People come first

The deep bond with the land spans generations, fears no sacrifices and know no boundaries.

Carlo e Cristina,
from Ercolano.

Vesuvius in a bottle, Carlo and Cristina bring Naples to your table.

Architects are skilled in seeing a blank slate as flush with opportunities.  It is truly fascinating to be able conceive something before it is even realised. Imagining it and then getting it down on paper. Creating communities before having even established the surroundings or buildings.

Creating. That’s the key to getting started.

Anyone who thinks Cristina Leardi and Carlo Cozzolino abandoned their drawing boards or their profession is mistaken. They simply turned things around. Transforming their actions, jumping from drawing with a pen and pencil to drawing from the earth. Masseria dello Sbirro developed in the wake of a restoration project that involved a family farm. A farm where they skilfully sowed seeds that bloomed into symbols of ‘Parthenopaean‘, that unique Neapolitaness in the shadows of Vesuvius. Carlo and Cristina became enchanted by these plants and vineyards, these seven hectares of land on the slopes of the volcano between the towns of Ercolano and Portici. They decided this soil would become their new building site. While waiting for the first grape harvest, they started using part of the land to grow one of Campania’s oldest and most typical products: the well-known Piennolo pomodorino*. It turned out to be a successful bet.

*Piennolo cherry tomatoes – typically hanging on the peduncle

By adhering to zero-pesticide regulations (Cristina also happens to be the President of the Consortium for the protection of these tomatoes) and opting for sustainable quality growth, they were able to promote the excellence of their crop. Carlo and Cristina are now among the most qualified producers in the region.

The original wine making goal, which had been put aside but not abandoned, was given a new lease of life when they met up with Francesco Andoli, owner of the Januarius restaurant-shop.
 From the local grapes, two new labels have emerged: the red Januario and the white Eusebia. According to legend, it was San Gennaro’s wet nurse who collected his blood to hand it down to us. Both wines offer a taste of Naples, tradition and research. These wines have that special Campania flavour, they offer a scent of its unique land. The wines also represent a sort of liquid root, like glue that holds you firmly to your origins. These products, which are now well-known abroad, are rooted in this reality. It is a reality based on authenticity – one of this lands’ greatest assets.

Their snow-capped Vesuvius vision is securely ingrained in their produce. During this era, where new virtual realities have surfaced, they have dug deeper, binding themselves to the roots of their soil. Enhancing and understanding it, tilling it in order to share its fruits. Carlo and Cristiana got a taste of it first and it tasted just like home.