Siena capital of urban vineyards – Chronicle
Siena and New York have one thing in common: urban vineyards. Those that hide in the most remote corners of our city, among convent gardens and private spaces, and those that thrive on the terrace of a Brooklyn skyscraper in New York. The historic vineyards kept within the ancient walls of Siena are a heritage to be protected, a biodiversity to be saved; those of the Big Apple represent the possible “green” future of a large metropolis. Both cities are part of the Urban Vineyards Association network (evocative acronym… UVA) which has chosen Siena for its assembly to be held on Saturday 16th …
Siena and New York have one thing in common: urban vineyards. Those that hide in the most remote corners of our city, among convent gardens and private spaces, and those that thrive on the terrace of a Brooklyn skyscraper in New York. The historic vineyards kept within the ancient walls of Siena are a heritage to be protected, a biodiversity to be saved; those of the Big Apple represent the possible “green” future of a large metropolis.
Both cities are part of the Urban Vineyards Association network (evocative acronym … UVA) which has chosen Siena for its assembly to be held on Saturday 16 October in the Sala delle Lupe of Palazzo Pubblico (thanks to the collaboration of the Municipality of Siena) during the which will announce the entry of two new partners: Rooftop Reds from the Big Apple and the wine districts of San Gregorio di Catania. An internet connection with Tokyo will serve to describe a project similar to that of New York under construction in the Japanese capital.
UVA was born from an idea of Luca Balbiano (who is president) whose company has in custody the vineyard of Villa della Regina in Turin, a royal residence from where you can admire an extraordinary historical panorama of the Piedmontese city; was inspired by the Città del Vino Association and its “Senarum Vinea” project which allowed the rediscovery of vines within the historic center of the city of botanical heritage of great value, to be protected as a work of art or a monument .
The urban vineyards are a historical and landscape heritage that UVA wants to enhance from a cultural and tourist point of view; thus Leonardo’s vineyard in Milan (the one that Ludovico il Moro donated to the genius of Vinci for his work), San Francesco della Vigna and Laguna nel Bicchiere in Venice, the Vineyard of the Botanical Garden of Palermo, the Vineyard of Villa della Regina in Turin, but also Clos de Montmarte in Paris, Clos de Canuts in Lyon, the Vineyard of the Popes in Avignon, a city twinned with Siena in the name of Santa Caterina. Guests will reach Siena.
Mario Ascheri and Maurizio Tuliani will speak at the meeting on Saturday for some hints of the history of wine in Siena and to underline the importance of the identity of the viticultural landscape, whose references are well understood in the fresco on the effects of Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s Good Government .
The protagonist of the day was also the Castel di Pugna company of Count Luigi Fumi, who will tell us how long we will have to wait to have the first wine of Siena, the natural outlet of the “Senarum Vinea” project started in 2008 and created with the contribution of researchers and experts from the University of Siena and from private technical studies.
In the vineyard of the company live some of the selected vines from whose grapes wines have been produced that will be tasted in Castel di Pugna where the works will move in the afternoon, during which the foundations will be laid for the future planning of the association. With this initiative, Siena connects even more with the world, a model of urban landscape that has continued to fascinate for centuries.
Paolo Corbini
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