The agricultural estate of the Cortona Cathedral Chapter is located in the municipality of Cortona (AR), hamlet of Farneta, and is managed byAzienda Agricola Piconi Alessandro in Cascia (PG). It covers about 130 hectares around the ancient Farneta Abbey. It is active in the agricultural production of olives, vines and arable crops.
The real flagship of the company is the production of Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
The olive grove dates back to the 10th century and was started by the black Benedictine monks who founded the Farneta Abbey.
Today, the olives obtained from the natural management of our olive groves located on the hills of the Farneta Abbey are harvested at the right degree of ripeness and pressed, within a short time, in the company mill to obtain an excellent quality product that enhances the flavours and fragrances of the oil of our land. Our production of organic extra virgin olive oil comes from FRANTOIO, LECCINO, MORAIOLO and PENDOLINO cultivars.
On the estate you will also find the excellent Cortona Vin Santo DOC, made from the Trebbiano, Grechetto and Sangiovese grapes produced in the estate vineyard, heir to the vineyards planted by the Benedictine monks.
From the vineyard we obtain the grapes that, dried and processed according to the traditions of the monks, give us Cortona Vinsanto DOC. The bunches of grapes are picked by hand and hung in special rooms for an optimal drying period. Their subsequent processing takes place in full respect of the ancient tradition of the Abbey in order to obtain a high quality product.