TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Place
Fattoria Fibbiano is located at no. 2 via Fibbiano, in the municipality of Terricciola, in the province of Pisa in the Era valley in Tuscany
Profile
Terricciola, set in the hills between Pisa and Volterra, is part of an area which is very rich in history and traditions. The soil originates from the sea and is rich in fossil shells from the Pliocene epoch, and medium-textured corals (see picture). We treat our farmland only with organic, chemical-free substances
Exposure
The estate lies on a hill in an ideal geographical location. Most of our vineyards are south-facing. 2.5 hectares have been planted in a north-facing direction with the aim of producing sweeter grapes in dry periods, which in recent years have become more frequent. All the red grape varieties are positioned on top of the hill while the white grape varieties have been planted on the valley floor
Year established
A stone on the foundation of the house is carved with the year when it was built: 1707. In 1997 Giuseppe Cantoni purchased the Fattoria Fibbiano
Total area
20 hectares of vineyards, 5 hectares of olive groves, 12 hectares of woodland and the rest is arable land
Vineyards
The farm has always grown autochthonous grape varieties such as Sangiovese, Sangiovese Forte, Sangiovese Polveroso, Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, Colorino for red wines, and Vermentino and Colombana for white wines
Winemaker
Nicola Cantoni
Age of our vineyards
some vineyards (around 2.5 hectares) are over 100 years old and 17.5 hectares are up to 20 years old
Wines
Le Pianette Igt Toscana, Casalini Chianti Superiore DOCG, Ciliegiolo, L’Aspetto Igt Toscana, Sanforte Igt Toscana, Ceppatella DOC Terre di Pisa Sangiovese, Fonte delle Donne Igt Toscana, Rosè Igt Toscana, Morfeo Metodo Classico
Market
80% of our wine is exported. We export to the following countries: United States, Canada, Norway, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, China, Russia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, Lebanon, Mexico
History within history
Fattoria Fibbiano is located near Terricciola in the Era Valley, an area which boasts some significant Etruscan settlements. On the hill of the farm many tombs have been excavated, which date back to the dawn of Tuscan civilization. During the Middle Ages, the region saw a succession of disputes and conflicts between rival families and towns. In the past, Terricciola itself was a hamlet surrounded by high walls and defence towers. The origins of the farm date back to the 12th century when it was owned by the Gherardi del Testa Barasaglia family, and it followed the family’s fortunes through thick and thin. In 1700, the main building was extended to take the shape of today’s farm. The Fattoria Fibbiano’s farmstead dates back to 1707, but only became a key part of the farm’s history three centuries later in 1997, the year in which Giuseppe Cantoni decided to go back to Italy after a long career abroad in business in order to return to his family roots: the Cantoni family have been farmers for generations, in other words, forever. Giuseppe, with his wife Tiziana and sons Matteo and Nicola, began scouring the Tuscan countryside in search of the right place. When he saw the Fattoria Fibbiano there was no doubt in his mind: from then on, their new life began. A simple life, lived to the full, characterised by silences, passion, close to nature and to the purest of things, far away from the noise of the city. The renovation work began: restoring the old farmstead, which was quite run down, clearing the woodland, reviving the agricultural land, reinstating the old olive groves and vineyards, and re-planting rows of cypress trees. With great effort and commitment, the farmstead became what it is today, a home and a dream come true: a successful agritourism and flourishing wine-making business, which is run according to the local traditions, yet is ready to embrace new challenges.
Miraculous springs and Irish monks: The Fattoria Fibbiano – a blend of story and legend
The origin of our “Fonte delle Donne” wine has an interesting story intertwined with a legend.
The story of St. Columbanus: an Irish missionary born in the sixth century, who travelled for over thirty years throughout Europe with twelve disciples, founding numerous monasteries. Columbanus’ mission was to convert people by instilling in them the values of rural life, a life lived in complete harmony with nature and with faith. Tilling the land and making it fertile was his way to reconcile one’s soul with one’s inner nature. In 612, the monk and his disciples arrived in what today is called, in his honour, San Colombano al Lambro, near Milan. He immediately began reviving old farmlands and, in particular, a grape which was later named after him, the Colombana. The monk died, leaving his followers to spread his teachings. They continued his work, moved on and arrived in Peccioli, a small village on the hills of Valdera, in the province of Pisa. The monks had kept some grapevine shoots of the Colombana grape variety which, once planted, found an ideal habitat here and grew very successfully. The Colombana grapes of Peccioli, which were passed on in the years to come and were grown in the surrounding countryside, were known not only for their great flavour but also for their healing properties. At the beginning of the 1900s, entire families would come to Peccioli from all over Tuscany to take advantage of their purifying and revitalizing properties. It was the women who were tasked with picking these grapes, as they were considered more suited to this task, on account of their gentle and sensitive nature.
Female figures also play a key role in the mythical side of our story: within the Fattoria Fibbiano estate there is a unique water spring, known as the “Fonte delle Donne”. Legend has it that water from this spring had magical powers. The story goes that there was once a farmer who was worried about his cow that had just given birth, but had no milk for her baby calf. One day the farmer took his cow to drink water from a spring, near the woodland of Terricciola, in the countryside around Pisa. After seeing the cow drink plenty of this whitish water, he was amazed how the cow’s udders suddenly filled up with milk. The story told by the farmer and the fact that the colour of the water was as white as milk, probably due to a high content of minerals, did the rest, and in no time, rumour spread about the spring which had the power to help breastfeeding mothers regain their milk flow. Its fame grew and grew, and the spring became the site of a constant stream of pilgrims, from hopeful mothers to the sick, all hoping for a miracle cure.
The story of the monk and the legend of the miraculous spring are inextricably linked to that of the Cantoni family. A family of farmers, whose roots go back to the 17th century, originally from Lodigiano, who have lived for generations in the same place as the monk and have cultivated the land with utter dedication and commitment. After moving to Terricciola, it so happened that within the vineyards of the Fattoria Fibbiano, they found the “Colombana” golden grape variety, identical to the one that was grown in Lombardy, in exactly the same spot as the famous “Fonte delle Donne”. From that moment on there was no doubt in their minds: their first white wine would be called “Fonte delle Donne”. They realised they had inherited something that had begun many centuries before them, and they felt they had a duty to preserve this treasure which had withstood the test of time and man’s volatile nature.
In the heart of Tuscany
Fattoria Fibbiano: two souls, one heart. A farm and agritourism in the heart of the Tuscan countryside. Perched on a small, sun-kissed hill, bordered by two streams, near the village of Terricciola, nestling in the hills between Pisa and Volterra, the farm estate is set in about 90 hectares of vineyards, olive groves and woodland. From the top of the hill where the farm is located you can enjoy unobstructed views of the glorious Tuscan countryside.
Continually evolving
Currently the estate consists of a house of approx. 1,200 m2 surrounded by olive groves and divided into two parts: one part for the guests and the other part for the Cantoni family. The agritourism part consists of five apartments and one bedroom, a lounge for hosting events and receptions and a room for wine-tasting where you can still admire the farm’s ancient vats. The old cellar, dating back to the 1800s, has been totally renovated and today houses two apartments and two bedrooms, as well as the offices and farm shop. The new cellar, built in 2010, is more in keeping with the size of the farm and has been designed to take account of modern production requirements while respecting centuries-old wine-making traditions, a building which reflects the harmony of the typical Tuscan agricultural landscape.
A family with a passion for the land
Fattoria Fibbiano is a family-run farm. The whole family has lived and worked here since 1997. Giuseppe, the father, deals with the general management of the estate and takes care of the vineyards and countryside. Matteo, the eldest of the two sons, is in charge of marketing the wines and his brother, Nicola, is the winemaker who oversees the entire wine-making process. Three generations of the Cantoni family live in one part of the 1,200 m2 farmhouse which also houses the agritourism.
Quality and respect for the environment
The Cantoni family regard the environment as an important part of our heritage, to be protected, not as a resource to be exploited. The quality of a product is inextricably linked to the way we care for the land. The land surrounding the farm is only treated using organic fertilisers and human intervention is kept to a minimum. From the point of view of energy consumption, the agritourism is completely self-sufficient with a 30-KW photovoltaic plant, a solar plant for the production of fresh water, and central heating which uses the wood obtained from pruning the river banks and from clearing the woodland. Fattoria Fibbiano is a certified organic farm.
Ideally located
The vineyards’ optimum exposure to the sun, the climate and the unique characteristics of the soil, rich in clay and fossil shells, enable us to produce wine without much intervention and therefore without altering its properties. Here, on the hills of Pisa and Volterra, the Cantoni family have found the perfect conditions to put into practice their concept of vine growing, on a farm estate that is several centuries old and steeped in Tuscan wine-making tradition.
In tericciola and all over the world
n Terricciola and worldwide Fattoria Fibbiano is an ambassador of Tuscan wine production in other countries. Our wines are sold all over the world, with 80% of our exports going to the US, Canada, Norway, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, China, Russia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, Lebanon, and Mexico. There’s also a farm shop where you can purchase everything that the farm produces.
