Among the many Umbrian records, there is one of global significance that perhaps not everyone knows: on 11 April 1472, the editio princeps of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy was printed in Foligno, an ancient city in the province of Perugia.
In 1472, Foligno was a town where paper was produced and this production endured until the earthquake of 1997. The meeting between Giovanni Numeister prototype printer from Mainz, a pupil of Gutenberg, with the Foligno mintmaster Emiliano Orfini and Evangelista Angelini from Trevi gave the world the printing of the first book in history.
To celebrate Dante, innovator of the language and icon of Italian culture, whose 700th anniversary of his death falls this year, the Arnaldo Caprai winery presents a limited edition Montefalco Sagrantino d'artista, to highlight the art of the territory. The label is the work of Canadian artist Rick Rojnic, a reinterpretation of the portrait of Dante visible in the Montefalco Museum, part of the fresco cycle "Stories from the Life of Saint Francis" painted by Benozzo Gozzoli in 1452. Dante belonged to the Secular Franciscan Order and, in depicting him, Benozzo Gozzoli emphasises the Franciscan Rule as an element of the civilisation of his time. Franciscan spirituality is thus assumed as a value that can be grasped by many audiences.
The Divine Comedy, a mirror of the Italy of yesterday and today, is also celebrated by this bottle through the verses 'And so we went out to see the stars again' (Inferno XXXIV, 139) printed on the tissue: an auspicious message pointing the way to a future at last of freedom, prosperity and serenity.
The initiative is part of the #CAPRAI4LOVE project, which since 2013 has expressed the Arnaldo Caprai winery's vision and commitment to culture as a key element of sustainability. Previous editions of #CAPRAI4LOVE have financed the purchase of Benozzo Gozzoli's autograph letter and the restoration of Benozzo Gozzoli's frescoed portraits of Dante, Petrarch and Giotto, both of which can be seen at the Montefalco Museum.
With the purchase of the special edition of Montefalco Sagrantino 2015 (40 euros for the bottle and 80 euros for the magnum size) dedicated to the 700th Anniversary of Dante's death, which will be available from the first week of May 2021, you will be able to contribute to financing works for the enhancement of Montefalco's artistic and cultural heritage.
ARNALDO CAPRAI FARM AT A GLANCE
Few other wineries in Italy and around the world are immediately identified just by mentioning the name of the denomination to which they belong, like Arnaldo Caprai, itself a symbol of Sagrantino di Montefalco. A unique reality, synonymous with Italian excellence, capable of creating wines that are out of the ordinary in terms of depth, elegance and longevity: not only reds, but also whites. The credit for this adventure that began in the late 1970s goes to Marco Caprai, Arnaldo's son. It was he, in fact, more than anyone else who believed in the richness of Sagrantino, reinterpreting it in a modern key, through the most innovative production and business management methods, which have enabled him to win the favour of the public and critics all over the world. Not to be outdone by the whites: Arnaldo Caprai's Grecante, 100% Grechetto, managed to conquer Wine Spectator's Top100.
A great company, Arnaldo Caprai, that guards a green soul, considering issues concerning sustainability, protection and safeguarding the environment as fundamental. The point of observation always remains the same: trying to behave in harmony with natural evolution cycles, preserving and enhancing the territory in which it operates. This is why the company decided to create an Environmental Management System that complies with international regulations, developing a voluntary territorial protocol of environmental, economic and social sustainability of the production process.
It is in this unparalleled context that wines of unforgettable substance are born, complex and elegant, capable of narrating the best of an entire region, Umbria.
