Start Date
26-5-2026 2:30 PM
End Date
26-5-2026 2:45 PM
Description
The paper focuses on the story of the Fra i Monti winery in Terelle, a small village located in Italy's Comino Valley, in the province of Frosinone, about 110 km southeast of Rome. This is a paradigmatic territory of agricultural Italy, where between the early 1950s and the mid-1970s, industrialisation and urbanisation shaped the figure of the “metal- mezzadro,” half factory worker and half farmer in the fields, leading to the progressive abandonment of the countryside because it did not offer a secure salary and to the relentless disappearance of farming and wine-making traditions. The paper addresses the theme of hope after the crisis through the narrative of a new generation of winemakers; the recovery of ancient (and lost in memory) vineyards with native species such as Maturano and Semillon, imported from France during the Napoleonic era; and the introduction of regenerative viticulture practices through organic farming, spontaneous fermentation and no use of additives. The paper contributes to a debate on how the passive identity of farmers and an agricultural culture, often characterised by strong resistance to change, have evolved through a historical and social survey of a European territory and the analysis of a case study. A desire for redemption and a willingness to take risks, despite the uncertainties, that instead animate the young people of the Fra i Monti winery.
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Included in
A European Narrative of Redemption and Hope in the Wine Sector: Fra I Monti – A Case Study
The paper focuses on the story of the Fra i Monti winery in Terelle, a small village located in Italy's Comino Valley, in the province of Frosinone, about 110 km southeast of Rome. This is a paradigmatic territory of agricultural Italy, where between the early 1950s and the mid-1970s, industrialisation and urbanisation shaped the figure of the “metal- mezzadro,” half factory worker and half farmer in the fields, leading to the progressive abandonment of the countryside because it did not offer a secure salary and to the relentless disappearance of farming and wine-making traditions. The paper addresses the theme of hope after the crisis through the narrative of a new generation of winemakers; the recovery of ancient (and lost in memory) vineyards with native species such as Maturano and Semillon, imported from France during the Napoleonic era; and the introduction of regenerative viticulture practices through organic farming, spontaneous fermentation and no use of additives. The paper contributes to a debate on how the passive identity of farmers and an agricultural culture, often characterised by strong resistance to change, have evolved through a historical and social survey of a European territory and the analysis of a case study. A desire for redemption and a willingness to take risks, despite the uncertainties, that instead animate the young people of the Fra i Monti winery.