History
For five generations the Guerrieri Gonzaga Marquises have maintained the garden, olive grove, kitchen garden and vineyards of the San Leonardo Estate with the same loving care, respecting the land and the conservation of a family heirloom of mediaeval origin. A liitle help comes from the surrounding environment: the Trento mountains as protection from the north-east, the Ora wind from Lake Garda to mitigate the climate, the estate's woodland, extending over 300 hectares up to the altitude of 1450 m, for the salubrity of the air.
The villa was built in 1877, surrounded by a garden with great trees including a monumental beech and lime and beds of roses. The owner has redesigned the garden with the assistance of the landscape architect Paolo Pejrone, who has opened up panoramic viewpoints and planted old rose varieties and ‘Mutabilis' roses. Waves of pure white ‘Iceberg' roses from Casa Agnelli at Villar Perosa fade into the first rows of vines. Centuries-old chestnuts edge the wood, which is protected as a wildlife oasis. Legend has it that Theodolinda married Autari, the Lombard king, under one of these chestnuts.
The conservation of biodiversity (which has warranted the property the certifi cation “BWA Friends of Biodoversity”) continues in the family's kitchen garden which belonged to the monks of the original community adjoining the church on the estate. Vegetables, herbs and fl owers for the house are cultivated here; with fl ower meadows specifi cally for bees which produce honey for the family business.
The estate has had an organic certifi cate for years, expressing the genius loci in the recognised elegance of its wines and the quality of its oil from a recently planted olive grove. The visit and wine tasting provide moments to share the methods of working in contact with the land and to revel in its products.
