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The History of Cafaggio Introduction | The Castle | The Estate Previous generations of the Benci family not only enriched the villa with decorative and architectural works of noted artistic value, but also improved the agricultural production of the Estate. In the middle of the nineteenth century Enrico Benci was already producing excellent wine, which won prizes more than once at the Esposizione Italiana di S.A.R. Eugenio di Savoia. In the 1920s Benci Chianti was being exported to the United States in large quantities by Ugo Benci, where it was much appreciated. This export of wine was interrupted by the sudden death of Ugo Benci in 1934 and the outbreak of war. Olive oil was produced in the Castle's ancient olive press from the early 1800s. Now a museum is housed there. Impruneta can boast an old tradition for olive oil, which has always been its main agricultural product, as well as for the large terracotta urns in which it is kept. It is an oil that is traditionally recognised for its high quality, characterised by notes of artichoke and fresh almonds and for its sharp spicy taste. It is typically made with olives from the cold-resistant tree variety called Leccino, also known as the Madonna dell'Impruneta. Legend has it that in 1499, during a procession of the miraculous Image of the Madonna, an olive bough got caught on the wooden tablet, and, once inside the walls of Florence, fell off. Florence was at that time at war with Pisa and this incident was considered to be a good sign and indicative of imminent victory. The olive tree from which the bough came is still alive and survived even the exceptional freeze of 1985. Ever since then it has been called the Madonna's Olive Tree from which the variety name Madonna dell'Impruneta is taken.	"The grape harvest" "The grain harvest" "Farmworkers' lunch"
Castello di Cafaggio - Via del Ferrone, 58 - 50023 Impruneta, Firenze - Tel.+39 055 2012085 - Fax.+39 055 2314633 - Email: info@cafaggio.com