Museum of the Civilization of Wine of Friuli Venezia Giulia

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Museum of the Civilization of Wine of Friuli Venezia Giulia

The Museum of the Civilization of Wine of Friuli Venezia Giulia is located in the western wing of Villa Toppo-Florio and houses objects, documents, and iconographic testimonies related to the world of grapevines and wine.

The new exhibition is organized into sections and arranged in multiple rooms on several floors. The first section is on the ground floor and retraces the history of wine civilization from its earliest evidence to the present day, with a particular focus on the 20th century. In addition to presenting objects, this section features a rich collection of visual representations related to grapevines and wine.

Also on the ground floor is the second section, “From the Earth to the Vine,” explores the relationship between the land and wine, highlighting the transformation of soils into thriving vineyards, with particular attention to the influence of climate.

Moving to the first floor, the third room continues the section with an in-depth look at the vineyard, featuring various vine training systems, the production of grapevine cuttings (a true Friuli excellence), and the grape varieties of the region, categorized by DOC and berry type.

The fourth section, still on the first floor, delves into the transition from grapevines to wine. It narrates the care of the vineyard, showcasing a rich display of equipment used for vine treatments and the grape harvest. The harvest, one of the most important moments in wine civilization, is intertwined with rituals, myths, and memories, all documented by a vast photographic collection. The grape harvest crowns the work of a season and prepares the precious nectar, involving moments of celebration, song, but also hard work.

Moving on to the second floor, you will find the last three rooms. The first room of the fifth section opens up to another crucial aspect of wine: the wine cellar. Through panels, tools, equipment, and images, visitors follow the journey that grape must undergo to become wine, exploring the three main winemaking techniques—white, red, and rosé—as well as the modern and successful process of sparkling wine production. This section concludes with an annotated glossary of “wine words.”

The next room, the sixth, guides us through the final stage of wine—its preservation and aging. It features tanks, barrels, bottles, and even the increasingly modern corkscrews used to uncork and pour wine into various specialized types of glasses.

A final, fascinating path is dedicated to the face of wine: the label, featuring a rich selection of original labels that help illustrate how labels partially reveal the characteristics of wine while also serving as miniature works of art.

Lastly, the final exhibition space, with a multifunctional purpose, is dedicated to Isi Benini, a journalist and recent advocate for the knowledge, valorization, and promotion of Friulian rural life, its products, and particularly wine. The room also displays a diverse collection of wine bottles from local producers.

Visitors can also explore a range of publications dedicated to viticulture, posters from various wine-related events, photographs capturing wine-related moments and seasons, and some video presentations.

The visit can be extended with a trip to the "Geremia Nonini" collection, currently housed in some rooms of the former middle school adjacent to the Villa. Throughout his life, Geremia Nonini, a passionate collector and enthusiast of local history, gathered objects, tools, and documents that bear witness to the historical reality of viticulture and rural activities in the territory and beyond. Thanks to additional acquisitions and donations, the collection now boasts more than 3,000 items that tell the story of wine production between the 19th and the mid-20th century.

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