Calabria
at your home,
com'è sempre stata

Because we are deeply attached to our territory, we want to tell you a little about the history of the village. Probably first called Balbia, a name dating back to the Roman era, and later Brahalla or Bragalla, in the first half of the 14th century it was called “Altofiume”, at the will of Filippo Sangineto, lord of the county. Shortly after, Queen Giovanna I gave it its current name, which clearly alludes to the position of the place: note the composition of the toponym, in which the adjective precedes the noun, following Norman-type formations. A fief of the noble Guasto family, in the second half of the 13th century it belonged to Gerardo d’Arena and to Erberto d’Orleans. They were succeeded by Guglielmo Pallotta and the Sangineto, from whom it passed, towards the end of the 14th century, to the Sanseverino of Bisignano, by female succession. Among the historic-architectural heritage: the 14th-century church of Santa Maria della Consolazione (where we draw inspiration for our brand), with evident signs of later restoration phases, containing, among other things, the mausoleum of the Sanguineto; the churches of San Giacomo and San Ferdinando; the former Dominican convent; the medieval castle, of Norman origin, with traces of frescoes from the 14th–15th century, and the Torre dei Pallotta, a massive quadrilateral construction from the 14th century. Altomonte sits on a promontory at around 455 m above sea level. Its fertile territory is partly in the plains, watered by the rivers Esaro, Grondi and Fiumicello and partly in the hills with broad panoramic views. The area of Altomonte covers around 65.29 km² of which most is suitable for crops such as wheat, barley, legumes and vegetables, citrus fruits and orchards. There are abundant olive groves and native vineyards producing the Balbini wines, so praised by Pliny the Elder. Our village still counts many skilled craftspeople proud of their territory, many of them present on our website.

 

We would like to thank you for taking the time to get to know our project!

 

A warm embrace, Luigi and Pasquale.