I am with Megan and Sebastian DelBrenna in the ‘secret underground’ of Palazzo Alfieri Venuti under the vaults still covered with marsh reeds of the nearby Trasimeno—built long ago. There, amidst ethereal and graceful displays, precious treasures of artisan joy and magic are carefully preserved. An ancient wine press dating back to 1634 stands proudly in a niche, exuding power and history. The place is adorned further with vintage bottles, hinting at an elegant and joyful way of life, or as the Italians call it, ‘bella vita.’
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An ancient hunting lodge built in the fifteenth century by Cardinal Silvio Passerini, protected by the Medici family and friend of Pope Leo X – and today a luxurious 5-star hotel in the heart of the Valle dell’Esse, a secret treasure chest on the outskirts of Cortona, on the border between Umbria and Tuscany. Let’s see what are the services open to the local community and for those who do not stay directly in the structure but had the desire to know it and spend ‘moments of forgetfulness’ – so Totò described, together with poet Giacomo Leopardi, happiness.
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Following the growth trend of outdoor activities, which emerged during and after the pandemic and which has been confirmed and consolidated in our days, the Municipality of Torrita has seen fit to think, trace and finally promote the historical, naturalistic and food and wine routes of its territory. We talk about it with Councilor Laura Giannini who told us about the birth and growth of this multifaceted trail network, managed with the Torrita web agency ‘Torrita di Siena Living’ (https://active.torritadisienaliving.it)
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That of ‘housewife’ is actually a role that she much prefers to ‘chef’ and that she wants to highlight. This ancient craft is the beating heart of the recent agri-restaurant, inaugurated in 2019. Marcelli – since birth already practically destined to become a housewife like his grandmother Giustina – has done and continues to do an important work of family economy, managing the kitchen almost in complete autonomy and basing it exclusively on the rural products of the earth.
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Jutta was born in Coblenz in the Rhineland in Germany during the War, and went to study art and design in Dusseldorf. She had always dreamed of leaving Germany to travel, and spent a year abroad studying and working in Rome. When, after 6 years of art school, the possibility to spend a period in South Africa working for a textile company presented itself, the young Jutta jumped at the opportunity.
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Bruno and Marisella Batinti, after several productive years of hospitality experience with their business “Le Torri di Porsenna” (named for Chiusi’s ancient and powerful Etruscan king) found a new and inspiring site for their country house in Petrignano del Lago, in the Comune of Castiglione del Lago. Overlooking the rolling hills and vineyards near to Lake Trasimeno, the new location for their country house and working vineyard is well named, as it is certainly fit for a king.
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Founded in July of 1937 as a cooperative of fourteen local winemakers who banded together to facilitate both the production and the sales of their wines. Vecchia Cantina bottled its first wine in 1940 during the war. After the difficult war years, in the 1950’s and the reorganization of the lands, the Vecchia Cantina acted as a driving force for wine production in the area, a role that they cover to this day with the over 400 member vineyard owners and over a thousand hectares of vineyards producing around seven million bottles of wine annually.
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The oldest part of the house, the central tower, goes back to the 15th century, its original incarnation being a watchtower protecting Tuscany’s flank with Papal Umbria. It became a house when two wings to the left and right of the tower were added in 1771 by the Tommasi family, whose coat of arms adorns a large stone set into the wall above the main door.
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At the end of the Val D’Esse, nestled under the hill separating Tuoro and Lake Trasimeno from the countryside below Cortona sits the tiny hamlet of Piazzano. Just inside the border of Umbria, it is surrounded by farmland, olive terraces and woodland. This ancient area may have gotten its name during the famous battle between the Carthaginian general Hannibal and Roman consul Gaius Flaminius in 217 B.C.E. when it is thought the Roman contingent set up a military camp there with a “piazza d’armi” or a parade ground.
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Driving across the flat plain which stretches between Castiglion Fiorentino and Marciano with its fields and sparsely scattered farmhouses, we come across a vast, open stretch of land, eleven hectares in all, home to the Centro Volo Serristori. Here all manner of light aircraft can be seen coming and going, particularly on the weekends – ultralights and small touring planes such as Pipers and Cessna.
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There has probably been a fortress on the hilltop overlooking Cortona since the 5th or 6th century BC, when the original Etruscan walls followed a course which roughly corresponds to the existing perimeter walls of today. However the first historical records describing a ‘strong and beautiful fortress’ date back to 1258 AD. Having been plundered and sacked several times during the wars with Arezzo it was sold to the Florentine Republic in 1411, together with the entire city of Cortona, although reconstruction work only began in 1527.
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The house and lands of Fontelunga have been in Lucia Catani’s family for more than two centuries, with a part of the house itself dating to 1491. From the moment the Catani family purchased the property at the end of the seventeenth century, “every member of my family was born and grew up here”, says Lucia.
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The Piazza collection grew naturally out an emotion: Sebastian and Megan remained astonished by the hollow silence that fell over the piazzas and streets of their town during the worst of the pandemic, so when life began to trickle back into the open air this spring, they realized just how important the social contact of these gathering places is, and the essential vitality it lends to the community. This new collection is based on that idea – the lively conviviality, light-heartedness and sense of belonging that the piazza filled with neighbors and visitors enjoys.
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Torrita, once called “Turrita”, is first mentioned in a document dated 1037 where it is listed as the property of the Benedictine Abbey of Sant’Antimo near Montalcino. As a fortified town with a surrounding wall and four towers, it later served as a military outpost for the defense of Siena’s border with neighboring Montepulciano. Later still, the town held Florentine ambitions at bay until it finally fell to the imperial forces of Charles the First in 1554 and the entire area passed into the Florentine Grand duchy.
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While the wire and kinetic sculptures of Alexander Calder and the works of Picasso have been stylistic influences, Antonio has a fascination for the animal world and the natural environment. He started his artistic career making abstract sculptures, but today his creatures include familiar beasts, such as wild boar and deer, dogs, and cattle, but also more exotic rhinoceros and crocodiles. His sculptures are often made of found and recycled materials, which led him to the concept of “land art”. For these installations, Antonio finds a spot in the mountains or countryside and constructs a sculpture from the natural materials he finds on the site.
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Rosy’s art is particularly attuned to the twin themes of social justice and the plight of refugees fleeing from war-torn countries to find a new life. Her goal is to communicate, educate and change perceptions through her art, and her works demonstrate this compassion and empathy. Her mixed media work “Honorum” expresses just this, and is a personal way of honoring the lives of the many refugee children who have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea.
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