Decanter
Gabriella Strano is the landscape architect for Parco Archeologico del Colosseo (‘Parco’), which houses Vigna Barberini. ‘The story of Rome begins with the Palatine Hill,’ she proclaims as she walks towards Vigna Barberini’s three rows of vines incongruously set among ancient ruins. She gestures to the broader expanse of property overlooking the Roman Forum, once home to emperors. ‘Augustus built his palace here, on the site of the Lupercal.’ The Lupercal is where Romulus – the mythological founder and first king of Rome – and his brother, Remus, were nurtured as infants by a she-wolf. Ancient maps and records attest to the continuous presence of grapevines on the Palatine. ‘From the time of the Empire to when the emperors fell, from Medieval times to the Renaissance, the vines were always here.’ Driving home the sanctity and historical weight of the place, Strano adds, ‘This place is considered sacred.’