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Family History

Story of Pure passion

The estate takes its name from the famous Medieval castle of San Leolino, which ruin stands in the middle of the property, overlooking the surrounding valleys. It is located in Tuscany, at the Northern border of the Chianti region and it dates back to 1645. It was originally part of a much bigger property, belonging to the very old and wealthy Florentine family named Guadagni, from which the Dufour Bertes, current owners of the Fattoria, descend.

The first Dufour Berte at Fattoria San Leolino was Marquis Casimiro, who inherited the estate in the 1800s as the minimumamount of property due to him by law. He was in fact being punished by his parents for marrying the daughter of the servant, instead of a woman from another noble family. Casimiro was a very passionate man and was more interested in the choices of the heart than in wealth and position. It was this same passion that Casimiro invested in the Fattoria, making many improvements over the years to the entire estate.

Marquise Maria Luisa Dufour Berte, granddaughter of Casimiro, was the owner of Fattoria San Leolino, till she departed in 2017. The estate has been in the family continuosly for over 350 years. Fattoria San Leolino today is an operating estate with 500 acres of land of which 70 acres of olive groves, 4 acres of vineyards and the majority of the rest composed of forests.

Nephews, Tommaso and Nicola Venturi are the heirs of Fattoria San Leolino. With the same enthusiasm for agriculture like their aunt Marquise Maria Luisa they produce organic olive oil and grapes. Fattoria San Leolino is also an agritourism Valpiana visited each year by guests who always bring home a bottle of extra virgin olive oil as an exquisite essence of their stay.

The old farm Valpiana, has been for ages part of the family property. Nowadays it is an agritourism, 'Villa Valpiana' and managed by Nanette Kieneker, the partner of Tommaso.










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