Idylwilde Farm

About the Farm

Idylwilde Farm traces its roots to 1898, when Frank and Mary Napoli emigrated from Italy and began raising vegetables, poultry, and eggs on 40 acres in Lexington, Massachusetts, selling them door to door by pushcart with the help of their son Thomas. By 1930 Thomas had traded the pushcart for a proper farmstand and named it Idylwilde, running it with his wife Catherine for 36 years. In 1969 the third generation -- brothers Thomas, Richard, and David Napoli -- relocated the business to its current home on Central Street in Acton. They replaced the original small log cabin market in 1985 with a stunning Dutch barn and greenhouse, a Post and Beam structure built by local craftsmen with 100 tons of ash, pine, and Berkshire oak. The landmark became so recognizable the owners never bothered to put up a sign.

Today the 17,000-square-foot store sits on a 50-acre working farm and is fully stocked year-round with the finest domestic and imported produce, gourmet foods, artisan breads, choice meats, patés, and one of the largest collections of gourmet cheeses from New England and around the world. The bakery, deli, sandwich counter, and prepared foods kitchen round out a shopping experience that feels like an old-world market. Several employees have been with the farm for more than 20 years, and the Napoli family knows many of their customers by first name.