Antinori - Toscana - Amordivino

Toscana

Antinori

The ancient Antinori family have lived in Florence since the early 13th century when they moved here from Calenzano, a small town between Florence and Prato, where their presence was recorded back in 1188. The merchant family were registered with the Guild of Silk Weavers in 1285 and later with the Guild of Bankers, thanks to the branches that opened in Bruges and Lyons, and their growing network of business in Europe.

They were also wine producers and merchants, and it was this business that became prevalent over time: Giovanni di Piero Antinori registered with the Guild of Winemakers in 1385 . Production and sales of wine became increasingly important for the family and by the 16th century they were known to various clients outside Italy.

Wine remained the family's main passion and activity to the extent that in 1898 , when the “ Fattoria dei Marchesi Lodovico e Piero Antinori ” was founded, the property and farms were transformed into a really modern and well-organised business. It was founded by the two sons of Marchese Niccolò - a direct descendant of the Niccolò who purchased Palazzo Antinori in 1506 – who had already devoted a good deal of time to making Tuscan wine a fine quality, well-known product.

Antinori has always been identified with the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, with almost 1,400 hectares of vineyards planted in the most highly-suited area for high quality wine production. Chianti Classico, Bolgheri, Montalcino, Orvieto, Montepulciano – all famous zones – as well as Sovana and southern Maremma, which are both very interesting, emerging zones.

Palazzo Antinori, the family's city residence, is located in Piazza Antinori, a short walk from the Arno River. The palace, a Renaissance architectural jewel of about 50 rooms, has served as the offices and residence of Marchesi Antinori since 1506. It was designed and built by Giuliano da Maiano in 1461 and expanded by Baccio d'Agnolo in 1543.
The linear façade is harmoniously and proportioned, typical of the Renaissance; right in the middle of the façade is the family crest, a shield with a plain lower field and a diamondpattern upper section.
On the ground floor there are a beautiful courtyard and garden; above is a glass-enclosed loggia, and throughout are centuries of priceless art, statuary, and tapestries The basement, ground floor and a portion of the second floor serve as offices; while the top two floors are the private residence of Marchese Antinori.
For five centuries, and through to the present day, Palazzo Antinori has been a prestigious building, headquarter of an important wine producer and, more than this, it has been a symbol of the continuity of an ancient tradition and of the history of the family that now is a modern reality.

Short history of Palazzo
Palazzo Antinori was built during a crucial phase in the city's history, at a time when Florence was being transformed from its medieval to its Renaissance appearance. This was the period of Lorenzo the Magnificent, Florence was one of the world's major political and economie centres, and the city was in constant evolution. By the middle of the 15th century, Niccolò Antinori's family was one of the richest in Florence, politically active and well connected with the city's most influential families, including the Medici. Niccolò Antinori, in 1506, moved into the large palace, (bought for "4,000 large florins"), in Piazza San Michele Bertelde which soon became generally known as "the piazza of the Antinori".