Roots and Territory
Winegrowers since 18th generations
Agricultural tradition since the thirteenth century, the Ricci Curbastro family runs the Rontana farm estate in Brisighella (Ravenna), and the homonymous farm estate of Capriolo in Franciacorta (Brescia).
Of the 34 hectares of estate surface area, 32 (79 acres) are planted with vineyards according to the strict guidelines of modern viticulture and of the Consorzio Vini Franciacorta (Franciacorta Wine Consortium), of which the estate is member since its foundation.
In the secular park is located the underground wine-cellar, where the fermentation processes and the slow aging of Franciacorta DOCG take place.
The vinification is controlled by the enologists Annalisa Massetti, Andrea Rudelli, Filippo e Riccardo Ricci Curbastro: a mix of experiences for wines that are meant for the increasingly demanding tastes of consumers worldwide.
Inside the farmhouses of the Ricci Curbastro estate is located the Agricultural and Wine Museum, a unique reality in Franciacorta that preserves thousands of objects that testify to the agricultural work of the past.
THE WINE CELLAR IS ALWAYS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, offering the possibility to buy directly from the producer.
Franciacorta
Franciacorta is located in the Lombardy region, in the province of Brescia. Demarcated east by the last morainal rocky foothills of the Alps, west by the Oglio River, north by the shores of Lake Iseo, and south by the high Po Valley.
Scholars believe that the name, Franciacorta, derives from the Latin, “francae curtes”, the community of Clunian Benedictine monks exempted, during the Middle Ages, from paying taxes in exchange for reclaiming and cultivating the land assigned to them. The only certainty is that the name appeared for the first time in the Annals of the Municipality of Brescia (Statuta Communis Civitatis Brixiae) in the year 1277, in order to identify the area between the Oglio and Mella rivers, south of Lake Iseo.
The borders of Franciacorta were established through an act by Francesco Foscari, Doge of Venice, in 1429, when the area was under the control of the Republic of Venice.
Its territory includes, in all or part, nineteen municipalities:
Capriolo
Adro
Cazzago San Martino
Cellatica
Coccaglio
Cologne
Corte Franca
Erbusco
Gussago
Iseo
Monticelli Brusati
Ome
Paderno Franciacorta
Paratico
Passirano
Provaglio d’Iseo
Rodengo Saiano
Rovato
Brescia
Innovation
A centuries-old history behind it and a great vocation for innovation are the DNA of the Ricci Curbastro estate combined with the great attention to the environment that has seen us protagonists of numerous initiatives in the last thirty years.
Franciacorta MR, Museum Release (2010)
An ancient news in the Ricci Curbastro estate.
For many years the Ricci Curbastro estate has been presenting to its passionate consumers bottles of Franciacorta which come to disgorgement after a number of years of maturation in the cellar on lees higher (from ten to twelve years) than is normal for the cellar itself. To give greater visibility to these products, the Museum Release brand, or MR, was coined, a name, an abbreviation, a symbol that best identifies these special Franciacorta wines.
The brand, MR Museum Release combines in the abbreviation a couple of quite unique characteristics of our company:
– the Ricci Curbastro Agricultural and Wine Museum because it is one of our peculiarities: a museum in the cellar, the history of yesterday and today in close contact in an extraordinary unicum;
– the ability of the Franciacorta Ricci Curbastro to cross time keeping intact those characteristics of minerality and freshness that have made them so appreciated on the market.
Project “zero treatments and residues on grapes” (2012)
A centuries-old history behind it and a great vocation for innovation are the DNA of the Ricci Curbastro estate combined with the great attention to the environment that has seen us protagonists of numerous initiatives in the last thirty years.
The latest creation in chronological order is a project that brings together the three major themes: history and culture, environment and innovation.
In 2012 we planted a vineyard at the gates of Capriolo made with PIWI variety, an acronym that indicates varieties of wine grapes created by intraspecific hybridization resistant to fungal diseases, in German Pilzwiderstandfähig that is resistant to fungi.
These varieties were intended for technical experimentation in our cellar but the vineyard, absolutely free of chemical treatments, was seen as an ideal “gym” to discover the vine and its fruits.
In addition, the vineyard was planted surrounded by hedges and trees typical of the forest formations of the Franciacorta hills: twenty varieties of plants to be discovered by studying leaves, flowers and fruits.
The vineyard, the hedges, the row of mulberries and wicker constitute a micro unit of a traditional Franciacorta landscape, which has now largely disappeared due to agricultural mechanization, the disappearance of silk culture, urbanization and so on.
As a whole it is a nature trail for educational use for schools, easily reachable on foot, and intended for historical research (silk and the Capriolo textile industry, viticulture and oenology in Franciacorta), environmental (low agriculture environmental impact, search for new varieties), naturalistic (nesting of insectivorous birds, discovery of typical trees and shrub species and their properties.
Discover the vineyard will be an outdoor laboratory for schools to discover, walking, a vineyard in all its expressions.
This HISTORICAL CULTURAL part of the project has its own dedicated website www.scopriilvigneto.it
In five years of life the vineyard has never seen a chemical treatment and the grapes harvested in 2014 and 2015 were destined for internal wine-making research in the company and then in 2016 to produce a new Sebino Bianco IGT wine with Zero Treatments and Zero Residue on grapes: INNOVATION. Wine produced in a vineyard certified for the requirement “no phytosanitary treatment during cultivation and no analytically detectable residues on grapes and wine “: the ENVIRONMENT.
The only treatments allowed are those required by law such as MANDATORY FIGHT against Scaphoideus titanus, the buzzer vector of the golden flavescence, carried out with Natural Pyrethrum.
By not analytically detectable is meant: 0.01 PPM and in any case the non-detectability of pesticides on the finished wine product must in any case be guaranteed by the laboratory as a minimum determination limit consistent with the detection limit defined by the reference legislation (REG. 396/2005 and ss.mm.aa).
To achieve this result, a Technical Disciplinary for the Voluntary Certification of Zero Phytosanitary and Zero Residual Treatments (non-analytical detectability) was drawn up, annex 1, which following analysis on grapes performed by different laboratories on over 200 active ingredients, annex 2 and annex 3, made it possible to obtain the certificate of conformity from CSQA Certificazioni Srl, annex 4.
Finally the label of the new wine with the two hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) taken from the emblem of the Ricci Curbastro but also a symbol of uncontaminated environment, the hedgehog is in fact an omnivorous animal and its diet includes insects, snails, frogs and various vegetables. He loves fruit, worms and all the animals that populate the undergrowth, its progressive decrease is due not only to road accidents but to an environment that is no longer uncontaminated.
Yeasts in the service of Franciacorta. Our research (2010)
Ten years’ research by Ricci Curbastro.
How yeasts are used to make pleasant-tasting and preservable Franciacorta wines
The world market of wines puts a lot of pressure on wine-making companies to develop their own production methods, in order to obtain good quality wines and to create their own identity, with the aim of being more and more competitive.
Our company is no exception to the rule. For years now the main “ingredient” of Franciacorta DOCG production is time. It is not by chance that eight out of the twelve available Franciacorta wines are vintage wines that are aged in vats for longer than required by standard PDO rules.
The ageing process favours the development of the most interesting aromas and time is, therefore, an important ingredient in the production of these wines.
Many professional wine critics acknowledge our work. Here are some comments
“The richness of Ricci Curbastro Franciacorta wines is exceptional and higher than the average richness of PDO wines…” 1
“The aroma profile and the “sprint” of taste of Rosé and Satèn, two Franciacorta wines of that kind, are unique…”2.
For years Ricci Curbastro has been trying to find its own personal style and character. To that end, batches of Franciacorta base wine (made from Chardonnay and Pinot Nero grapes) are stored in steel vats with fine lees, in an oxygen-poor environment, in order to obtain wines with a more harmonious and homogeneous aromatic profile. These wines are then used in proportions ranging from 10-15% up to 50-100% for the tirage cuvées of vintage Franciacortas.s
THE ACTION OF THE saccharomyces cerevisiae ON THE PRESERVABILITY OF A WINE:
The yeast cell is surrounded by a thick wall that ensures for its shape and integrity. This wall constitutes the primary interface between the yeast and its environment. It consists of three types of polymers: the β-glucans, mannans bonded to the proteins – their entirety forms mannoproteins – and chitin. Each of these polysaccharides has some interesting biotechnological property. The wall of the yeast is of considerable technological relevance, due to its role in the hygienic and organoleptic stability of wines.
Currently, consumers have little interest in wines that are insufficiently fruity and round. In such cases, fining on lees seems an appropriate technique to reduce this loss. The lees can be defined as the deposits that accumulate 24 hours after moving the wine. The fine lees are, therefore, all the elements that remain suspended during these 24 hours. Proper handling of the lees consists in eliminating the coarse lees, which are likely to depreciate the wine, immediately after their formation. The quicker this occurs, the longer the fining process will last. The fine lees are mainly composed of yeasts, where autolysis – natural enzymatic self-degradation – releases many interesting compounds. The composition of fresh lees is variable, but the compounds that are released in the wine are always nucleotides, fatty acids, amino acids, peptides, polysaccharides, and glycoproteins (mannoproteins), which have a positive effect on the sensory profile and on the stability of the wine, with regards to tartaric deposits and protein precipitations, as well as color. Aromatic stability also depends on the quantity and on the nature of the mannoproteins released during autolysis. Then again, mannoproteins are released into the wine by an enzyme β-1, 3 glucanase enzymatic activity, which that is a slow phenomena, even if some techniques, such as bâtonnage, can increase the quantity of mannoproteins released into the wine.
In light of the above, it is evident how the contribution of yeasts is interesting for the long-term development of a Franciacorta wine. However, this “discovery”, by now acquired by international research, is based on the addition of exogenous compounds to the wine itself (mannoproteins, LSI, ß-Glucanase, etc…)
THE RICCI CURBASTRO EXPERIMENTS:
The experiments conducted so far in our winery have, instead, always focused on the natural extraction of these compounds from the fine lees produced by the wine itself.
While trying to age the Franciacorta bases in oak barrels (barriques) for extended periods of time (over one year), we found oxidation phenomena affected aroma and color. The addition of SO2 as a protection against these phenomena, partially inhibits the aromatic developments, which would be guaranteed by the lysis of the yeasts.
When aging in small stainless steel barrels (5 Hl), a limit is always represented by the need for sulfur dioxide as an anti-oxidative protection for the wine, and by the limited surface size of the bottom of the barrel, which does not guarantee for an optimal contact between wine and fine lees. Consequently, this involves a reduced exchange of compounds, also in relation to the barrel.
AN OPERATIVE SOLUTION:
The ideal solution to the problem of reducing the sulfur dioxide to very low limits (moreover, also required for the subsequent second fermentation in bottles) and, at the same time, ensuring enough contact surfaces between the yeasts and the Franciacorta base wine, and benefiting from the contribution of a protective inert atmosphere, was found in the use of 1.5 liter magnums for preservation, closed with stainless steel crown caps, which guarantees a perfect seal for several years.
This further development in our research needed to obtain a special authorization for the preservation of base wines, no longer in barrels, but in magnum bottles, which were then to be re-opened after a few years. The MIPAAF (Ministry of Agricultural, Food, and Forestry Policies) has recently authorized the Ricci Curbastro Farm Estate Winery to test this system of preservation and extraction of yeast compounds for five years.
The experimentation in bottles began in spring 2010.
Since May 2024, with the official publication of the new Franciacorta Disciplinare, our experimentation is officially recognized in art. 5: “wines suitable for becoming Franciacorta may also be stored in the cellar in bottles (up to 9 liters) on their fine lees and then debottled and destined for assembly and subsequent secondary fermentation.”
La blockchain e My Story™ (2019)
Ricci Curbastro has been carrying out data collection and verification activities on its supply chain for decades; activities designed to follow its quality processes and guarantee its bottles.
It is a corporate “culture” which is still not widespread in the agricultural world, but which we have married with the certainty that it represents an added value for business processes and also for the market.
For example, Ricci Curbastro produces about 8,000 bottles of Curtefranca Rosso DOC Vigna Santella del Gröm each year which are “counted” and certified for their compliance with the Curtefranca DOC Disciplinary by Valoritalia, the company in charge of controls, this certification imposes as is obvious data collection and clarity of the processes and is applied to all the Company’s Designation of Origin wines, practically 100% of the production.
Ricci Curbastro is an estate with a great environmental sensitivity today represented by the Equalitas Sustainability certification issued with CSQA certificate; also in this case the process that led to the drafting of our first Sustainability Report (year 2017) is the result of the environmental, social and economic data collection work started some time ago. In 2013 we were also among the first companies certified ISO 14064-1: 2006 for their carbon footprint, the data collection work for the certification had started in 2010. These activities led to the recognition of the Ecofriendly Wine Award Buoni d’Italia and TCI Touring Club Italiano for the years 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
From 1 August 2018 Ricci Curbastro is an organic company having completed its three-year conversion path, certification by Valoritalia. The Santella del Gröm vineyard will complete the conversion to organic route on 1 August 2019.
With this in mind, the collaboration with DNV GL was born, aimed at making certain elements of our story telling certain and verified through My Story™ and Blockchain technology, which nevertheless characterize our Curtefranca Vigna Santella del Gröm and which are flanked by regulated and volunteers certifications mentioned above.
For example: Ricci Curbastro is a family with eighteen generations of tradition, a cellar existing at least since 1814, which it had already labeled bottles of wines since 1885, registered in the Unioncamere Register of Historic Companies as operating since 1885, Ricci Curbastro declares an average production of 8 tons/ha of grapes, a yield of 68% and a maturation in barriques of at least 18 months for Santella del Gröm, this wine is produced from the 1983 vintage and over time obtained numerous awards (for example the Due Bicchieri Gambero Rosso in 2018 and 2016, Three Stars and 90/100 Veronelli in 2016 and 2015).
All these elements of the history of the company and of this wine are usefully ensured by the techniques of Digital Assurance avoiding to confuse reality and legend as often happens in the stories of wine, involving the consumer to better know what he buys not only based on trust in the brand company or in the Denomination but also by combining information already present in the product certification with others more related to its corporate history, making them usable with a simple access already in front of the shelf via smartphone thanks to a QRCode and immutable thanks to blockchain technologies.
The advantages are yet to be fully verified as the project is in its infancy on the market, and this is the reason for the partnership with DNV-GL, but making the information secure will only strengthen our story telling and make it credible by increasing the perception of the quality product, combining tradition and innovation once again, two essential elements in corporate and human history.
Curtefranca Red DOC Project (1999)
Enhancing a red wine in a land known for its Franciacorta.
Carmenère, the grape variety that has always been among us.
Carmenère comes from the “Vits biturica”, which arrived in the north Italy and in the Bordeaux region in the Roman era, originating from the port of Durres-Albania (Columella). From the Vitis biturica, in the Bordeaux region, the Carmenère, Cabemet Franc, Merlot, Cabemet Sauvignon, Malbec, and so on, were selected. In Italy, the Carmenère would occupy about 4,200 hectares, in Chile 2,306 hectares, and in France just over 100 hectares.
In the Italian DOC wines, it is confused with the Cabemet franc, and it is mainly grown in the north-east, from Brescia to Friuli, an area registered in the registry of vineyards for about 240 hectares in purity and 109 other hectares mixed with Cabemet Sauvignon. The Carmenère is very different from the Cabemet Franc, firstly because it has a different DNA, but also due to different isozymes, and also for its smaller leaves. The Carmenère has imperfect flowers (reflexed stamens with spiral filaments), its grapes are very rich in pyrazines (vegetal aroma of green pepper), its wines are well-structured, very colorful (anthocyanins), rich in tannins, round and soft, with a very herbaceous, complex flavor (Fregoni). Since 1990, when we decided to increase the area cultivated with red grape varieties, Cabemet Franc cuttings were also purchased from a French nursery, and our first doubts arose because it became clear to us that this “French” Cabemet had little to do with the variety traditionally grown in Franciacorta under the same name and locally known as “bordò magher”, due to its characteristic scanty bunches and small grapes (ed. “magher” meaning also meager in dialect).
Not only on an ampelographic level, but also physiologically, the two grape varieties were significantly different: the “French” Cabemet was more fertile and had a more regular productivity, it was less vigorous, on average more precocious, and ripened about a week before. We noticed that the bunches of the “French” Cabemet were smaller, but more compact and, to the taste, the grapes did not have the typically distinct herbaceous note of the “old” “Italian” Cabemet. It was, at that point, almost certain that it was not the same variety.
During the same period, the same doubts had arisen in other wine producing areas cultivated with Bordeaux varieties and, through genetic research, it was determined that the variety grown in northern Italy under the name of Cabemet Franc, and in Chile as Merlot, was actually Carmenère, even if only in the year 2000, this important discovery was made public in a scientific conference organized by Ca ‘del Bosco in Erbusco.
In 2008, the Carmenère was officially recognized in the Disciplinary regulating the Curtefranca Red DOC.
THE PROJECT
Meanwhile, since 1999, our company had provided in realizing new high density plants created with scions taken from a pre-phylloxera plant (not grafted) present in the company in Capriolo and from a 50 year vineyard in Erbusco. New plants with Cabernet Franc/Italian Carmenère clones were created from 2001 to 2003.
The Carmenère produces very complex structured wines that are very rich in anthocyanins and rich in tannins, which can be easily polymerized. The wine may have a vegetal character (herbaceous), which is often dominant, but that, however, decreases when reaching perfect maturation, with a low production per plant and low nitrogen fertilization.
To limit the vegetal notes (pepper), deriving from the content of pyrazine in the skins, the vinification should be conducted by carrying out the destemming procedure of the grapes directly above the vat, so that the crushed, destemmed grapes fall into it by means of gravity.
The Carmenère, along with a richer aroma and a more intense color, differs primarily due to the predominance of the primary aromas that can be attributed to the flavor of the grape: hints of red fruit (blackberries) stand out, and the herbaceous nuances are just perceivable and clearly reduced with respect to the past.
The overall vineyard management techniques, coupled with a completely new vinification technique, now give us a very rich Curtefranca Red DOC, yet, at the same time, one with a strong characterization of the territory considering that, historically, our vineyards had a percentage of Cabernet Franc/Carmenère greater than 45% (data taken from the company archives regarding the composition of Franciacorta Red DOC in 1967, year in which the vineyards were registration in the newly constituted Register of Vineyards).
In recent years, the Franciacorta region has become world famous for its sparkling wines, which remain the highest point of quality that the territory can express. The Franciacorta DOCG is still the main product (75% of vineyards are planted with Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir), however, our project should demonstrate the ability to diversify production without, following trends, the introduction of extraneous international grape varieties to our environment.
History
A Noble family from Lugo di Romagna (Ravenna), the Ricci Curbastro moved there in the thirteenth century after being driven out of Florence during the Guelph-Ghibelline wars.
Their coat of arms is light blue with a red band accompanied on top by a comet placed between two gold stars, with a natural oak at the point terraced by greenery (Curbastro probably derives from the Latin, “quercus”), flanked by two facing hedgehogs ( ricci in Italian).
to Lorenzo Ricci Curbastro
Dr. Riccardo Ricci Curbastro
Born in Rome on July 3, 1959, to Gualberto and Emma Lonigo, degree in Agricultural Sciences and Technologies, oenologist, married, with three children, since 1978 he has worked with his father on his own wine-growing farm (Az. Agr. Gualberto Ricci Curbastro e Figli) in Capriolo (BS) in Franciacorta where he held the positions of administrator and marketing and production manager. Upon his father’s death, Gualberto took over ownership of the company and was then joined by his sons Gualberto and Filippo. With his sons he also runs the Rontana farm estate built on the hills of Brisighella (RA).
- From 1989 to 1995, he was Chairman of the ANGA (National Association of Young Agriculturalists) for which he had previously held the post of Vice President and National Secretary.
- From 1984 to 1990, he held various positions in the Confagricoltura (General Confederation for Italian Agriculture): Vice President of the National Wine Producing Economic Section, Vice President of the National Federation of Arboricolture Cultivations, and Member of the Environment and Hunting Commission.
- From 1985 to 1986, he served in Rome and Turin as Second Lieutenant of the Carabinieri (ed. Italian military corps).
- From 1993 to 1999, he was Chairman of the Consortium of Franciacorta DOC wines and is still a member of the Council until 2019
- From May 1998 to July 2022 he was President of FEDERDOC, the National Confederation of Consortia for the Protection of Wines with Designation of Origin.
- From June 1998 to June 2007, he was chairman of the AGRITURIST National Association for Agritourism, the Environment, and the Territory.
- March 2000, awarded by Vinitaly with the Gran Medaglia di Cangrande for his decisive contribution to the development of viticulture and the valorization of Italian oenology
- From 2009 to 2011, he was Chairman of the Valoritalia Società (Society for the certification of the quality and the production of Italian Wines), a controlling and certifying authority for Italian origin wines created by the Federdoc and CSQA certifications.
- Since 1999, he has been Academician for the Academy of Grapes and Wine. Was appointed Accademico Ordinario in 2023
- Since 2000 Corresponding Academician of the Accademia dei Georgofili, he was appointed Ordinary Academician in 2007 and Emeritus Academician in 2023.
- Since 2001 Corresponding Academician of the National Academy of Agriculture
- Since 2001, he has been Member of the Comitato per la valorizzazione del patrimonio alimentare (Committee for the enhancement of Italian food heritage), established by the Minister of Agriculture, the Honorable Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio (Ministerial Decree of March 28th, 2011 and Ministerial Decree of May 11th, 2001).
- From June to December 2008, he was is one of the three components of the Enforcing Committee established through the MIPAAF Decree of June 9, 2008 with the task of coordinating and supervising the controlling activities for the production of the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Rosso di Montalcino DOC, Moscatello di Montalcino , and Sant’Antimo wines, thus participating in solving the serious international crisis that had hit those Denominations.
- On December 27th, 2009, he was appointed by the President of the Italian Republic, his Honorable Giorgio Napolitano as Cavaliere dell’Ordine al Merito (ed. decorated for the Order of Merit) for the Italian Republic.
On December 27, 2013, he was appointed by the President of the Italian Republic, his Honorable Giorgio Napolitano as Ufficiale dell’Ordine al Merito (ed. decorated for the Order of Merit) for the Italian Republic.
On December 27, 2021, he was appointed by the President of the Italian Republic, his Honorable Sergio Mattarella as Commendatore dell’Ordine al Merito (ed. decorated for the Order of Merit) for the Italian Republic. - From March 2010 to January 2016 he was President of Efow, European Federation of Origin Wines. In January 2024 he was re-appointed President.
- In 2012, he participated, representing the producers of European Designation of Origin wines, in the work of the HLG High Level Group established by the European Commission to discuss the future of the management of vineyard planting rights.
- 2014 April, appointment as Honorary Sommelier of the FIS Italian Sommelier Foundation.
- 2015 December, appointment as President of Equalitas S.r.l., in office until December 2018, re-elected President in July 2020.
- 2016-2017-2019-2020-2021-2024 Professor at the Master Wine Export Management of the University of Camerino.
- In 2024, he participated, representing the producers of European Designation of Origin wines, in the work of the HLG High Level Group established by the European Commission to discuss the situation of agricultural markets, in particular with regard to the aspects mentioned in the CMO Wine Regulation.
Ornithologist and wildlife photographer by passion, he has collaborated in field research, in the realization of several projects for WWF Italy, and many of his photographs have been published in leading Italian magazines and newspapers.
June 2002 TerraFuocoAriaAcqua, personal photography exhibition at the Sale dell’Arsenale, Iseo (BS); the exhibition was subsequently displayed from 14 to 20 July at the Azienda Agricola Villa Spinosa as part of the Festival Notti di Note in Valpolicella 2002.
Dr. Gualberto Ricci Curbastro
Born in Brescia in 1991 after the Liceo Classico at the Liceo C. Arici in Brescia, he graduated in Management in Milan at the Luigi Bocconi Commercial University with a thesis entitled “Territorial brands and individual brands. An analysis of the relationships and determinants of success through the Franciacorta case.”
During his studies he carried out exchange programs at EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht in Germany and at Jönköping International Business School in Jönköping in Sweden.
In 2013 he carried out an internship at Valoritalia Srl, at administrative office of Thiene (Vicenza).
In 2014 he carried out a work experience at Pernod Ricard Spa in Milan in the finance division.
Since 2014 he manages the Giorgio Fortunato Estate in Tuscany on the hills of Cerreto Guidi (Florence) with the production of grapes and extra virgin olive oil.
Since 2016 he has been working at the Ricci Curbastro estate in Franciacorta, dealing with national and international markets.
In 2018 he bought the Rontana estate in Brisighella (Ravenna) from his uncles where he manages all the wine production.
In 2018 he was appointed Vice President of the Franciacorta Wine Route and Member of the board of the Franciacorta Wine Consortium. Still a member of the Board of Directors of the Franciacorta Wine Consortium, in 2024 he was reconfirmed as Vice President of the Franciacorta Wine Route.
Enol. Filippo Ricci Curbastro
Born in Brescia on 7 April 1995, after graduating from the Liceo Classico at the Liceo C. Arici in Brescia, he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Viticulture and Oenology at the University of Milan with a thesis entitled ‘Comparison between vinification in amphora and in steel of white Georgian varieties in the Bolgheri DOC” and subsequently the Master’s Degree in Vineyard and Winery Management in Bordeaux at the Bordeaux Science Agro University with a thesis entitled “Effects of tressage, as an alternative to mechanical hedging, on vines, grape composition and wine quality on Cabernet Sauvignon at a Pauillac commercial winery”.
During his studies he also carried out study programs at the Universidad de Cádiz in Spain.
In 2016 he carried out an internship at the Podere Guado al Melo in Bolgheri.
In 2018 he worked at Indevin Group Limited, based in Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand.
In 2019 he did an internship at Château Gazin in Pomerol, France.
In 2020 he did an internship at Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande in Pauillac, France.
Since December 2020 he has been working at the Ricci Curbastro estate in Franciacorta and at the Rontana estate in Brisighella.
Dr. Gualberto Ricci Curbastro (1932 - 2013)
Born in Viterbo on March 19th, 1932, son of Riccardo – whose Regiment, the III Grenadiers of Sardinia was stationed in this city in the Lazio region – and son of Evelina Lantieri de’ Paratico, he actually grew up in Rome where he finished his classical studies, then graduated in Law at the young age of 23.
After having gotten a position with Alitalia airlines, also thanks to his excellent knowledge of several foreign languages, for many years he dealt in international agreements, opening of new trade routes and stopovers for the flag carrier. This experience led him to travel to almost every country in the world, without ever losing his allure for the land and for agriculture. In fact, in 1967, he became one among the eleven producers who gave life to the Franciacorta DOC.
Finally, in 1969, the “jump” occurred. Once he left Alitalia, Gualberto began to work full-time in the family business in Romagna, the land of the Ricci Curbastro, and in Franciacorta, the land of the Lantieri de’ Paratico.
Of his four sons, Riccardo was the one who, since 1978, followed him in the agricultural business.
With courageous and continuous investments, the company in Capriolo in Franciacorta began to expand, increasingly specializing in viticulture: 2.30 hectares (5.68 acres) of vineyard in 1968, 4.90 (12,20 acres) in 1979, 8 (19,77 acres) in 1990, 16.50 ( 40,77 acres) in 2000, and 27.5 ( 67,95 acres) in 2010. Even the wine cellar, through subsequent expansions, increased from a surface area of about 100 square meters ( 119 square yards) to the current one, which is more than 2,500 square meters ( 2989 square yards) with a depth of 15 meters ( 49 feet).
Agricultural passion was also evenly shared with the Romagna region where Gualberto ran his own estate farm in Lugo and in Bagnavallo. Then, in the year 2000, he was able to fulfill his dream of creating a winery there, as well: the Azienda Agricola Rontana di Brisighella.
An impassioned collector, Gualberto began early to collect farming objects that had fallen in disuse. In July 1986, this collection became the first nucleus of the Ricci Curbastro Agriculture and Wine Museum, a unique reality in Franciacorta created to tell tourists and wine lovers about the history of this area of Brescia. The Museum is continually expanded and, each year, receives approximately 8,000 Italian and foreign visitors.
It was Gualberto who write two books dedicated to the Museum: Immagini di Cultura Contadina (Images of Rural Culture), published in 1988 and co-written with Paolo Pinti, and in 2006 La Franciacorta in cucina. Tra storia e ricordi (Franciacorta in the kitchen. Between history and memories) in collaboration with his children, Riccardo and Giovanna Sveva.
A scholar of ancient weapons and military history, he has written numerous articles in prestigious periodicals, such as Diana Armi, Uniformi & Armi, and the Bollettino dell’Accademia di San Marciano and others, also publishing books, such as Strutture defensive e territorio: armi, fortezze e trattatisti bresciani all’epoca della Serenissima (Defensive structures and territory: weapons, fortresses, and treatises from Brescia during the era of the Republic of Venice), documents of the conference organized by him on November 3rd and 4th, 1990 in Rovato, as well as the Diario della guerra 1915-1918 del Caporale di Settime (Asti) Brusio Giuseppe (1915-1918 War Diary of the Corporal of Settime (Asti), Giuseppe Brusio), and Le cive del Cav. Mori (The primers of Chevaller Mori).
This passion will also lead him to the center of an international intrigue linked to the theft during the Second World War of a precious 16th century shield belonging to Captain Francesco Bernardo, thanks to him returned to the Civic Museums of Bologna.
Gualberto died in Capriolo in 2013.
Colonel Riccardo Ricci Curbastro (1892 – 1955)
“The undersigned, Augusto Scodellari, Second Lieutenant of the 1st Company of the First Regiment of Grenadiers of Sardinia, declares that its Unit Commander, Captain Riccardo Ricci Curbastro, during the military action that took place on August 10th, 1916, which led to the occupation of Mount St. Michele and the subsequent advance through the Vallone for the taking of Nad Logem, while bypassing several enemy trenches, was injured by a bladed weapon (ed. an Austrian bayonet) on his right foot.
At dusk on the same day, once having taken the first charge, the two Regimental Commanders, Lt. Col. Cav. Fassò, Captain Majoli, and Captain Ricci Curbastro, the undersigned, along with other Unit Commanders, were united in the vicinity of Case Cotticai to receive instructions for another advance on Vallone-Nad-Logem.
At that meeting, the undersigned perfectly recalled that the Commander of the 2nd Regiment of Grenadiers, then Colonel Anfossi, through Lt. Col. Fassò, came to know about the injury already inflicted on Ricci Curbastro, and invited the latter to leave with these exact words: “Leave Ricci. Your Mother has already sacrificed another child to the Fatherland.” (ed. Gian Gualberto Ricci Curbastro, who died heroically at the Podor on January 11th, 1915).
The pressure put on by Colonel Anfossi was to no avail, since the Unit in which Ricci Curbastro was positioned (destined to carry out the advancing action for the Regiment in the Vallone, and then on the slopes of Nad Logem), brilliantly executed its orders, arriving on the 11th, by surprise at dawn, on the first enemy line of defense.
It was after the conquest of this enemy trench that Ricci Curbastro was again wounded by bullet in his back (ed. Austrian shrapnel), a wound that forced him to abandon his battle position and be hospitalized.”
Second Lieutenant Augusto Scodellari
Riccardo Ricci Curbastro – born in Lugo di Romagna (Ravenna) on February 18th, 1892, deceased in Rome on July 22nd, 1955.
He was the son of Raffaele and of the Countess Giovanna Manzoni.
A Cadet Officer in Military School in 1911, he was then appointed Second Lieutenant of the 2nd Regiment of the Grenadiers of Sardinia on February 23rd, 1913. In January of 1914, during various flights to the field of Centocelle (Rome), where the first Italian airplane pilots practiced, he was affected by severe pleurisies that, however, did not impede him from fighting throughout the First World War, where he was wounded twice. It was because of these actions that he was honored with the Federal War Cross of Merit.
In 1919, he was again sent into the “war zone” with the 1st Regiment of the Grenadiers of Sardinia during the international crisis caused by the River Company of Gabriele D’Annunzio and his legionaries.
Transferred to the War Department, he found himself isolated in Rome on September 1st, 1943, thus beginning a lengthy “escape” to reach his family already in Northern Italy. Wanted by the Republic of Salò, he fled for two years from the fascists, living in Capriolo under the name of Passoni, his ancestor who built Villa Evelina.
On June 2nd, 1946, he left active duty, so as not to give oath to the newly formed Italian Republic.
Since then, he began working in agriculture, also carrying out important innovations in his wife’s, Evelina Lantieri de’ Paratico, wine producing company in Capriolo, such as the creation of the new wine cellar and the futuristic, for the times, drip irrigation system.
In 1955, the aftermaths of his old military traumas killed him at the early age of 63.
Cav. Lorenzo Ricci Curbastro (1818 – 1866)
“The soldier! This would be enough as a reminder of the testimony of his military involvement, in which he took part with enthusiasm and momentum, true of those from the Romagna region, in all the campaigns for the independence and freedom of Italy from 1848 to 1866.”
(Michele Longhi, Per un patriota lughese dimenticato, Tipografia Cremonini, Lugo – 1911)
Cav. Lorenzo Ricci Curbastro (Lugo di Romagna, July 2nd, 1818 – Florence, March 7th, 1866), studied in Lugo at the Trisi Boarding School.
When he was only sixteen years old, he ran away from home to join the first movements of Mazzini in Piedmont and Liguria. Brought back home by force he, however, immediately took part in the movements in the Romagna region in 1843 and 1845, as he was a member of the Giovine Italia (ed. “Young Italy”, political movement for creating a united Italian Republic).
In 1848, Captain of the First Company of the Battalion of Bersaglieri (Marksmen) of the Po, under Generals Durando and Ferrari, he fought at Nervesa sul Piave, Treviso, and Vicenza. Once the papal army was disbanded (Durando General Decree of June 19th, 1848), he repatriated with other volunteers to take part in the expulsion of the Austrians from Bologna (August 8th) and the defense of Ancona (May 1849).
When the order of the Papal State was restored by the Austro-Hungarians, he was forced into exile, then returning to Lugo only thanks to the important relationship his family had with the pope.
In the Romagna region, which was infested by bandits in those years, many were his actions towards the attempt to eradicate this plight: On April 10th, 1854, he chased Giovanni Nunziati and Francesco Maccolini of Brisighella all the way to San Cassiano, near the Tuscan border, since they had stolen livestock from him. He retrieved the livestock and arrested the culprits of the theft, who he then surrendered to the authorities. In another confrontation with bandits, not far from Felisio, he made them flee with the help of Count Vincenzo Samaritani.
On June 13th, 1859, he was among the leaders of the uprising in Lugo aimed at overthrowing the pontificate. He then enlisted as a volunteer for the War of Independence and, in October, was appointed Commander of the 1st Battalion of the National Guard of Lugo.
However, by May 1860, he resigned, in order to support the Expedition of Garibaldi in Sicily. On July 16th, he arrived in Palermo and offered his aid to Garibaldi. On July 20th, he fought in Milazzo, and was then in charge of the victuals for the “Thousand” (ed. military campaign led by the Italian General, Giuseppe Garibaldi), up until the battle of the Volturno.
Of his friendship with Giuseppe Garibaldi there are traces in letters and telegrams between the two, still kept in the family archives.
On November 2nd, 1860 he was appointed Second Commissioner of War for the Military Intendancy of the Southern Army. Moving on to the regular army, he took part in the siege of Gaeta, and then returned to Turin in 1861, and in Romagna in 1862, to take office as Mayor of Lugo.
Just after a few years, and another war, in 1866 he was appointed Major of the 104th Battalion of the Mobile National Guard, but he does not make it in time to go into battle.
He continues his tireless work of service with a new term as Mayor of Lugo in 1872, and again in 1882. He passed away in Florence in 1886 after retiring from public life in 1885.
Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy, he was awarded commemorative medals for the wars of ’48, ’49, ’60, and ’61 and one for the liberation of Rome in ’49.
Gian Gualberto Ricci Curbastro (1894 – 1915)
Silver Medal for Military Valor
“Second Lieutenant of the 28th Infantry Regiment, commander of a machine-gun unit, with great skill and courage, he cooperated effectively in the success of a minor military action. Having fully hit the post of a weapon, killing a footman and burying the others, heedless of the danger to which he was exposed, he assisted his soldiers by freeing them from the rubble. While he could have been happy for the deeds he accomplished, shot to death along with those he had rescued, he left his life on the field as a valiant man.
With such, Gian Gualberto had already distinguished himself for his bravery, valor, and a high sense of duty in previous battles .
Cappelletta of Podgora, December 22nd, 1915.”
Reason for the Silver Medal for Military Valor
Gian Gualberto was the son of Raffaele and Giovanna de’ Conti Manzoni. He was a strong boy, with lively blue eyes that knew how to smile. He studied in Bologna with the Barnabite priests in the San Luigi Boarding School, and then and in the Minghetti High School. In 1913, after graduation, he joined the Faculty of Engineering, but his patriotism and military vocation called to him. Thus, in November 1914, he became a volunteer for the Military Academy of Modena.
In May 1915, with the rank of Second Lieutenant, he was assigned to the 28th Infantry Regiment stationed at Ravenna. At his request, he was immediately sent to the front and, on July 28th, he was already in battle. In August, his machine-gun unit was hit by a howitzer, but Gualberto emerged miraculously unscathed. At the time, he wrote to his father, Raffaele: “It is not death I fear: what I would not want is to die thoughtlessly, caught by surprise, without having done anything good and useful.”
Gualberto participated in all the battles of October 1915 at the Calvario and Sabotino, escaping several times from enemy grenades, and on October 25th, he wrote to his father: “I hasten to write you to reassure you of my safety during the actions of recent days. Now we have finished, and after thirty days on the front line, and five of combat, we hope in our well-earned rest.”
On December 21st, 1915, he wrote to his mother: “Merry Christmas! Actually, the fact that Christmas is only four days away, made me forget to send you my greetings on time. However, please accept them with great affection and not only for you, but also for Father, Renzo, and sister, along with another big kiss, but only to be given on the morning of the 25th.”
“At 9 am on December 22nd, we began an action with the objective to occupy an enemy trench that was bothering us: we were at an altitude of 240, more specifically, in the town of Cappelletta. Ricci Curbastro’s unit, as could have been supposed, had been discovered because the enemy had bombarded it with several shots of shrapnel, but without effect. Our machine-gunner firing squad returned fire, when an enemy grenade hit the shelters in full. A machine-gunner was killed, several were bruised, and three were buried by the soil of the collapsed shelters. Second Lieutenant Ricci Curbastro, who was just a few feet away, ran to them and, although he was certain he would be hit by the deadly fire the enemy artilleries incessantly spewed at him, he wanted to dig out those buried in the ruins who were calling for help. In fact, he managed to pull them out, and while he brought them to his refuge with comforting words, he tried to lift their fallen spirits. Unfortunately, he was then hit by one of the many grenades that had, until then, miraculously spared him, making him a victim of his courage and his good heart, and also killing the three men with him whom he was rescuing.” (From the testimony of his fellow soldier in the 28th Infantry Regiment, Lt. Leonardo De Toma). Buried in the war cemetery of Podgora, in October 1922, his remains were transferred to the family tomb in Lugo di Romagna.
Regarding the dramatic day of December 22nd, 1915, there is a beautiful testimony by Aurelius Baruzzi (Lugo di Romagna – January 9th, 1897 – Rome – March 4th, 1985), Gold Medal for Military Valor:
“Farewell, Ricci.”
“Bye, Baruzzi. Where are you going? ”
“I’m meeting with my unit on the front line.”
“You know? Tomorrow, in your sector, at the Tre Croci, there’ll be some action. I, too, will be busy because I have the job of supporting you with my machine-gun unit.”
“Well, see you tomorrow then.”
OMISSION
“Towards evening, we are replaced by another unit of the Regiment. Descending by foot to the bottom of the Podgora, I arrive in time to see, lying on two stretchers, the bodies of two officers about to be buried in the cemetery of the 28th. I recognize my friend, Ricci Curbastro. … I stop before the corpse in silent contemplation, and my thoughts go to his native Lugo, where a mother waits for news of her loved one, unaware of the tragic fate that has struck her.”
(Aurelio Baruzzi, Quel giorno a Gorizia, Volume I, Dall’inizio della guerra alla barraglia di Gorizia, published by Paolo Gaspari Editore 1999, pp. 96-101).
Costanza Ricci Curbastro (1856 – 1923)
Mother Margherita Ricci Curbastro – Servant of God
Sister of Gregorio, a famous mathematician, Costanza, along with the venerable Monsignor Marco Morelli, founded the Institute of the “Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Agony” on October 17th, 1888 and, devoting herself to religion, took on the name of Margherita.
Following the example of Mary, the humble Handmaid of the Lord, Handmaids are called to continue the redemptive work of Christ, offer refuge, be the living invocation to God and active witnesses of his presence and of the mission of the Church, through service to their brothers and sisters, especially the poorest. Their charisma is realized through educational and charitable activities in: schools from kindergarten to high school, parishes, and shelters. The Congregation is present in Italy and in foreign missions (Brazil, Philippines, Togo, and Colombia). “Witness to Divine Mercy”, Handmaid professes this through her preferential choice for the poor.
The heroic virtues of Costanza allowed the Diocese of Imola to open a process of beatification on July 14th, 1988.
Professor Gregorio Ricci Curbastro (1853 – 1925)
«Unfortunately there seems to be no photographic proof of the only encounter between Albert Einstein and Gregorio Ricci Curbastro: we can only imagine the cordial and satisfying handshake between the histrionic genius from Ulm and the taciturn gentleman from Lugo. Each had a considerable debt of gratitude towards the other: without Ricci Curbastro’s calculus, almost certainly – if not certainly – Einstein would never have been able to substantiate his most fortunate scientific thoughts. On the other hand, with the emergence of general relativity, the cream of the crème of mathematicians and theoretical physicists throughout most of the globe began to study, use, and develop that calculation that was ever so potent and ever so effective, yet, which remained for so long in the shadows. »
At the heart of Einstein’s general theory of relativity, a jewel among the most gleaming in twentieth century science, lies the work of an Italian mathematician, Gregorio Ricci Curbastro. Albert Einstein, after being the victim of a tried and true “scientist’s block”, found in Ricci Curbastro’s tensor calculus the algorithmic apparatus, which allowed him to transform a fleeting intuition into a solid physical theory. That famous theory that represents the perfect balance between the physics genius of Einstein and the power, synthesis, and elegance of mathematics created by Ricci Curbastro. In the twenties, the success of the general relativity theory offered the tensor calculus theory – until then, considered so complicated as to be superfluous – a chance to avenge itself and its creator. However, while the world turned Einstein into a sort of superstar, Ricci Curbastro persevered in the privacy of a lifetime, keeping away from the limelight.
(From Il Genio and il Gentiluomo, Einstein e il matematico italiano che salvò la teoria della relatività by Fabio Toscano, published by Sironi Editore Milano, 2004).
Gregorio Ricci Curbastro (Lugo, January 12th, 1853 – Bologna, August 6th, 1925)
Born in Lugo di Romagna (Ravenna), his father was Antonio Ricci Curbastro, an engineer known throughout the province of Ravenna, and his mother was Livia Vecchi. Both he and his brother, Domenico were, before entering university, schooled privately at home by teachers who led them through a targeted and detailed course of instruction. At sixteen, Gregorio begins philosophical mathematical studies at the University of Rome. Called back to Lugo by his father in 1870, after Rome became the capital of Italy, in 1872 he enrolled at the University of Bologna, attending for two-years, and then transferred to the Normale University of Pisa, which was already a very important center for mathematical research at the time. Here, Ricci Curbastro met Enrico Betti and Ulisse Dini, attending conferences and learning more on the mathematical developments of that era, which were crucial to his research and direction. In fact, already in 1875, he was awarded his first doctorate thanks to research he carried out on linear differential equations.
After graduation, he won a scholarship to study at the Technische Hochschule in Munich. There he met Felix Klein (president) and Alexander von Brill. Ricci Curbastro participated in their conferences and won both their respect. It must be said that Klein was not the “motivated” mathematician in the style of Ricci Curbastro, as were instead Lipschitz, Christoffel, and Rienmann. The latter gave Ricci Curbastro the input for an in-depth study on “Riemannian” geometry.
When he returned to Pisa, he worked as special assistant to Ulisse Dini, his professor. In 1880, he became visiting professor of mathematics at the University of Padua. He created the Absolute Differential Calculus and immediately realized the importance that his work could have on mathematical physics and on the theory of elasticity and the theory of heat. This was work that was worthy of awards and that allowed him, with good reason, to compete twice for the Premio Reale di Matematica (Mathematics Award), but unfortunately without success, probably because he still had not seen, at that time, the real-world applications for these mathematical models. Despite the lack of recognition, Ricci Curbastro continued his studies, and attracted the attention of other young mathematicians who quickly found themselves in full collaboration with him, including Tullio Levi Civita, who then became his valuable collaborator, with a strong intuition.
Within a few years from then, the two mathematicians published together. It was the year 1900, in the “Mathematische Annalen”, and the article was: “Méthodes de Calcul Differentiel Absolu et leurs Application”, an extensive report on the Absolute Differential Calculus.
Albert Einstein was at an “impasse” in developing the theory of general relativity, due to several equations that could not adhere to the space-time theory. In essence, this was related to understanding the possibility of creating a differential calculus on a non-Euclidean space-time structure.
Einstein did not know that this type of calculation had already been initiated by Gregorio Ricci Curbastro and further developed by Levi Civita in Italy. So much so that Einstein wrote to his friend and mathematician, Marcel Grossmann: “Help me, or I’ll go crazy.” It was precisely Grossmann who led Einstein towards the solutions of tensor calculus.
When Einstein completed the “construction” of his famous theory, he stated in a paper: “No one who has really understood this theory can escape its beauty. This is a triumph in the methods of general differential calculus.”
Gregorio Ricci Curbastro actively participated in political life, both in his hometown, as well as in Padua, and contributed with his projects to the reclamation of the Ravenna region and the construction of the aqueduct in Lugo. Here, at his childhood home, a commemorative plaque is affixed that reads: “He gave to science the absolute differential calculus, an essential tool for the theory of general relativity, a new vision of the universe.”
The Science High School of Lugo, where several of his manuscripts are preserved, is also dedicated to him.
Ricci Curbastro received many honors for his contributions, although you could say that the importance of his work was not fully understood by the Italian mathematical community during the time he developed, but only later, especially thanks to the application of his methods by Einstein.
He was honored with admission to various Academies, including the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti (Venetian Institute of Arts and Sciences) (1892), of which he became president in 1916-19. He was also a member of the Accademia dei Lincei (Lincean Academy) from 1899, the Accademia di Padova (Academy of Padua) from 1905, the Accademia delle Scienze di Torino (Academy of Sciences of Turin) from 1918, the Società dei Quaranta (Academy of the Forty) from 1921, the Reale Accademia di Bologna (Royal Academy of Bologna) from 1922, the Accademia Pontificia (Pontifical Academy) from 1925, and the Accademia Galileiana di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti (Galilean Academy of Arts and Sciences), of which he was President from 1920 to 1922.
He was also deputy mayor of Padua, having refused the post as Mayor.
Raffaele Ricci Curbastro (1858 - 1942)
Raffaele, born on May 29, 1858, and his sister Marietta, were the only two children of Lorenzo and Luigia Costa. They studied in Bologna and there Raffaele graduated in law in 1883.
After returning to Romagna, he married Countess Giovanna Manzoni in October 1887, with whom he had 5 children.
He dedicated his entire life to farming, distinguishing himself for his innovative character that led him to carry out initiatives that were very modern for those times. First in 1882 a mill where he transformed the grains of his own land, valorizing the flour also with a bakery, then in 1892 he built a small factory of chemical fertilizers, bone and mineral superphosphates, which in those years were starting to be introduced alongside the more traditional animal manure to increase agricultural production.
In 1905 he participated with his products at the Palermo Trade Fair, obtaining the Gold Medal. In the same period, the wine produced in the Romagna company found an outlet on the Bologna market, as attested by the numerous duty payment bills.
Silk production with silkworm breeding was also among his interests and we have preserved the correspondence with orders of silkworm eggs directed to the major breeders of the time, but also an authentic rarity such as the glass vial protected by a wooden case that in 1889 delivered the silkworm eggs to him by post from Venice.
A staunch supporter of social reforms and the improvement of the conditions of sharecroppers, he appealed to Giolitti in 1909 when “the violent oppression of the Socialist Party over us modest landowners who must remain helpless spectators of the bold work of a few troublemakers now aimed at preventing us from threshing the grain” (19 July 1909) risked compromising the harvest and therefore the survival of the families of the farmers.
He also proved to be a free spirit towards Fascism and in the letters between him and the Federal Secretary of Ravenna Luciano Rambelli, one can perceive all his annoyance towards the party, which, in order to guarantee greater employment, entered into the merit of the management of his companies.
Raffaele died in 1942, a year before the destructive fury of the war left only piles of rubble where his native villa, the mill and the farmhouses once stood.
The shield of Captain Francesco Bernardo
The shield of Captain Francesco Bernardo disappeared in 1940 when, along with 23 other weapons, mostly of Turkish origin, it was loaned by the Museum of Bologna to be displayed at the Terre d’Oltremare Exhibit that was inaugurated in Naples on May 9th of the same year. However, the shield, as well as the other weapons, did not return home from Naples, due to (as was told) war reasons. In fact, when the war began, the exhibit was closed, and the objects temporarily on display were put away in storage where they were still kept in October 1943, at the time of the arrival of the Allied troops. What was the subsequent fate of the shield is something hard to determine (Massimo Medica, Incontri e arrivi, October 16th, 1996, Civic Museums of Ancient Art, City of Bologna).
Gualberto Ricci Curbastro, in the mid 1980’s, recognized the valuable object, of which he had seen only photographs from the 1940’s, in the catalog of an antique weapons dealer in Paris. Evelina, his daughter, sent by the antiquarian, pretending to be interested in purchasing it, did not see the piece that, from rumors told, seemed to have been sent to an English dealer. Gualberto reported the find to the Nucleo Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale (Cultural Heritage Protection Squad), but it was lost track of again in England, although Evelina learned from the English antiquarian that the shield may have crossed the Atlantic. It was Gualberto who found it in the U.S. in 1995, about to be moved from the private collection of Ronald Lauder (the famous cosmetics manufacturer) to the Metropolitan Museum of New York. This time, Gualberto had both the Carabinieri (ed. Corps of the Italian Armed Forces), as well as the then Minister of Cultural Heritage, Antonio Paoulucci, become involved. Through the Interministerial Commission for Works of Art, which dealt with art missing at the time of the Second World War, he requested that the piece, which was illegally brought out of the country, be returned. The request was accepted by Lauder and, through the Consul General of New York, the shield was able to return to Bologna in October 1996.
The oval plate (72cm x 60cm) was originally part of a “shot gun crew” belonging, as demonstrated by the coat of arms, to the Venetian, Francesco Bernardo, Captain of Bergamo between 1552 and 1553. It is likely that it was this city to donate the collection to the captain, as a sign of gratitude for services rendered by him, also in relation to his intervention in 1553 in a delicate matter involving taxes due by the County of Bergamo to Venice. The shield, a very fine example of Lombard workmanship from the sixteenth century … on it stand out curlings that support bunches of fruit and trophies, forming four mandola shapes with just as many herms and four lobed panels with figures of the cardinal virtues. In the center was an oval with cornets and with the arms of the Bernardo family, surrounded by the writing, POPULUS UNIVERSUS AGRI BERGOMENSIS (Lionello Giorgio Boccia 1991).
This is a type of decoration that is very similar to one on a helmet today preserved in the Wallace Collection in London, which certainly was similar to the shield in Bologna, as confirmed by the presence of the same coat of arms of the Bernardo family, topped on the helmet by the Lion of St. Mark. The shield and the helmet must have, however, been separated from each other in ancient times since, already in the middle of the last century (ed. 1800), it was found in Paris where it was purchased for £.3,500 by Sir Richard Wallace. (Massimo Medica, 1996).