Azienda Agricola Illuminati

Wine has been part of the family story since 1890, when Nicola Illuminati began his winemaking journey on the border between the Marche and Abruzzo regions. Since then, five generations have carried his vision forward: Lorenzo, Dino, and today Stefano, together with his brother Lorenzo and his son Nicola. What they have inherited is not just a craft; it is a vision, a philosophy of wine.

In 1960, Dino Illuminati left Ripatransone and moved with his family to Controguerra in Abruzzo. It was a choice driven by a love for wine and the desire to make it even better. With dedication and courage, he settled in a land that spoke the same language as his heart.

The Colline Teramane, where the climate is softened by the Adriatic Sea and protected by the Gran Sasso mountains, proved to be the perfect place to create the wine that Nicola Illuminati had envisioned.

Here, Dino purchased an *azienda agricola* and ten hectares of land in an area called Zanna, named after the many wolves that once howled there at the moon — the same moon later found in the family coat of arms.

This place still forms the heart of our winery today. Those first rows of vines have grown into a 110-hectare vineyard, planted with Montepulciano, Passerina, Pecorino, and Trebbiano, all cultivated by the Illuminati family. From vineyard to bottle, every step begins and ends here: the wines of the Illuminati family arise from a harmonious relationship with this terroir.