 The
Romagna
has always been a land of agriculture and vineyards cultivation,
as testified by many archaeological finds. Most of them are Etruscan
(the Attic amphora of Savignano is really worth mentioning), while
the first written evidences date back to the Roman age: Pliny the
Old reports that the wines from Cesena "are generous".
Between the 13th and 14th centuries the Albana appears: Pietro de'
Crescenzi asserts "… the [Albana]
wine is very strong and of noble taste, long time keeping
and on average mellow... [it is] at its best in Forlì and
in the whole Romagna, where it is very strictly pruned
". (Albana has been the first Italian white wine to get the
D.O.C.G.!!) Dante, who in his Purgatorio -referring to the Marquis
Giovanni of the Orgogliosi- writes, also mentions the wines of this
area:
"Vidi messer Marchese, ch'ebbe
spazio già di bere a Forlì con men secchezza, e sì
fu tal, che non si sentì sazio."
Obviously the vines cultivated in the hilly areas have a better
production capacity and quality, due both to the nature basically
argillaceous or marly-arenaceous, however droughty towards the summer's
end when the grapes ripen, and to the fact that an extensive cultivation
is not possible. Montelorenzone
vineyards are to be found there, on these loose and tufa grounds,
overlooking the river Savio Valley, S. Lucia's little church and
the old tower of Roversano Castle. |
