About Us
Friends of Potentino
Friends of Potentino, Inc. was established in 2022 as a 501(c)3 US registered public charity. Friends of Potentino provides funding to promote and safeguard rural cultural heritage and biodiversity conservation at Castello di Potentino and in the broader Seggiano Valley in Tuscany, Italy, benefitting community welfare by supporting environmental sustainability through educational programs, cultural events, media outreach, and agricultural practice.
Castello di Potentino and The Valley
Castello di Potentino is a medieval castle in Southern Tuscany. The first documented mention of it is in 1042 but it has Etruscan foundations.
Restored and run by the Greene family, this ancient building is nestled in one of the last undiscovered corners of Tuscany – the Amiata. Today the castle is a cultural hub and hosts guests. The estate consists of a vineyard of 5 hectares and an olive plantation for the production of wine, grappa and oil.
The valley is home to centuries-old olive trees and some early examples of the Sangiovese wine grape variety.It lies below Monte Amiata, an extinct volcano that last erupted between 180,000 and 300,000 years ago, creating an exceptional terroir with a concentration of volcanic soils. Because it is so fertile, the valley is known locally as ‘La Conca D’Oro’ (The Golden Bowl).
With this mineral-rich, geologically new terrain and the extreme changes in temperature, which are ideal for wine and olive oil production, the Terroir is probably why the Etruscans settled here.
It is a place where many local traditions and practices have survived, bearing witness to a healthy symbiosis between man and nature, based on observation and respect, sensibility and discipline.
The valley is an example of good land husbandry, which involves a delicate balance between human intervention and the surrounding micro-life. The soil has not been subjected to repeated use of chemical products so remains healthy, unlike so much of the surrounding Tuscan farmland.
There is no monoculture or industrial crop-spraying in the valley, which results in an abundance of flora and fauna, including some rare species of bird, insect and plant life. A wide range of native varieties, including apple, pear, cherry, and quince grow alongside olive groves of the indigenous Olivastra Seggianese variety. Wild flowers and orchids fill the fields in early summer. These are all elements that create a healthy and vigorous ecosystem – extremely rare in this day and age.
This is why we at Friends of Potentino believe this nature and its history should be saved and studied to deal with the times that lie ahead. Learn from the past to improve our future.