ITALY'S CITY VINEYARDS
The “Michelangelo Vineyard” is the latest entry into the network of vineyards in the heart of Italian cities. The vines are aligned along the slope under the Michelangelo Belvedere in Florence (hence the name) with views over the spread of terracotta rooftops, the dome of Santa Maria dei Fiori and the River Arno. Planted by the wine estate Donna Fittipaldi di Bolghera, run by Maria Fittipaldi Menarini and her four daughters, the first harvest is expected in 2025, with the resulting thousand bottles bearing the lily of Florence brand on their labels.
Other major Italian cities already have urban vineyards - some very old, like the vineyard in the cloister of the monastery of San Francesco della Vigna in Venice. It dates back to 1253, whereas the Island of Mazzorbo on the lagoon is home to the Tenuta Venissa, recently revived by the Bisol Family who can boast 21 generations of wine cultivators. Gianluca Bisol has planted the vineyard with Dorona, a native vine that had almost become extinct.
The Vigna del Gallo in Palermo is situated within the Botanical Gardens, founded in1789. The traditional vineyard was restored in 2019 with 195 vines planted, thanks to a project launched by the University of Palermo and the Consortium of DOC Sicilian Wines in which rare native vine stocks are studied and cultivated, while industrial capital Turin has its historic urban vineyard in the grounds of the former residence of the Queen of Sardinia and consequently named the Vigna Della Regina.
Perhaps the most fascinating old vineyard to visit is the “Vigna Leonardo” in the centre of Milan. This vineyard was gifted to Leonardo da Vinci in 1498 by the Duke of Milan, Ludovico il Moro. It can be visited in the grounds of the splendid renaissance Villa Atellani, restored in the 1920s by architect Piero Portaluppi, whose family replanted the vineyard for EXPO 2015 and enjoyed their first grape harvest in 2018.
The Urban Vineyards Association is a network of vineyards planted in city environments in Italy and France.
Info: Tel. +39.01194.34044 www.urbanvineyards.org