Terroir
On the marvelous black hills of the Corleone area, in Contrada Pietralunga, in the territory of Monreale, located 59 km away from Palermo, we grow the red grapes for our ruby-red wine, while on the hills in the area of the archeological site on Mount Jato, at about 30 km away from Palermo, and more precisely in Contrada Don Tommaso, with its rich and fertile soils, we grow our white grapes.
Both varieties are vinified in San Cipirello at the Don Tomasi winery, a dynamic firm whose mission is quality.
LOCATIONS AND THEIR HISTORY:
San Cipirello and San Giuseppe Jato are two towns bound together both physically and historically. The origins of San Cipirello date back to the 19th century when a large part of the town of San Giuseppe Jato was destroyed by a catastrophic landslide from Mount Jato. Located at an altitude of 850 meters at the crossroads between the large roads joining the major cities of western Sicily, the town on Mount Jato towered over most of western Sicily, from the Gulf of Castellammare to the Belice and Jato valleys. Thanks to its unique conformation, it was a stronghold that could be easily defended.
In 1150 the Arab geographer al-Idrisi wrote, "Jato, tall and unbelievably strong, has a territory in which the fertility of the sowable soil and the vastness of its boundaries reach their climax."
In 1190 the town became the symbol and stronghold of the uprising of the Arabs in the Mazara Valley who fought Frederick II. In 1223 the town was conquered by the emperor at the head of an army of sixty thousand men after a siege that lasted eight months. It marked the beginning of the mass deportations to Lucera di Puglia. In 1246 Jato, which had been repopulated in the meantime, was razed to the ground by the troops under Richard of Caserta.
The archeological ruins and excavations of the ancient town can be reached by following the signs and taking a path that climbs up the mountain from the provincial road. The excavations have brought some major monuments back to the light. These include the theater that could hold up to 4,500 people, the agora, which originally had three elegant porticoes on three sides, a temple dedicated to Aphrodite, the BOULEUTERION and some homes with peristyle dating to the Hellenistic period. San Cipirello's small antiquarium hosts artifacts found during the excavations, which include two atlantes and two caryatids found among the theater's ruins, ceramics from various periods (from prehistory to the Middle Ages) and various fragments of architectural material from public buildings.
It is believed that the name of San Cipirello refers to an ancient land owner called Sancio Pirrello.
CORLEONE: Corleone's origins are very ancient and reach far back to the early Neolithic Age, about 6,000 years BC. Corleone is known as "Animosa Civitas" because it was always at the front line in all the wars fought in Sicily.
Located halfway along the old Palermo-Agrigento road, it overlooked one of the island's main strategic axes. Corleone stands in a hollow and is surrounded by a crown of peaks of glauconitic calcarenites forming a unique geological feature that takes its name from the town (Corleone Formation).
The "twin rocks" afford a breathtaking scenario that arouses great curiosity and interest. One is located to the east of the town and is the site of Castello Soprano - Soprano Castle - with the ruins of an ancient Arab watchtower. The other stands at the center of the town and consists in a block of limestone that broke off from the mountain. The medieval castle, now the Franciscan hermitage, was built on it. At the feet of Castello Soprano you can admire a unique show of nature at "Cascata delle Due Rocche" - waterfall of the two rocks - where the San Leonardo stream, the left tributary of the Belice River, leaps into a breathtaking natural lake surrounded by the ruins of an ancient aqueduct probably built by the Arabs.
The stream, with its waterfall, flows through a gorge forming a canyon that visitors can walk through in the summer.
Corleone's origins are rather unclear and up to a short time ago they were believed to date back to the Arabs who occupied the area between Caltabellotta and the Platani Valley in 840.
Archeological excavations on Montagna Vecchia - old mountain - by Angelo Vintaloro starting in the early 1990's have proven that the settlement's roots are much more ancient. Historical sources speak of a polis called "Schera", while some recent findings date back to prehistorical times.
It is certain that both the Byzantines and Arabs settled here (there is documentary evidence of a mosque). Around 1072 the town was occupied by the Normans and in 1104 it was conquered by the Arabs who were then defeated by Frederick II. The town has a museum - Museo Civico Comprensoriale "Pippo Rizzo" - displaying the first archeological exhibition. It is hosted at Palazzo Provenzano, an 18th-century aristocratic residence in the old town center of Corleone. It was bought by the Municipality to use it as a museum.
The most interesting findings include the milestone, the museum's most important piece. It bears the most ancient Latin inscription known and it dates back to 252 BC, the year when Gaius Aurelius Cotta was the Roman Consul in Sicily for the first time. Then there are the remains of a floor mosaic dating to the Roman Imperial Period (1st century AD), a prehistoric pail (1400-1250 BC), votive statues and other findings on Montagna Vecchia, which can boast one of the largest archeological sites in Sicily. Excavations have been going on for some years now at the site. It has many edifices among which the inner and outer walls, various public buildings, the ruins of the medieval castle, and monumental tombs. The magnificence of the site is truly breathtaking. Corleone boasts a rich artistic and ecclesial heritage. This is why it is known as the town of the hundred churches. Of this huge heritage suffice it here to mention the Capuchin Convent, now incorporated in the Municipal Park, the Monastery of the Santissimo Salvatore - Holy Savior - that was built with the church in the 13th century, the Church of Sant'Agostino - St. Augustine - dating to 1300 and the Church of San Domenico - St. Dominick - built in 1547. As you walk through the medieval town center, you can appreciate the murals affording glimpses of folk history and local traditions.
