In 1993, Ferruccio Ferragamo purchased the Il Borro estate in the Valdarno countryside. Now, in 2023, the paterfamilias is celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of his family’s ownership of the successful hotel, restaurant and winery with a renewed layout of the on-site Wine and Art Gallery, titled 1993-2023 Il Borro – An Enduring Act of Faith.
The new exhibition begins with a herbalist-style welcome as multihued dried flowers and ears of wheat greet visitors to the purpose-built space, perfuming the air while watching an introductory video about Il Borro. The opening panel explains how the Ferragamo family acquired the estate before telling the story of Salvatore Ferragamo’s beginnings as “shoemaker to the stars” in Florence. Next up is a potted history of Il Borro and its proprietors down the centuries, from Arezzo ruler Borro Borri in the 1600s to Duke Amedeo of Savoy in the twentieth century. Short explanations about the property’s Relais & Châteaux hospitality and the restaurants are ensued by an overview of the estate’s wine, olive oil and honey making, interspersed with dated etchings and prints. Half of the exhibition space is rightly dominated by Ferruccio Ferragamo’s mostly wine-centric collection of old etchings, especially the side-by-side captivating duo of Marc Chagall’s Still Life au Bouquet (1960) and Andy Warhol’s After the Party (1979). Equally mesmerizing are Pablo Picasso’s Homage to Bacchus and Mantegna’s Baccanale con un tino, while a trio of Rembrandt etchings display the Golden Age artist’s technique in his thirties.
At the press preview, Ferruccio Ferragamo took the opportunity to thank two of his six children, Salvatore and Vittoria, who remain pillars of the sustainable Il Borro project. Salvatore heads up the esteemed organic wine production, while Vittoria helms the bio vegetable business, Orto del Borro.
“At first, I just wanted to run Il Borro as a hotel,” quips Ferruccio Ferragamo. “But Salvatore plotted with a winemaker and our first vintage was in 1999. He works hard and I drink the wine: now I don’t know who’s more enthusiastic! Meanwhile, Vittoria has taken on our special projects, including the vegetable garden.”
Visits to the Il Borro Wine and Art Gallery can be combined with tours of the immaculately maintained cellars, which ranges from the winemaking room to the barrique and terracotta jar cantina, and culminates in the impressive high-arched historic cellar. To book, contact winetour@ilborro.it or call +39 348 6126868. Savour the elegant farm-to-table menu at Il Borro Tuscan Bistro or stopping for dinner at the fine dining restaurant Osteria del Borro led by executive chef Andrea Campani before staying overnight in the 38 suites with a refined Ferragamo touch.
