The Estate
Culture and Comfort in the Tuscan countryside
Castello Della Mugazzena
The Philosophy
« I would like to preserve this extraordinarily beautiful area by being involved in the conservation and promotion of its natural resources, and tell a story going back thousands of years through the fruits of a zone that is at once so generous and so mysterious.
I want to create a place that is remote and protected, where everyone can enjoy a magical, charmed experience that involves all of the senses, and where our guests feel truly pampered».
The owner
Santo Gentilcore
The Estate
The estate covers an area of 140 hectares, in a landscape that is rich in biodiversity; apart from the vineyards, it includes groves of oaks and a wood of hundred-year-old chestnut trees on the hill where the Castle of Giovagallo – the home of Moroello Malaspina and Alagia Fieschi (mentioned by Dante in the Divine Comedy) – stands nearby.
Initially it was created as a farm for raising show jumping horses; then, thanks to substantial investment and constant dedication, Santo carried out his wider-ranging project to preserve and promote this area.
The estate took steps not only to redevelop the remains of the ancient buildings, in order to create farm holiday accommodation, offering wellbeing and tranquility in an unspoiled environment, but also purchased new land planted with vines and refurbished an old farmstead, turning it into a winery and beginning to make high-quality products, capable of expressing faithfully the winemaking vocation of this magical location.
The estate is run entirely according to the precepts of organic farming: spraying is carried out with sulfur and copper, and the protection of the vines is centered on organic techniques (pheromone diffusers). The goal is to have sustainable, healthy agriculture, which guarantees the fertility of the soil and the balance of the plants, and is completely respectful of the terroir, the vines, and the cycles of nature.
History
Of Our Land
1559 - Establishment of the Tresana Village
The little village of Tresana, which grew up inside a Longobard fortress, continued to develop until it became, in 1559, an independent marquisate under the Malaspinas; it was also the protagonist of an intricate tale of forgers and popular uprisings.
The Castello della Mugazzena (from which the estate takes its name) was, with its splendid medieval tower, originally the fortalice of General Mugazzena.
After having worked successfully as a surgeon for many years in Milan, he decided to change his lifestyle and respond to the call of the land. Memories of the happy years he had spent in the countryside with his paternal grandfather, a vine-grower and great lover of Falanghina, persuaded him to seek a spot where could once again find – in a sort of return to his origins – those long-lost rhythms of his life.
Santo fell in love with the Lunigiana area, and especially with this zone that was still unexplored and a long way from the tourist routes.
He bought a ruin in order to transform it into a holiday home: the building, listed by the Superintendence for the Fine Arts, was subjected to careful restoration – lasting four years – aimed at respecting its original appearance and style. And, seeing as he had a profound love for animals, he also decided to create an oasis that he would repopulate with birds that were threatened with extinction, as well as stables for breeding show jumping horses.
His job as a surgeon and running the estate had however become incompatible, especially since when – after buying his first vineyards – Santo had decided to produce wine, like his grandfather before him.
So today his project is no longer just to construct a retreat for himself and his family: his commitment has become to conserve and promote an area that is rich in history, traditions and unspoiled countryside.