10/11/2026
In the hills of Lazio, we visited Casale della Ioria in Anagni — home of the Perinelli family and their 38 hectares of native vines. Cesanese del Piglio is Lazio’s only red DOCG, grown here alongside Passerina and Olivella (plus smaller parcels of other reds and whites).
We walked the rows, stood among the olive trees, and met their three horses. The last unpicked Olivella bunches were still on the vine — ready for the next day’s harvest — and we tasted them straight from the vines.
Then we joined the Perinellis at their home, the historic Castello di Acuto (built around the year 1000), perched on the Ernici ridge more than 700 meters above sea level in the heart of the borgo. We toasted with Cesanese Spumante and shared a home-cooked lunch paired with the new vintages, a 2004 Torre del Piano, and the 2011 Lazio Cesanese Passito.
A quiet, generous afternoon among the vines, the horses, and the people who keep Lazio’s native grapes alive. Our hearts are warm with gratitude!
**e ViniLazio NativeGrapes ItalianW**e W**eTravel Olivella Passerina CastelloDiAcuto