Villa Matilde began in the 1960s, when Francesco Paolo Avallone, a lawyer with a passion for ancient wines and an enduring interest in the “vinum Falernum” described in the accounts of Pliny and in the poetry of Virgil, Martial, and Horace, decided to bring back to life that legendary wine, which had disappeared in the early 20th century.
With the help of a group of friends, including professors in the department of Crop Sciences at the University of Naples, Avallone was able to identify, after years of study, the grape varieties that had produced Falernum in Roman times.
With the help of local farmers, he re-planted the handful of vines that had miraculously survived devastation by phylloxera in the late 19th century, right in the Monte Massico area where they had flourished in ancient times, and he then founded Villa Matilde.
For over 50 years, Villa Matilde, has produced high-quality wines from Campania, from vineyards in that region’s finest growing areas: the areas of upper Caserta, the Sannio near Benevento, and Irpinia.
Villa Matilde’s absolute belief in tradition & respect for the environment together with technological innovation and new developments, have made the company one of the most respected in Campania, in Italy & worldwide.