The first testimonies about Meleto date back to the 11th century, when the castle belonged to the Benedictine monks of the Badia a Coltibuono.
The name "Meleto in Chianti" is mentioned for the first time in 1256 in the Book of Esteems of the Florentine Guelphs, as the property of a local feudal family. Thanks to its position, near the border between the territories of the Republics of Florence and Siena, the castle first became the main Florentine bulwark of the area and later one of the main fortifications in the Terziere di Gaiole of the Lega del Chianti. This made the castle a coveted prey between the two contenders, even if it never suffered serious destruction.
The Castle of Meleto Today
Among the many stories that the walls of Meleto have witnessed, the most curious and significant is undoubtedly the establishment of the company Viticola Toscana, founded in the late '60s with the aim of enhancing the wine vocation of the area. In fact, since 1966 Italian agriculture has experienced a period of great ferment with the entry into force of the "Green Plan" and the fall of customs barriers in the Common Market, events that in two years brought back to the land more than one hundred thousand workers.
From these premises, in May 1968, Gianni Mazzocchi, founder of Editoriale Domus, had the idea to launch through the pages of QuattroSoldi magazine a subscription called "Operation Vineyards". An initiative that today would be defined crowdfunding and so avant-garde that at the time it was also taken up by the international press. The aim was to collect 150 million Lire through the subscription of shares worth 10,000 Lire each. Each adhesion had to be of "at least a minimum of 100 shares", corresponding to 100 shares, for a minimum value of 1 million Lire.
Right from the start, the Vineyards Operation aroused interest and approval, so much so that in just two months more than half a billion Lire was collected. Thus, Viticola Toscana was established and acquired the Castle of Meleto, still today the company's headquarters, and about 1,400 hectares of surrounding land. Faithful to the commitment made with the underwriters, Viticola Toscana dedicated itself to the restoration of the property, which was in a state of abandonment and underdevelopment. With the agronomic revival also began the historical and architectural recovery of the area thanks to the interventions on the farmhouses, on the parish church with the adjoining convent of Santa Maria a Spaltenna and on the Castle.
Today the company Viticola Toscana, with its 1,600 shareholders-founders, still owns the entire area and represents a business model as efficient as it is unique.
