Sagrantino within the walls … an itinerary of discovery

The oldest part of the city, the quarter of Porta Camiano, offers a fascinating itinerary for the discovery of historic grape vines. Within the pink stone walls, along the narrow lanes descending from the Piazza del Comune, outstretched to catch the light of the valley, Sagrantino vines remain to mark, through the continuity of practices and traditions, the suture between the ages and tell of the historic presence of cultivated vines enclosed by high garden walls. This is proud evidence of Montefalco's uninterrupted, constant love and time-honoured passion for this grape variety, its symbol and fortune. The itinerary naturally begins in the garden of the Convent of Santa Chiara, where one finds the oldest exemplar of this vine, then continuing on to Largo della Castellina, Via dei Vasari, Largo Campo Vaccino until Porta Camiano, where one can admire the short rows of vines that spread their centuries-old branches along the façades of private buildings. This original "urban itinerary" will introduce you to the unique genetic patrimony of this cultivation: the plants, thanks to sophisticated molecular genetics technology, have been analysed and classified in order to study the Sagrantino genotype and return it to active cultivation. An important project, therefore, further reinforcing the tie between wine and the territory and positioning the Sagrantino grape to consolidate its reputation as a great, internationally-recognised grape variety.