Duccio Fontani grows aromatic herbs on his organic farm just outside Castellina in Chianti, about an hour south of Florence.

On the third Sunday of each month Duccio loads up his van and heads north to sell his products at the farmers’ market in Piazza Santo Spirito. He’s been doing that for 33 years.

Duccio’s ‘Aromi del Chianti’ are wonderful – and sometimes unusual – combinations of the dried herbs and flowers he produces: coriander, peppermint, nettle, myrtle, onion, garlic, thyme, mint and many others.

He explains that the idea is not to cook the herbs into the dish you’re preparing, but rather to sprinkle them on top just as you serve. With each little jar Duccio pops open, another delicious fragrance is released and you just know those contents are packed full of flavour.

Finally, after quite a bit of sniffing and swooning, we decided on Duccio’s mix of rosemary, bay leaf and sage and couldn’t wait to try it out. So now we’re home again and the pasta is on the boil, the sauce is reducing nicely and the ‘aromi del chianti’ are ready to go. Buon appetito!