Page 126 - PROTAGONIST-120

Page 120: Antinori winery designed Pages 122–123: Aerial view of the
by Archea Associati. San Casciano Antinori winery designed by Archea
Val di Pesa, Italy, 2004–2012 Associati. San Casciano Val di Pesa,
Italy, 2004–2012

Known to all as a small earthly paradise organized by ranks of cy- ri,” the winemakers’ guild of Florence. Across its long history of
presses, dense vineyards, oaks and holm oaks, chestnut groves, twenty-six generations, the family has always directly managed
evocative medieval villages and romantic castles, Tuscany has al- this activity, making innovative and sometimes courageous choic-
ways been a timeless aesthetic experience. The many age-old roads es, always in total respect for the local territory and its traditions.
to explore still narrate the culture and history of one of the most As Marchese Piero says: “Ancient roots play a leading role in our
famous regions in Italy, revealing landscapes that have entered philosophy, but they have never hampered our innovative spir-
the collective imagination through Renaissance art, in paintings it.” This is the simple principle behind the creation of Cantina
by extraordinary artists like Botticelli, Michelangelo, and Leonar- Antinori in the Chianti Classico region, an extraordinary work
do da Vinci. In the late 1500s, it was precisely in these climes that of architecture by the Florence-based firm Archea Associati,
landscape painting took on a new role in artistic imagery, leading opened on October 25, 2012. A jewel of rare beauty set into the
to its status as an independent genre in the century to follow. In the hillside to seal the historic bond between the Antinori family and
Renaissance nature becomes the “work of human freedom that its native land. Built to safeguard the Tuscan landscape and the
gives form, creates, modifies, constructs, and transforms through environment, it represents a milestone in the history of the com-
art and technique,” and landscape—which has always prompted pany and a reference point in the field of ecosustainable building
profound reflections in humankind—is seen for the first time as a on an international scale.
space in which to “read the world” in its complexity, nature trans- The physical and conceptual construction of the winery fo-
formed by human ingenuity over the course of history. cuses on profound ties with the earth, a bond so intensely per-
The complex, variegated culture of this territory has always ceived as to make the architectural image conceal itself, blending
embodied a natural symbiosis between landscape and art, archi- into the context. As a result, the project amalgamates the con-
tectural and the rural context. Characteristics far from extrane- struction with the rural landscape, where the production facility
ous to the sensibilities of the writer Curzio Malaparte, who in 1956 is disguised thanks to the creation of a roof that constitutes the
described the place in these terms: “Tuscany is a magical land- invention of a new ground level, cultivated with vineyards and
scape where everything is genteel, at once both ancient and new.” formed, along the curve of the hillside, by two horizontal open-
Here innovation and tradition have gradually formulated one ings that allow light to enter while framing the landscape in a sort
of the world’s most beloved and exported wines: Chianti Classi- of diorama that represents and describes it. The facade, to use a
co. Chianti is a wine produced since the time of the Etruscans, term pertaining to more traditional building, is therefore spread
already a tradable asset in the seventeenth century. Since the thir- horizontally on the natural slope, paced by the vineyard rows that
teenth century the zone was renowned as a territory of wine pro- together with the earth constitute its system of “cladding.”
duction with the name Chianti, from the Etruscan clante, and its In the extending darkness and rhythmical sequence of earth-
boundaries were set by an edict issued by the Grand Duke Cosimo enware vaults, the protected core of the winery, where the wine
III de' Medici in 1716, the first time in history that certain lands ages in barriques, captures the sacred dimension of a space that is
particularly suitable for the production of high-quality wines were hidden not as a form of mimesis, but as an opportunity to create
officially set apart. In 2016 Chianti Classico thus celebrated its the optimal thermo-hygrometric conditions for the slow produc-
“first” 300 years of history in this zone extending from Florence tion process. Here, under the cloak of the hillside, it is possible to
to Siena, which many consider the true “heart of Tuscany.” reserve a guided experience, the tasting of three excellent wines:
To fully grasp the perfect balance of centuries of tradition, to sample the excellence of products from the Antinori estates in
culture, and ingenuity, we have to visit the countryside of San Cas- Tuscany and Umbria, to learn about the origin of the wines, their
ciano Val di Pesa, halfway between the two cities. Here we find specific terroirs, and to experience the history and heritage of the
one of the wineries of Marchesi Antinori, the historic noble family Antinori family. A work of architecture made for erudite, enlight-
that has created one of the oldest family businesses in the world, ened clients, the Marchesi Antinori, who in their long history have
masters of winemaking for over 600 years: ever since Giovanni brought out the best of this territory, the cultural value of one of
di Piero Antinori, in 1385, became part of the “Arte dei Vinattie- the most famous wine production sites in the world.

124 Wine Culture Protagonist