Since 1913, wine has been the passion, pride and raison d’être of the Arrigoni Family. Each bottle, each glass, each drop of our wine is the result of a time-honoured tradition, strong work ethics, respect and gratitude for our land that has always blessed us with fruit. It all started in the early 1910s with Bruno Arrigoni, the forefather of our family, from whom we learned the value of hard work, patience and craftsmanship. Year after year, we carry out each stage of the winemaking process in keeping with his teachings, from harvesting in our vineyards to bottling. This is why, each time we label a bottle with our family coat of arms, we know that bottle has all our history in it.

Located in San Gimignano, the Pietraserena estate occupies two slopes of the hill rising to the North-North East of the town. In 1966 the estate was smaller in size, about 7 hectares, but over time it came to incorporate neighbouring or adjacent plots to reach the current extension of about 40 hectares – 30 hectares of vineyards, the rest olive groves and copse. Set in the heart of the San Gimignano municipality, at first the main grape variety grown here was Vernaccia di San Gimignano, the first Italian wine to obtain the DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) mark. Later we added Sangiovese, one of the principal grapes in Tuscany and all of Italy. Grown in many different varieties – from the oldest and most traditional to Sangiovese Grosso – in other areas this grape is the basis for wines of great international renown, and at Pietraserena it gives rise to our most representative “crus”: Caulio and Poggio al Vento. Each of the many individual vineyards of the estate has its own name – Arca, Quercia, Casine, Ripida, Poggio, Ventaglio, Del Sole, del Moggi, Vigna Nuova, Piano di Fata, Pancole and Lignite – and produces a single wine, which are then skilfully used to make the blends that are the trademark of our bottles.

Rosadimaggio is a name that is dear to us as it reminds us of fond memories from our youth, of a particular film, back when Cinema was the carrier of universal values. This is why we named our farm, located in the Arcola municipality and home to the “Vigna del Prefetto” (“The Prefect’s Vineyard”), Rosadimaggio and extended the name to all of our farming businesses in the province of La Spezia, which include several small plots of land we manage with just the same love and care. Located in the Arcola municipality in the small village of Masignano, the “Vigna del Prefetto” is the vineyard that best represents us, our crowning jewel. This is where we put our best efforts to create a truly excellent product. More of our vineyards are found in Castelnuovo Magra on the “Cascina dei Peri” farm and in the small Nave village in the Sarzana municipality. The latter are located close to a river, just like the world-famous wine-producing Bordeaux region, which derives its name from the phrase “au bord de l’eau” – “at the water’s edge” in French.

The triumph of hard work as well as of the beauty of nature, which here has all the time She needs to create something unique in the world. Hills terraced since thousands of years, enclosed by small walls that seem to scream with the effort of holding up the ground made of rock, broken and crushed by time, the sun and the wind. On these terraces, heroic peoples of Celtic origins had the strength, courage and ability to create this landscape, which exists to this day and draws praise and admiration from crowds of incredulous tourists thronging the vineyards on microscopic trails above the walls. What else is there to say? Words cannot describe these places, any attempt wouldn’t be credible; you need to see it with your own eyes. Try to picture the hard labour of the people who keep farming these terraces, certainly not for monetary gain – it would be fighting a losing battle – but to protect their rich heritage of history and nature. These people, locals as well as outsiders, are truly worthy of the highest praise. Unfortunately, sometimes we hear the lay, those who don’t know or understand, say: this is expensive! But we just laugh it off.