Ilaria’s story
“… All of this wonderful personal growth brought me to a seminal moment in 2007, the year my first son, Riccardo, was born. The birth of Riccardo, and two years later my second son Nicolo, revolutionized my professional life. From then on, I dedicated myself completely to PODERE LA VILLA … “
By Ilaria Tachis
“When my parents moved to Tuscany in the Sixties, San Casciano was a small rural town in the Chianti area, very provincial and still quite undeveloped compared to today. My mother came from Turin, a large industrial city in the north, and at the beginning she felt disoriented and far from the modern world.
The countryside, she said, was truly “countryside” in the most basic, rural sense of the word. There was nothing much available and the shops were often poorly supplied. Shop owners rarely respected their listed hours of business. My mother often found signs on shop doors with the words “CLOSED TODAY, WE ARE PICKING THE OLIVES”, or “BACK LATER” with no indication if “later” was referring to that day, that week or even the following month”.
It was certainly not the Chianti-shire of today.
“It was an economically depressed area, the countryside was seen by many as a difficult place; houses were cold, the bathrooms were often outside and, if there was a fireplace, the hearths did not always draw well and a strong smell of smoke pervaded the kitchens. The women worked in the fields and at the same time looked after the home and the children. The sharecropping system was coming to an end as very few people remained who were willing to work the land under the old restrictions”.
“After his death, among my father’s papers, I found some notes that referred to the employees of the Cantina Antinori, around the 1970s, when the company had to hire new staff. I was profoundly struck by the fact that my father wrote down the background of the people. For example, “Franco Fusi, 25, son of sharecroppers and a sharecropper himself until two years ago. Closeknit family, good people, always worked in the fields, sharecroppers in San Pancrazio, etc. … they still have a bit of vineyard.” And so on.
Among those names there were several people still living, who had eventually turned out to be the best workers and collaborators with my father over the years. He believed that those who are raised working the land are almost always vigorous and strong both physically and psychologically. In wine making, and just generally working in the wine sector, he found that people with agricultural backgrounds have much more passion and sensitivity. He greatly admired the traditional Tuscan country people and the families of former sharecroppers for their fortitude and spirit”.
After a while living in the region, my mother relished Tuscan life. She was captivated by the charm of ancient traditions, food, the history of noble families and by the art found in every corner of our precious territory. She became a convert to Tuscany, developing a deep love for the region which remained throughout her life. In fact, when we went on vacation to the north, she said that the Piedmontese and the Lombardians were barbarians compared to the Tuscans in terms of lifestyle.
I was born into this Tuscan lifestyle, I grew up in this extraordinary environment and the spirit of Tuscany and its history are part of me. It is here in Tuscany where I have my deepest roots and where I have chosen to cultivate my life.
I studied foreign languages, literature and art in Florence and the United States, so I could share the culture of my territory with the rest of the world. For about ten years after my graduation, I dedicated myself to wine tourism. I traveled around Tuscany with international visitors to show them the beauty of hundreds of years of agricultural tradition, wine culture and gastronomic history, highlighting our noble and ancient heritage which achieved its maximum splendor during the Renaissance. Along the way I had fascinating encounters with many independent agricultural endeavors and some very special companies, all of which inspired me to dedicate part of my time as a consultant.
I organized tourist receptions and supported the development of commercial relations with foreign importers. This work allowed me to expand my horizons in the world of international wine and led me back to my roots in the Tuscan wine sector.
All of this wonderful personal growth brought me to a seminal moment in 2007, the year my first son, Riccardo, was born. The birth of Riccardo, and two years later my second son Nicolo, revolutionized my professional life. From then on, I dedicated myself completely to PODERE LA VILLA and to the production of our Chianti Classico “Pargolo”.
In 2013, thanks to the commitment of my husband Raffaele and his great love for the Tuscan land, a passion that is certainly equal to or perhaps even greater than my own, we decided to expand our estate and buy another 6 hectares of vineyard, transforming the countryside around PODERE LA VILLA into our main business.
Now, I am proud to have added “Giacomo,” a wine dedicated to my father and the legacy I will pass to my own sons in the future.