In 1502 Leonardo da Vinci spent six months of his life in Romagna, at the court of Cesare Borgia, known as “Il Valentino”.
Cesare Borgia had recently conquered the Duchy of Romagna, with the support of Pope Alexander VI and the King of France Louis XII. Leonardo da Vinci was already known in Milan, and it was Cesare Borgia, the Duke of Valentino, who turned to him to check the state of the fortifications in the newly conquered duchy and to propose any structural improvements where necessary.
Leonardo da Vinci thus embarked on his journey in Romagna, among fortresses, ports, squares and architecture, visiting cities such as Cesena, Cesenatico, Rimini, Faenza and Imola. Admiring those places, Leonardo kept track of them in a series of sketches and notes in his notebooks (such as the original “Codice L” preserved in the original at the Institut de France in Paris and reproduced at the Museo della Marineria in Cesenatico).
Following this journey, Cantine Leonardo da Vinci recalls this feat, and the strong bond between Leonardo and wine with the 1502 Da Vinci in Romagna collection: a dedicated line of wines from the best vineyards in Romagna produced following the indications of the Metodo Leonardo®: the wine production protocol under the Cantine Leonardo da Vinci brand, which draws its inspiration from Leonardo’s studies in the oenological field.
A special tour in five cities, which touches places rich in beauty: the ones that Leonardo captures in the drawings made at each stage of his journey and shown on the wine labels of this collection.
Rocca di Cesena: from fortress to wine
Leonardo da Vinci’s stop in Cesena took the artist to visit one of Cesare Borgia’s most loved cities. Arriving in what is now Piazza del Popolo, Leonardo made sketches of the walls and of the main fortification that overlooks the square: the Rocca Malatestiana fortress. Leonardo integrated ingenious defensive solutions into the sketches of this fortress and its massive surrounding walls, continuing the task assigned to him by the Valentino of overhauling the fortified structures of the duchy. The wine inspired by this stage of Leonardo’s journey is, in fact, the “Rocca di Cesena” and shows on the label the sketch of the Malatesta Fortress and the walls he designed.
Rocca di Cesena: wine tasting notes
Rocca di Cesena is a red wine from Romagna obtained from Sangiovese, the most common red berried grape in Romagna, with a small percentage of Syrah. This wine portrays much of its origin and the territory in which it is produced, Romagna, describing both the glorious wine tradition of the Adriatic hillside and the conviviality and hospitality of a rich and charming land. Tasting a glass of Rocca di Cesena Sangiovese Superiore Riserva means admiring the excellence of nature and the wisdom of Romagna winemakers, through the eyes of the Genius Leonardo and with the palate of a great artist of wine.
