Fasciano – Wine Growing and Hillside Landscape

Fasciano is a small town between the hills of Cortona and Montepulciano. The character of the destination is relevant when looking for a hotel: a family-run winery shapes the local history of wine growing, while Fasciano is also part of a wider system of ridges. Historical references range from the Statute of Cortona of 1325 to a monument in Case Sparse Fasciano.

Wine Growing and Family History

The family-run Cantine Faralli winery is located in Località Fasciano. It offers a tour of the vineyards and cellar, followed by a wine tasting and local culinary specialties. If you plan to include this tour in your trip, arrange the date directly with the winery.

For five generations, the Faralli family farmed the Poggio Martino Maggiore estate in Località Fasciano as tenants, then acquired it in the 1950s. In 2002, Andrea and Juri Faralli expanded the business by planting new vineyards and making extensive innovative changes to the cellar. The winery’s history therefore encompasses both the family’s long-term farming of the estate and later developments.

The work in the vineyard can also be traced through specific practices. The Merlot vineyards are harvested entirely by hand, with more than one pass through each vineyard. This is followed by a green harvest in July. Cantine Faralli also produces extra virgin olive oil by cold-pressing hand-picked olives. Wine and olive oil give the winery’s agricultural character distinct facets.

Ridges and Landscape

Fasciano is part of an exceptional meridional system of ridges that extends from Poggio through Fasciano to Gabbiano Vecchio. Panoramic openings and visual connections between valley floodplains and hills characterize this area. The Fasciano-Gabbiano Vecchio landscape system lies on ridgelines overlooking the Chianacce land reclamation area. This connection to Chianacce adds a specific view of the surrounding landscape to the description of the ridges.

A dense network of municipal, local and agricultural roads connects the settlements on the ridges of Fasciano. The roads offer significant views of landscape-defining features as well as of the settlements of Cortona on the horizon. The ridges, valley floodplains and scattered settlements are therefore important elements in understanding Fasciano’s landscape.

Historical and Cultural Connections

The Statute of Cortona of 1325 decreed the construction of three new boats for the ports of Fasciano, Foiano and Creti. The ports’ joint mention places Fasciano in a historical context involving transport and a decision recorded in the Statute of Cortona. This reference belongs to a different chapter of local history than the more recent development of the winery.

Another cultural connection is the Chiesa di San Biagio, a monument in Case Sparse Fasciano, Cortona, Arezzo. It adds a connection to the local area to the history of the ports, while the 1325 decree mentions the ports together. This gives you different points of interest for planning your trip: a tour with tasting, the landscape of the ridges, and historical connections ranging from the medieval procurement of boats to a local monument.

The developments mentioned can be distinguished chronologically: the port decree dates to 1325, the winery was acquired in the 1950s, and the business was expanded in 2002. These milestones situate historical and more recent connections without combining them into a single narrative of development.

Discover more destinations: Monte San Savino, Caprese Michelangelo, Palazzuolo, Pratieghi, Lonnano, Foiano Della Chiana, Pratantico, Santa Firmina.

For the broader travel overview: Arezzo.