Beekeepers · Conza della Campania
Francescoand Rosanna
A life choice, a place, a honey.
- Stationary beekeeping
- WWF Oasis of Conza
- Family-run
Our story
We came hereby choice
We are not originally from Irpinia. We moved here for the love of nature, drawn by the Ofanto Valley, Lake Conza and an ecosystem that few people know and even fewer know how to protect.
Francesco came to bees through his university work, where research on biodiversity led him to understand the role of pollinators in the food chain and in caring for the landscape. That is how Vie del Lago began.
Rosanna followed him for love and has never stopped supporting him. Vie del Lago is a project for two: in its decisions, in the daily work, in its philosophy.
“We never wanted to make industrial honey. We want to make the honey of this place, of this season. If there isn't enough, we would rather not make it.”
What guides us
Six ruleswe don't change
Staying put
Our bees don't move: the Priscilla apiary stays in the Conza Oasis. Each honey speaks of a single place, and that is what allows us to call it cru.
No pasteurisation
We don't heat the honey, we filter it only as much as needed and add nothing. That way the enzymes, aromas and complexity remain.
Transparency
We publish the hive data: temperature, humidity, colony weight. Every harvest has its own pollen analysis.
Respect for the ecosystem
In the WWF Oasis we share the land with dozens of protected species. No antibiotics; we manage varroa with oxalic acid.
Small batches
Our batches are as large as the land and the season allow. When they run out, they run out: next year's will be a different honey.
A direct relationship
Whoever buys our honey writes to Francesco or Rosanna. Every order is a conversation, and we know many of our customers by name.
How it began
Our storyof Vie del Lago
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The training
From science to the apiary
Francesco graduated in Oenology and Viticulture, then in Agricultural Science and Technology, and earned a PhD in Food Science. Over his years at the university, research on biodiversity and pollinators showed him how central bees are, for food and for the resilience of agricultural ecosystems.
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The choice
Moving to where the answer was
They already had a clear idea of the honey they wanted to make. They settled in Conza della Campania, where the apiaries are today: an intact ecosystem, the WWF Oasis, the Ofanto clays, rare blooms such as sulla.
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The Priscilla apiary
A project for two
The apiary's name, the decision not to pasteurise, the idea of honey as a cru: Vie del Lago was born together. The first direct sales follow; customers write, ask questions, come back.
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Today
Three honeys, one place
Millefiori, Acacia and Sulla, in small batches, with the hive data published. Customers reserve next season's honey while the current one sells out. Vie del Lago is small by choice, and means to stay that way.