve our optimal color and flavor. Once cooled, the walnuts are processed in a grinder with steel blades and then refined in a stone mill until a very fine, creamy paste is obtained. With this walnut paste, we begin experimenting with various preparations and techniques. I was inspired by the desire to give walnuts their proper role, which is usually underestimated and normally limited to a whole walnut on a cheese plate or bread. I’m trying to give walnuts their due. They can really surprise you if they are harvested and treated properly.