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Viticulture in Rimini:
an old tradition
by Oreste Delucca
In the Rimini area, the wine and vine have a millenary tradition. The presence of native vineyards is proven by some vine-shoots and fruit dating back to the Palaeolithic Age and found in the Conca valley. The first clear evidence of viticulture dates back to VII century BC and is based on the finds of the Villanovian tombs in Verucchio.
Following "Ariminum" foundation by the Romans in 256 BC and the breaking up of the surrounding ground, viticulture and wine production started playing a major role for the economy. We have figurative evidence of those times together with the reports written by the Latin historians singing the praises of the fruitful local vineyards thanks to which the wine was largely exported to the Urbe for a long time.
Rimini - Ornamental relief in the Augusto arch 27 BC - Photograph: Museum of Rimini.
The Roman Empire crisis did not put an end to this trade and this is proven by a memorial stone of 251 AD found in Rome and indicating the Rimini wine sellers still working in the capital.
Since then, viticulture in the Rimini area has been documented with some interruptions. Etruscans introduced the light pruning and the trees used as support, methods that were adopted also by the Gallic people who settled in that area in a following period. As a matter of fact the Romans - who came in the III century BC - named "arbustum gallicum" this method of growing the vines supported by trees.
Even though the Empire fall impoverished the trade and reduced the productive activities in all the regions, in the Rimini area agriculture production continued playing an important role also thanks to the growing importance of Ravenna at those times.
Written documentation related to the period between the V and X century provides us with a lot of information about the vine in the Rimini area as well as the share-tenancy contracts, viticulture techniques and equipment.
After the year one thousand, historical evidence is greater thanks to both the trade and production development and richer historical sources. In the countryside, the division of land into farms became more and more frequent and cultivation was spreading.
Vineyards as well were on the increase and the wine production is such to both meet internal consumption and exportation to the Venetian market.
With the regulations about the life in the towns and countryside, Rimini Medieval statutes give us a great number of details on viticulture, wine making process, wine storing, transportation, trade and consumption, pointing out its major role in the economy and in normal life. From a technical point of view, even within a globally behind agricultural community, viticulture seemed to be the most developed field, where the greater investments were made. The different cultural and development stages result from various experiences made by different people who settled in this area thus influencing the ways of life.
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To this regard, we can say that the Etruscans first invented growing the vine supported by trees; the use of wooden banded containers is a gallic traditions; the square containers used at those times for the wine-making process is a Roman invention and the pressing system based on the dual concept beam-vine comes from the Greek influence.
Based on this medieval tradition, in the modern age we had those innovations and improvements, which led to today's situation. The whole process has been slow but very fruitful and marked by important steps: a growing attention paid to soil cultivation, vine choice, planting, manuring and to pruning; more and more attention devoted to grape harvest, pressing, fermentation and product storing. Old knowledge and methods were improved by professional training, competition, by going beyond the individual needs and the establishment of cooperatives.
Today if we lift up a glass of wine we can read on it the experiences and efforts of a lot of people, who have pressed the grapes to obtain the juice of the Rimini ground, generation after generation.
Rimini people, Vine
and the Sea
by Stefano Romani
A major and distinguishing factor of the Rimini territory, the Sea, has always influenced its culture, social aspect and the Adriatic society.
In the past, Rimini was a meeting and trading point for goods and wine. This is where the nature of the Rimini people comes from: they are deeply fond of their tradition, but also very friendly and open to the world. They love the sea, they only think of it during summer to leave it to tourists, but take the best out of it in autumn and winter, like Federico Fellini's characters in his drawings and the movie "I Vitelloni".
The bond between the vine and the Sea is very old, starting when Vitis Vinifera, coming from the Mediterranean Sea basin began conquering the Old Continent and the World, becoming a cosmopolitan plant.
It was first carried by the Greek and Phoenicians' boats and later on brought by the Etruscans and the Romans share-farmers. Subsequently from the Old Continent, always through the sea, it was carried to the Americas, South Africa and Australia by conquerors and settlers. Also the noble vine loves the Sea as well as the salty scent; when it settled down as a native plant it chose as its original home the dominating hills over an open sea horizon.
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