Fattoria del Colle - History and locations

The most historic part of Fattoria del Colle is a hermitage still visible today in the winery, mentioned in the "Decimari" of the 12th and 14th centuries as "Ermitorium S.Egidii de Querciola." Stormy periods were to follow the presence of the The problems between the church and the Socinis did not finish there. Lelio (1525-1562) and Fausto (1539-1604) were among the major exponents of the Protestant Reformation. The church excommunicated them confiscated all of the family's properties including Fattoria del Colle. It was later bought back for the family after three hundred years by Livio Socini in 1919. Over the course of the centuries, the villa at Colle was enlarged and enriched so as to make it more comfortable for the noble hunters who stayed there in the winter, and to welcome Pietro Leopoldo d'Asburgo (1747-1792) who made it his secret hideaway. First Grand Duke of Tuscany and later Emperor of Austria, Pietro Leopoldo, was however quite a womaniser, and often his death has been attributed to his excesses as a lover. He used the draining of the marshes of the Val di Chiana as an excuse for his frequent stopovers at Fattoria del Colle, where he would often meet up with the Countess Isabella with her dark long black hair and large romantic eyes.hermit at Colle: in 1555 the village of Trequanda was under siege and probably even Fattoria del Colle was under attack. In 1592 Claudio Socini built the chapel and part of the present villa. He belonged to a family of jurists and heretics. The most famous character was Mariano Sozzino (1401-1467) to whom Enea Silvio Piccolomini, later to become Pope Pio II, dedicated his book Storia dei due amanti (Story of two lovers), a tale which leads readers to understand that there had been a youthful love affair between the future Pope and the small and ugly Mariano's wife. 

Here there are 336 hectares on the hills looking towards Montalcino, the Chianti Classico territories and the area of the Nobile di Montepulciano. This is a crossroads between great red wines. From this land the white truffle is born, as is an extraordinary extra virgin olive oil. Fattoria del Colle cultivates 160 hectares of cereals, 6.5 hectares of olive grove and 23 of vineyard of several varieties including Sangiovese, Merlot, Traminer and Foglia Tonda. Foglia Tonda is a local Sienese varietal which had been abandoned more than a century ago. We have reintroduced its use here to emphasize its qualities. Donatella Cinelli Colombini runs Fattoria del Colle and Casato Prime Donne since 1998. She produces Chianti Superiore, Doc Orcia wines, Brunello di Montalcino and wxtra vergin olive oil. The altitude of Fattoria del Colle, 404 metres above sea level, and the great difference in temperature between day and night due to the vicinity to the bare territory of the Crete Senesi, determine the particular richness of aromatic nuances of the wines produced in this area. They are intense, complex and particularly fine.