|
 Our
two farmhouses are called “Viti” and “San Carlo”. The former is
our family home and dates to the 1940s; the latter dates to the early
1900s – situated at the very top of the hill, its structure is
embellished with vaults and little “loggias”; prior to renovation it had
been uninhabited for many years, and used as a storage area for farm
equipment, with a grain storage loft on the first floor.
Our farm couldn’t have had a sophisticated or imaginative name: it’s
simply named after its owner, because while the Pecci family’s roots are
far off, the origin of this farm is owed to the courageous choice of the
youngest son of a numerous family.
Celestino was born in a farmhouse near the evocative Romanesque abbey of
Sant’Antimo, about 5 km from Montalcino. All he remembers of World War
II is the sound of the “giant birds” in the sky, as he called them. His
parents Guido and Maddalena had provided for their children’s future as
best they could; for Celestino they had in mind a dignified future as an
“employee”. Furthermore, the countryside was abandoned in the post-war
period, and remained so until the 1970s. But Celestino realized that he
had a great love for the land within him, and without allowing those who
considered it a too-difficult undertaking to discourage him, acquired
these two farmhouses and the land that surrounds them, about 40
hectares. Thus in 1968 began a lifetime of independence, made up of
difficulties and hard work, completed and shared with his wife and life
companion Idria, marked by sacrifices but also by grain and grape
harvests that they made into merry celebrations, occasions recalled with
a joy that cannot be forgotten. And none who knew her can forget the
figure of Celestino’s mother Maddalena, who lived with us until her
passing in July 2000. Her gaze watched over the people and the work of
the farm; her warmth and strength, physical as well, transmitted comfort
and determination. We have named one of our vineyards after her, the
last one she cared for and pruned.
In spite of the fact that our vineyards were registered for Brunello di
Montalcino, Celestino has always loved young wine; thus our grapes have
always been made into wine for the family’s use and for sale unbottled,
a Tuscan tradition that our farm will never abandon. Tiziana, Celestino
and Idria’s only daughter, left her office job in 2003 to dedicate
herself completely to the family farm, and thus was born the first wine
label, called “Celestino”; it was followed by Brunello in 2000, and
Rosso di Montalcino in 2004.
And so, the rest of our history to the present day is a brief one,
although ours is not a new farm. From 1968 to today, Celestino never
abandons his vineyards, except for a few days in winter when he
dedicates himself to another old Tuscan tradition that has made him an
enthusiastic and celebrated hunter of hare and wild boar. The wine
cellar, bottling and commercial aspect of the farm, as well as the farm
holiday centre, are entrusted to his daughter Tiziana. |