In the heart of the Pollino National Park, in Fardella (PZ), the experience of La Casetta dei Raskatielli represents an innovative model of women’s entrepreneurship, successfully combining tradition and sustainability. Laura and Franco’s farm covers 15 hectares, mostly cultivated organically and using methods that align with agroecological principles. The farm also hosts a home restaurant where Laura offers her guests raskatielli, a handmade pasta that is a local symbol, made from miskiglio flour (ancient grains and legumes, particularly fava beans). 

The recovery of native cultivars (Senise peppers, Rotonda eggplants, local tomatoes and legumes, medicinal plants, orchards) and the adoption of practices that respect ecological balance- uch as crop rotation, organic mulching, and natural fertilization—help reduce soil erosion and water stress. The farm is also part of formal and informal networks: it collaborates with research institutions such as the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics Analysis (CREA) and organizations working in innovation transfer, such as the Lucanian Agency for Agricultural Development and Innovation (ALSIA). It is involved in the Slow Food movement and the Cuochi Custodi association, and works with local farms, many of which are women-led, thus strengthening female empowerment and social innovation. 

Together with other farms, Laura develops experiential tourism packages that immerse guests in farm life and food production through educational workshops, promoting the area and its traditional knowledge. La Casetta dei Raskatielli demonstrates how collaborative networks and women’s entrepreneurship can foster inclusive rural development, safeguard cultural and natural heritage, and generate lasting environmental, social, and economic benefits.