|
Monday, 22 February 2010 10:10 |
|
The farm is in the heart of central Tuscany, on the borders of the provinces of Florence and Siena, in a magnificent countryside with many important historic sites such as the former castle of Semifonte. A major spurt of growth in 1181 saw the castle transformed into a hamlet surrounded by 3-km-long walls. This was the period of the Communes and Florence disapproved of this last bulwark of feudal power supported by a Germanic emperors combating the development of communal independence. In 1202 Florence laid siege to the town then razed it to the ground. To ensure that every trace was destroyed an edict was issued banning construction on the hill which remained in force for the next three centuries. It was not until the end of the 16th century that the canon of Santa Maria del Fiore, Giovan Battista Capponi, obtained permission to build a small chapel in memory of the siege victims on the site where the little town of Semifonte once flourished. The octagonal chapel, a scale copy of Brunelleschi’s dome, still looms over the surrounding countryside today. Legend has it that during the siege, the Florentine soldiers quenched their thirst with the local wine confirming that the area was long renowned for its wine-making. It is in this extraordinary terroir that the I Balzini wines come into being.
|
