I am 60 years old, and eighteen years ago, I chose a land that I fell in love with, to conceive the project that would be born in the following years: Fattoria La Maliosa.
It is difficult if not impossible to understand from the outside the amount of work and the unwavering commitment that goes into being able to build an agricultural initiative from scratch, including planting the vineyards and olive groves. But I’ve always thought that the facts were visible to the right people, and that it was more revolutionary to walk my own path seriously and at a steady pace, than to make sensational announcements. This is my own way.
You will never see me photographed on the tractor with a straw hat and a colored handkerchief around my neck, because for me being close to the land is something different and more solid. In this regard, more than ten years ago, I wrote: “The land that is not inherited” (https://fattorialamaliosa.it/en/the-land-that-is-not-inherited/ )
To develop La Maliosa, I treated her as a person, exactly like in the education of a child in which you cannot take shortcuts, but you have to respect his development, which is always physiological and subjective, with the same troubles and discoveries. That initial vision came of age along with my second born daughter.
I’m writing all this now, because I can say that we’ve come out of adolescence and are now grownups. Having completed the last implants of vineyard in 2023, I consider the purely agricultural development phase to be over.
In the recent years there have been several stages: the period spent together with Prof. Lorenzo Corino was fundamental, together we deeply reflected upon the environment in which we worked, studying and subsequently planting vines in ways that would not disturb its delicate and precious balance. That path was not only practical but also conceptual (resulting in the ‘Metodo Corino’ developed together thanks to the experimentations carried out at Maliosa). That was the solid foundation on which everything has been structured and which supports the agricultural project, now and in the future.
Complexity of wild herbs near Vigna Scovaventi
The next and equally important step was the opening of the farm to guests and the development of hospitality, hand in hand with the time dedicated to the training of a valid team.
Today, all of us at La Maliosa don’t feel like we reached some kind of achievement, we just feel like we have come of age.
But what happened in 2023 at La Maliosa?
In farming
In the Pitigliano area, on volcanic soil, we planted 2.5 hectares of vineyards dedicated exclusively to the production of white wines, completing the viticultural project for a total of 9.5 hectares.
We have also put into production about 25 hectares of arable land, completing the closed circle agricultural project: lucerne and mixed grasses with the main function of producing vegetal mulch for our vineyards.
Our attention to the biodiversity preservation and scientific monitoring has led us to access the 3bee platform which, through an innovative technology with IoT sensors, allows to calculate a quantitative index of biodiversity within an area. In June 2023, we installed four monitoring stations that are collecting data and will provide us with the first results in the coming months.
Wine tourism and food service
In 2023 we enthusiastically took part in all the events promoted by Movimento Turismo del Vino Toscana: on these occasions we accompanied guests in the discovery of vineyards and olive groves, entertaining them with music, tastings and moments of in-depth study of the surrounding nature, following the same criteria of our initial mission: nature, knowledge, taste. Bringing people closer to the territory, in its most authentic form, and offering total immersive experiences into nature, but with every comfort.
The wine hospitality has grown tremendously in 2023, thanks to a young, all-female team that is passionate and competent.
Martina, Eleonora, Antonella, Caterina (from left to right)
During the year, more than 2200 guests visited La Maliosa, 1/3 of them coming from as many as 34 foreign countries (the presence of US visitors was particularly strong, with the 33%), with a general increase of 32% versus 2022.
StarsBox Aria
We offer many experiences, all based on the desire to show visitors the best of our property, not only through the discovery of woods, vineyards and olive groves, but also through trekking, horseback riding and e-bike.
Pic Nic at Scovaventi Deck
2023 also saw the development of the restaurant business with the opening of the Saturnalia Wine Bar and farm kitchen in the central square of the Saturnia village. Patrons had the opportunity to taste the full range of our natural wines: in just 7 months we served 13,613 guests!
Saturnalia Wine Bar during the tv shooting for Borghi d’Italia
We increased the relationship with our territory thanks to some events dedicated to restaurateurs and sommeliers from Tuscany and the Grosseto province who had the opportunity to visit the Monte Cavallo vineyards, the winery, to taste the new vintages of our natural wines and our freshly pressed organic extra-virgin olive oils. We also implemented significant collaborations with ‘Terme di Saturnia’, ‘Hotel Fortezza in Sorano’ ‘European Sommeliers Association’ and ‘Associazione Cuochi Costa d’Argento’ which allowed us to expand their awareness of the La Maliosa sustainable agricultural project and the benefits it can bring to the entire area around it.
Fairs, events and affiliations
In 2023 La Maliosa was also present in the main national and international trade fairs. In Italy we joined Vinitaly in Verona, Golosaria in Milan, and the FIVI Exhibition in Bologna. Abroad we attended Vella Terra in Barcelona and Madrid and to Raw Wine in Paris and Toronto.
In 2023 we also joined FIOI, the Italian Federation of Independent Olive Growers, confirming our commitment and continuous growth also in the olive oil world.
Awards & Recognitions
Wine tourism and oil tourism
- In June 2023, with enormous pride, we won the 1st prize in the III edition of the National Oil Tourism Competition, category ‘Farms, oil mills and cooperatives’, an initiative promoted by Città dell’Olio under the patronage of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security and in collaboration with Unaprol – Coldiretti and Associazione Italiana Turismo Enogastronomico.
- With equal pride we received two awards from Movimento Turismo del Vino during the celebration of the 30th anniversary: one regional and one national: “Winery of landscape and naturalistic relevance”, for the Tuscany Region and “Landscape Relevance: custody of the territory” for the national award.
- We have been included in important sector guides, such as Raisin dedicated to natural wines, GoWine’s Cantine d’Italia, Il Golosario Wine Tour, Golosario 2024.
In Rome for the presentation of the award Landscape Relevance: custody of the territory, with Movimento Turismo del Vino
Organic extra virgin olive oils
On the quality front, we obtained important awards also this year.
- La Maliosa Aurinia, has won the Three Leaves awarded by Gambero Rosso Italian Oils Guide 2023, the Extragold Medal at the BIOL Award 2023, Slow Food’s Guide to Extra Virgin Olive Oils
- At the end of 2023 we just got news of La Maliosa Aurinia, and La Maliosa Caletra obtaining the Gold Medal at the BiolNovello 2023, awarded to the best newly pressed EVO oils.
The organic EVO oils La Maliosa Caletra and La Maliosa Aurinia
Natural wines
Natural wines have also gained recognition.
- La Maliosa Uni 2021, with a score of 91 points, entered for the second time in the Wine Without Walls selection of the 5StarWines – The Book, by Vinitaly and Bronze Medal at the Gaia Natural Wine Challenge
- Saturnalia Rosso 2021 and Maliosa Rosso 2021 have obtained 5 and 4 leaves respectively in the Guida BIO entirely dedicated to certified organic wines.
La Maliosa Rosso and La Maliosa Saturnalia Rosso
Land Art at La Maliosa
Our collaboration with Officina82, an architecture firm specializing in landscape-related projects, continues. In 2022 with the four StarsBOXes located in panoramic points within the farm and with the SkyDeck on the top of Monte Cavallo. In 2023 with Scovaventi Deck, a walkable rose of the winds, but also a landscape installation inspired by the toponym of the place where it is located: the Scovaventi vineyard. The new deck is made by eight wooden steps with the wind names and can become a seat, belvedere around the trunk of the centuries-old oak, exalting the agricultural landscape and human care.
Rural landscape at Fattoria La Maliosa
New Facilities
In 2023, the construction of several stuctures has also been launched and will be completed in the second half of 2024. These include:
- the new cellar,
- a tasting room in the Monte Cavallo vineyard,
- the restyling of the “Saturnalia Wine Bar with farm kitchen” in the center of Saturnia
- the total renovation of 5 rooms of the new Locanda Saturnalia in the center of Saturnia
All the projects will allow significant improvements both on the production and the hospitality fronts.
Giving thanks
I would like to thank the entire La Maliosa team, which has grown to a total of 20 employees in 2023, four of whom from Ukraine and initially hosted by us with their respective families. Without you and the heart you put into your work, nothing would be possible.
The agricultural team
In Italy, I would like to thank our distributors for their confidence: Lerner Vini for the Milan area, Nicola Alocci and Fabio Targioni for the Grosseto province and Tuscany, Casa Poteca for the Naples and Salerno area. Abroad, I would like to thank the new importers, Distribucion Garage Store for the Spanish market, and Baragouine Imports for Canada (Ontario).
A big thank you to all our suppliers, customers and guests, who allow us to make a dream born many years ago come true every day.
If you have read this far and want to know even more, then 2023 was also the year in which we made our first podcast, published on the Loquis platform.
La Maliosa was also the protagonist of an episode of Borghi d’Italia on TV2000 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptoQnjnufHQ ), which was watched by over 625,000 viewers.
Finally, a wish for great fertility in 2024 to all of you who are reading!
“Whatever you can do or dream of doing, start! Audacity has genius, power and magic in it.” – Goethe
Ripe Procanico grapes
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