The origins
The charm of a farm of ancient origins
Carobbio was founded in the 15th century, owned by the Magaldi family of Florentine merchants.
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It later became the property of the Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova. In 1479, Carobbio was entrusted to Antonmaria Gherardini, the father of Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa. Antonmaria often visited Carobbio, and presumably Lisa herself also stayed there for some time.
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At the beginning of the 16th century, the estate returned to the Hospital, which continued to lease it as a sharecropper. Toward the end of the 18th century, Carobbio's history became more complicated: with the end of sharecropping and the abandonment of the countryside, the estate began to decline.
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When it was purchased by Carlo Novarese in 1985, Carobbio was a farmhouse transformed into a refined residential home.
From then on, its revival began.
Above: the lion plaque, one of the symbols of the estate.
alongside: Historical map of the Carobbio estate.
Reproduced with permission of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism / State Archives of Florence
Carlo Novarese
The rebirth of Carobbio
It was the summer of 1985 when Carlo Novarese, near the Carobbio Estate, in the heart of Chianti Classico, knew he had found a little corner of paradise.
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A promised land of everlasting splendor, if the local talent were reawakened. Thus began the rebirth of Carobbio.
Carlo Novarese brought his entrepreneurial foresight and dedication to excellence, which distinguished his history as an industrialist, to the benefit of the Estate.
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Agricultural experts got to work: drastic interventions were undertaken on the vineyards to support a strategy of high-quality grapes and wines.
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New vineyards were established according to the principles of the most advanced viticultural trends.
The results repaid the effort: a selection of wines of unparalleled quality, from Chianti Classico to Super Tuscans.
