Company Information
Description
The Colonna estate nestles between the rolling green hills and the sparkling blue Adriatic in southern Molise’s fertile farmland. Here, donna Marina Colonna owns and runs the 320 hectare estate at Bosco Pontoni, which has been in her family for 200 years. As the land slopes gently down to the coast the light plays on the patches of silver-green olive trees; the many groves of these ancient trees blend into the large plots of land that change colour according to the season, from autumn brown to spring green
The daughter of Prince Francesco Colonna, Marina took over the family’s estate in 1996, the origins of the family’s connection with this land go back to the early 1800s, it was part of the dowry of the Duchess Cattaneo di Sannicandro who married Prospero Colonna. Today, as well as olive groves, wheat, oats, corn, sugar beets, alfalfa, sunflowers, canola and vegetables are grown. There are also some 600 pedigree Comisana sheep who graze the land and whose high-protein organic milk is used for pecorino cheese. Herons, hawks and migratory birds feed at the estate’s five artificial lakes created for irrigation in the early 1960s by don Francesco.
The Estate was completely renovated during the year 2000. The olive groves, with many different varieties, occupy 70 hectares. The first plantings of 10.000 traditional olive groves took place at the beginning of 1900; in 1991 it was extended to include an innovative high density olive plantation of 15.000 trees of 24 varieties. In 1998 ten more hectares of experimental groves were added, showing the commitment of the Estate in innovative methods of planting and cultivating vintage and new varieties.
The utilisation of these techniques makes the lowest impact on the environment and harvest takes place early in the season, before the olives are fully ripe, with pneumatic combs or shaking machines, which shorten picking times, thus assuring a high quality standard to the oil extracted within 12 hours through the continuous cooling cycle of the farm oil mill.
Each olive variety is pressed separately. The extra virgin olive oil produced has a high percentage of polyphenols and vitamins which enhance the organolectic characteristics and correct storage is ensured with the use of stainless steel vats in which each variety is kept separate. The blending of the selected oils follows an accurate system of chemical analysis. The Estate then bottles using a semi-automatic system, in compliance with the current regulations of HACCP and following a further internal quality control procedure in the packaging and marketing in the company’s own patented brand and special “amphora” bottles. At present four different blends are bottled and marketed in the best gourmet stores and restaurants around the world.
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TARTUFO
PEPERONCINO
TULSI
AROMATICO
SPICE
BERGAMIA
MANDARINO
ARANCIO
