One of the first weekends of the semester we got the amazing
opportunity to visit a historic castle and winery in the Chianti region, Castello del Trebbio. The estate is now run by Anna Baj-Macario and her husband is the wine-maker. She took over the Trebbio in the early 1990’s after her mother passed.
The castle itself dates back to th
e twelfth century when it was built by the Pazzi’s, a very powerful family in Italy at the time. While the Pazzi family was very influential, they were always coming in second to the Medici family, who had a very strong hold on Florence. They, along with various other supporters, devised a plan to assassinate Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici. Word of the plan was very wide spread, and it is believed that even the Pope himself supported it. On a Sund
ay in the spring of 1478, the Medici’s were attacked before mass in the Duomo. Giuliano was killed after being stabbed multiple times, but Lorenzo escaped. When word of the attack got out, the city was enraged and the known conspirators were all captured and killed. The Medici’s remained the most influential family in Florence and eventually took control of Castello del Trebbio from the Pazzi’s. Legend has it, the Pazzi Conspiracy was plotted in a room of this very castle.
The old dungeons of the castle have been converted into wine cellars, and the estate produces its own wine. We took a tour and learned all about the process of wine making from the production stage to marketing the final product.
After our tour, the family provided us with an incredible Tuscan luncheon in the castle. The food was all delicious and we even got to taste two of their famous Chianti wines!
The last thing we did was take a walking tour of some of the vineyards. It was so crazy to see how sustainable these farms were and the different forms of agriculture in the countryside. The landscape was breath-taking, and not only because it was beautiful, but also because the hike back up the hill about killed us. But hey, at least we worked off our lunch..
Location: Florence, Italy
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I love seeing your pictures! I only had the chance to drive through the Tuscan country side but I want to go back so badly! Wine tastings seem like such an integral part of Italian culture so it is so great you got to do one! Very jealous.