Tenuta Monteloro is 12km from Florence on the hills behind Fiesole, immersed in a landscape of vineyards, olive groves and woodlands with beautiful villas and country homes.

Throughout the property are traces of old agricultural activity. A dense grid of main ditches, waterways and drystone drains, weirs and bridges dating back to Medici times, criss-cross the Moneteloro estate. A significant programme of recovery, maintenance and restoration is underway to conserve these hydraulic engineering works.

55 of the estate's 140 hectares are planted with vineyards, at an average altitude of 500 m a.s.l.

The cool climate and considerable day-night temperature variation guided the decision to plant white grape varieties, starting in 2002.

Further research into the environmental and pedological features of various parts of Monteloro led to the choice of varieties like Riesling, Pinot bianco and Pinot grigio, Sauvignon and Gewürztraminer.

The vineyards are fairly small, planted in rows following the line of maximum inclination on sloping land or terraces supported by drystone walls. This unusual land conformation suggests that these small vineyards, nicely aspected with favourable soil and climate, will yield great white wines.

The Monteloro estate produces Mezzo Braccio Toscana I.G.T., made from Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco and Riesling grapes grown in the estate's vineyards. The name originates from the old local unit of measure for land, which is still divided into small plots interspersed with woods and streams and overlooked by sloping terraced land crossed with stone walls. Thanks to the varied conformation of the land, the climate with its characteristic and considerable day-night temperature variation and the various altitudes of the vineyards this area is particularly suitable for the production of great white wines.

The area became known over the centuries as a holiday venue for Florentine aristocrats who would come here in summer, and this is effectively demonstrated by the famous houses of Beatrice Portinari and Dante Alighieri, overlooking the estate's vineyards.


Local people love to tell us that Monteloro inspired Dante Alighieri's composition of the Divine Comedy: Dante, who was from the Casentino area, had to cross the Valle dell'Inferno to get home. At the end of this valley he could glimpse Monteloro, "Paradiso", the home of his beloved Beatrice.