Suvereto and the Tuscany Coast
We are located in Belvedere di Suvereto, in Val di Cornia, which constitutes the extreme southern edge of the province of Livorno. It extends in the area between the Maremma Livornese and the Maremma Grossetana, near the mouth of the homonymous river.
Suvereto, an ancient village among the most beautiful in Italy, overlooks the Tuscan Archipelago and the Baratti Gulf.
Located in the heart of the Val di Cornia on the flat top of the hill that sits as a knight of Suvereto, it was built by Jacopo VI of Aragon of Appiano, Lord of Piombino, starting from 1566 "for the beloved subjects of his Castle of Suvereto to preserve them unharmed by the bad weather of the summer air ".
Here, in fact, at 280 meters above sea level, in an area open to all winds, it was possible to escape the effects of malaria and therefore the wealthiest families of Suvereto spent the summer there. In addition to allowing the Suveretan lords to stay in the summer, the Belvedere Village was a valid reference point for repopulating the lands of Suvereto, increasingly abandoned by the indigenous populations due to plagues, wars and above all malaria. *
* (Taken from the work of Isabelle Chabot "A land without men" Suvereto in Maremma from the 16th to the 19th century, published with the collaboration of the European University Institute of Florence, the author-researcher divulges the history of Belvedere in a complete and interesting way of Suvereto and its people)
Landscape and Climate
Belvedere di Suvereto is located about 300 meters above sea level. As the crow flies, it is about 10/15 km from the sea. Statistically, the Val di Cornia is one of the driest places in Italy, in the period from April to October.
Our vineyards reside in this border area between the energy of the sea and the Metalliferous hills; in fact to the south west they look at the Val di Cornia and the gulf that goes from Piombino to Follonica, facing the Island of Elba which acts as a shield against the sea currents. From here the winds coming from the west like the Mistral and the Libeccio follow one another. The breeze blows on our plants by acting on the sanitization of the bunch, making our grapes healthy and making our wines savory and saline. The breezes, together with the presence of the gulf, which acts as a mirror, play an important role in the quality of light. The day with a strong intensity of light and colors and the night with equally intense starry skies.
The north-west exposure overlooks the Metalliferous hills famous for their mineral wealth. Our soils are characterized by iron and manganese matrix shales and galestri. This context is framed by the Mediterranean scrub with a biodiversity of flora and fauna.
Flora and fauna
The landscape context that frames our vineyards is surrounded by Mediterranean scrub with a rich biodiversity of spontaneous plants such as oak trees, holm oak, Corbezzoli but also spontaneous grassing plants such as, Pimpinella, Timo Serpillo Calendula sativa, Santoreggia, Malva, Plantain, Poppies, Nepitella, Beak Beard, Pugliese Parasol, Scabiosa, Hypericum, Terracrepoli, Strigoli, Wild Geranium, Rapunzel, Shepherd's Purse, Nigella, Damascena, Helichrysum.
In spring we can enjoy these scents and colors but also the medicinal benefits of these plants that we collect for excellent salads.
This rich biodiversity acts as a habitat for insects and wild animals such as ungulates.