Our story2023-01-31T18:07:43+02:00

A NAME TIED TO THE TERRITORY

Who we are, our Story

In 1647 Scipione di Marzo fled his hometown of San Paolo Belsito located near the town of Nola.
He settled in Tufo where he built his winery.

Throughout the centuries the di Marzo family became one of the major land owners in the region. In 1866, Francesco di Marzo, while riding on his estate, saw some shepherds burning rocks to keep warm.

While examining these rocks, he understood they were burning brimstone found on his land. With this discovery, the family began a large mining activity of natural brimstone, essential for agriculture. The company supplied farmers around the region and employed up to 500 people up to the early 1980’s when the mines ran out.

Today still, the di Marzo processing plant remains a reference of XIXth century industrial architecture and is visited regularly by students in architecture. Other members of the family continued to play a leading role in the development of the region.

Donato di Marzo was a member of parliament and a senator from 1880 to 1911. His role was essential in the development of the railway in the region. Vito di Marzo in the twenties and thirties was also a member of parliament and a major industrial figure.

Finally also in the twenties, Alberto di Marzo was a member of parliament and is especially well known as an accomplished sportsman with a passion for car racing. He organized among other things the local car race called “Principe di Piemonte“.

With a winemaking tradition that dates back to the Sixteenth century, Cantine di Marzo did get registered officially as an Azienda Agricola with the Chamber of Commerce in 1833, thus being the most ancient winery in Campania region, and one of the oldest in Southern Italy.

TODAY

di Somma Family

In 2009, after five lethargic decades, the di Marzo estate has passed under the control of the di Somma family, direct descendants of the di Marzo, the founders of the estate.

Filippo di Somma, 15th prince of Colle whose mother was a di Marzo, has embarked, with his son Ferrante and his daughter Maria Giovanna, on an ambitious program of development of the estate.

The goal is to bring it to a level that reflects the four hundred year old tradition of one of Italy’s oldest wineries, the first to have ever produced the Greco di Tufo wine. The di Somma have spent most of their lives abroad, mostly in France.

Ferrante di Somma who follows all technical aspects and manages the export markets, has lived in France, England and Russia.Having studied wine commerce in Burgundy, it is he who set the new direction for the wines produced.

His international experience of the wine world and his every day contact with Italian and French producers have given him the know how to bring the winery into the XXIst century.

In 2023 Cantine di Marzo joined Fivi, the Italian Federation of Independent Winegrowers, an association that guarantees consumers with its associates the values of craftsmanship, territoriality and sustainability. In fact, the company completely takes care of the entire production cycle of its Aglianico Doc and Irpinia Aglianico Doc wines, from the cultivation of the grapes, to the bottling and final marketing.

With an average yearly production of about 110.000 bottles, today Cantine di Marzo mantains the character of small, a family-run business whose wines are distributed in more than 12 countries all over the world.