Chianti Origo

“Chianti Origo”, where it all began: Gaiole in
Chianti inaugurates the new Cultural Hub

At the former Ricasoli Cellars, in the same building as the tourist information office and “Casa Eroica”, new spaces have been set up to tell the diverse stories of the territory: the “Museum of the Origins of Chianti”, “Lands of Gaiole”, the “Olmastroni Gallery”, and the “Luciano Berruti Bike Workshop”.

“Chianti Origo” is born, a Cultural Hub located in the spaces of the former Ricasoli Cellars, capable of narrating the various facets of Gaiole in Chianti through the new “Museum of the Origins of Chianti”, the area dedicated to “Lands of Gaiole”, the “Olmastroni Gallery”, “Casa Eroica”, and the “Luciano Berruti Bike Workshop”. Gaiole, the heart of Chianti, reveals itself to the public as the promoter of a bold project that starts from the enological tradition and develops an original proposal to experience a complete and contemporary journey.

“Identity is an extraordinary glue for the community, bringing together energies and ideas and finding its roots in the history that we analyze and tell. Those who want to discover the origins of Gaiole can only start by visiting these spaces,” explains Michele Pescini, mayor of Gaiole in Chianti. He highlights the initial idea that prompted the municipal administration to create such an ambitious and complex cultural operation, designed for both citizens and tourists, made possible through prestigious collaborations. “What we wanted to achieve at the former Ricasoli Cellars, which also houses the tourist information office, is a true cultural and tourism hub, a privileged gateway to the various facets of the territory, from which to begin the journey to discover Gaiole in Chianti. The name ‘Chianti Origo’ emphasizes the place of origin of Chianti but also refers to the word originality, which shares the same root. Gaiole is indeed a land capable of generating original projects, unique in their kind, like the Chianti Formula of Baron Bettino Ricasoli in 1872 or L’Eroica, which has allowed us to export a new concept of tourism, sport, and lifestyle worldwide.”

“The story of the territory starts with the ‘Museum of the Origins of Chianti’, which bears witness to our roots,” adds the mayor. “It continues through ‘Lands of Gaiole’, explaining the evolution of this land’s winegrowing vocation up to the present day, and then with the visit to the Olmastroni Gallery, which instead testifies to Gaiole’s sentiment towards a great artist, human relationships that remain an important value for our people. Finally, it concludes with Casa Eroica and the Luciano Berruti Bike Workshop, our honorary citizen and symbol of Eroica, a mixture of passion, vision of the territory, and projection into the world of our small and proud community.”

“Chianti Origo” is the result of a collective effort: promoted by the Municipality of Gaiole in Chianti, the project was born in collaboration with L’Eroica, the Olmastroni and Berruti families, and the Terre di Gaiole association. The archaeological museum path was curated under the high supervision of the Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the provinces of Siena, Grosseto, and Arezzo. The Cultural Hub was designed, produced, and set up by Opera Laboratori, with the clear intent of narrating, from the first archaeological evidence, how this slice of land has evolved into a global enological brand, communicated through the art of its precious and honorary citizens, and exported the value of non-competitive sport related to the bicycle world and the social and communicative phenomenon of the territory it represents.

“Contributing to the birth of ‘Chianti Origo’ through our best energies,” says Giuseppe Costa, president of Opera Laboratori, “fully reflects the vision of the Group, which has always aimed to enhance the cultural heritage, supporting the institutions of the territories with our work.”

The “Museum of the Origins of Chianti” presents to the public a previously inaccessible heritage of information and archaeological materials, the result of 50 years of continuous research by Florida State University at Cetamura, as well as findings from recoveries and excavations from the last century, offered to the public thanks to the sensitivity and availability of private individuals and institutions, under the skillful coordination of the Superintendence. Consider, for example, the marbles of the Roman villa of Monti in Chianti, loaned by the Parish with the approval of the Diocese of Arezzo, Cortona Sansepolcro, or the Etruscan tomb furnishings recovered around San Giusto a Rentennano in the early decades of the twentieth century.

The setup, designed and implemented by Arch. Piero Castri of Opera Laboratori, faithfully translates the guidelines received from the Municipality of Gaiole in Chianti and reflects the most advanced museographic solutions through the use of interaction tools, with an empathetic approach towards all types of users, from children to the most demanding public. For inclusive and accessible communication, it employs various registers, from the traditional didactic panel to cartoons.

“At the end of a long journey of design and scientific planning, the ribbon is finally cut on a composite museum complex that represents different aspects of a territory as famous as Chianti, but in some ways still little known,” comments Marco Firmati, director of the “Museum of the Origins of Chianti“. “The commitment and collaboration of public bodies, companies, professionals, even newly trained ones, and many citizens have enabled the creation of this archaeological exhibition path that tells the ancient history of the hills overlooking the Massellone stream valley, broadly corresponding to the municipal territory of Gaiole, with contemporary language through material testimonies.”

“The creation of the new ‘Museum of the Origins of Chianti’,” declares superintendent Gabriele Nannetti, “has managed to implement a virtuous collaboration between public and private, making teamwork its added value, in what we hope will become a reference point for new research in the Gaiole territory. The synergistic activity of the Municipality and Superintendence will thus help to better understand the past written between these hills and transfer it to the public through various forms of storytelling and innovative communication choices.”

The exhibition project – adds archaeologist Maria Gabriella Carpentiero – achieves its completeness and coherence through a narrative that unfolds across various registers with a language accessible to all. It combines traditional tools with digital technologies and interaction with reproductions and reconstruction models, recognizing these as new essential forms of communication. The goal, therefore, is to make archaeology a tool to tell and engage different audiences, from children to tourists, enthusiasts to local residents, aiming to leverage the narrative potential of this discipline to its fullest. Our past can be an experience that involves everyone and has a real impact on the territory in terms of relationships, communication, and access to knowledge.

“Terre di Gaiole” is the hall of the Cultural Center, created by Opera Laboratori in collaboration with ETT, dedicated to the material and multimedia exhibition of the absolute protagonist: Chianti Classico produced in Gaiole. The expanses of vineyards that shape gentle hills amid ancient forests will be narrated through emotionally engaging and representative videos. The voices of Chianti, the hardworking hands, the rhythms of the cellars, and the scent of the seasons will guide visitors in discovering one of the most famous wines in the world.

“As the Gaiole Winegrowers Association,” says Manuele Verdelli, president of AVG, “we are proud to have participated in such an ambitious and important project. We, the wine producers, represent ‘Lands of Gaiole’ here and are pleased to contribute to the enhancement of a territory and community that we promote daily and worldwide through our Chianti.”

The exhibition path then includes a large area dedicated to the world of bicycles and cycling with “Casa Eroica“, offering a comprehensive look at a sporting and cultural phenomenon that has gained global fame and value over the years but does not forget its Gaiole origins and how a small community has been exported to the world, even through two wheels, and the maroon Eroica brand. Through exhibition, multimedia, and interactive spaces, visitors will be able to discover the birth, evolution, and formal establishment of a true network of events capable of engaging tens of thousands of enthusiasts worldwide. They will also move among the accessories, objects, and complements that make Eroica a unique brand in the sporting world. Through augmented reality viewers at “Casa Eroica”, it will be possible to experience the virtual cycling experience, discovering, at any time of the year, what thousands of cyclists experience on the white roads in Gaiole in Chianti on the first Sunday of October. The 2023 edition of L’Eroica provided Opera Laboratori with the opportunity to make exclusive virtual reality recordings, from start to finish. The participants of L’Eroica are the stars of the Virtual Reality experience for visitors, allowing everyone to experience “the beauty of the effort, the taste of the challenge.”

“Ciclofficina Luciano Berruti”

In a place that aims to relive its origins, the faithful reconstruction of the most intimate environment of Luciano Berruti, one of the symbols of Eroica, could not be missing: his bike workshop.

“The idea of carefully disassembling and reassembling the old workshop with its original furnishings,” says Jacek Berruti, “comes from my father Luciano Berruti’s desire to relive vanished emotions: to recreate an original early 20th-century work environment, with each tool and detail meticulously sought and placed, to make a true and profound leap into the past. A past made of passion, will, and great professionalism, of which the old workshop was the cradle and custodian, as well as an inexhaustible source of inspiration. By donating the workshop to the Municipality of Gaiole in Chianti at Casa Eroica, the Berruti family wants to ensure that more and more people have easy access to this wonderful corner of dreams, where enthusiasts and curious visitors can dive straight into the world of Eroica, the world of Luciano Berruti, to experience even more intensely the strongest emotions, in the town where it all began.”

“Galleria Olmastroni”

Adding value to “Chianti Origo” is also the artistic testimony of one of the most celebrated and well-known admirers of the City of Gaiole, Master Cesare Olmastroni. Thanks to collaboration with his son Duccio, the desire to create an exhibition space, the “Galleria Olmastroni”, was realized to honor the memory of his personality with annual exhibitions dedicated to landscape paintings and other works by the artist from Fonterutoli.

“Regarding the presentation of the Gallery dedicated to my father Cesare,” comments Duccio Olmastroni, “I would like to highlight the bond that began with Gaiole in Chianti in the late 1960s when, still very young, he was called to restore the Castle of Meleto. This is one of the reasons why, in the exhibition of paintings made in those years, significant places such as Meleto, Spaltenna, and San Sano are represented, where he participated as an exhibitor in the end-of-summer artistic and cultural event ‘Rana d’Oro’. During those years, he also solidified his relationship with what would later be his future wife, my mother, Fernanda Pianigiani, who lived there. This is why the painting ‘Pievi e Castelli’ he made on the wall of the Gaiole Municipal Palace reads ‘Gaiole gave me a wife, and I wish to honor her with this gift.’ Once again, I am moved in this grateful town, which has honored his memory on several occasions, and I want to thank in particular two dear friends: Stefano Di Bello, who has always been connected to my father and with whom he shared ‘artistic’ thoughts, and the mayor Michele Pescini, a long-time admirer of my father’s art.”

CHIANTI ORIGO – Gaiole in Chianti, via A. Casabianca 25

OPENING HOURS

From 24/03/2024 to 03/11/2024

Every day from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM

TICKETS

Full €10.00

Reduced for groups of more than 15 people €8.00

Reduced for schools €5.00

Free for residents of the Municipality of Gaiole in Chianti.

Information and bookings

0577 286300 – booking@operalaboratori.com