Martani Hills
The Colli Martani DOC production area covers extensive grounds north-east and south-west of the same-named hill range, which extend northwards from Massa Martana, all the way to Bettona, in the region of Umbria. Part of this area on the right bank of the Tiber once belonged to ancient Etruria. Nevertheless, the areas on the left bank of the river were also influenced by the Etruscans, especially in Roman times, when the ancient city of Tutere” (currently Todi) obtained a road connection with Via Flamina, the most important road at that time leading from Rome to the north, running along the ridges of Monti Martani. Place, where both roads crossed, it was called by the Romans "Vicus Martis."”. One of the oldest Christian churches is located here – Santa Maria in Pantano.
Enthusiasm is well known, with which the poets praised the fertility and fertility of the lands inhabited by the Etruscans. Roman historian Titus Livius admired "life-giving fields", and Marcalis in his verses praised the local wine, comparing them with the best wines from Tarragona. It needs to be highlighted that, that already in the time of Alexander the Great, the fame of the wines of Etruria stretched far beyond that of this land, reaching Greece on the other side of the sea. Pliny the Younger describing these lands
draws attention to the ubiquitous vineyards “creating a dense carpet of greenery, which covers the area to the very horizon ". Pliny the Elder in his Natural History (natural History) Among the various described grape varieties, he also mentions a grape variety that is widespread in these lands, in which historians recognized today's Grechetto.
For centuries, The wine produced in this area attracted enthusiasts, who took care of it, that his fame would last for generations, while motivating local producers to constantly improve their cultivation and production techniques. The crowning achievement of this long process was the establishment of St. 1989 year of appeal DOC.