Donna Franca – Wine Cellar
A gallery dedicated to wine
Baglio Donna Franca was built in the late 19th century in the countryside of Marsala. Its name derives from Franca Florio, a noblewoman who, after marrying the heir to one of the richest and most powerful families of the time – the Florio – gave birth to the so-called Bella Epoque Siciliana. At the time, the baglio was used as a base for harvesting the grapes that would give rise to one of the most important wines of the area, a symbol of the soul of Sicily and of the Florio family itself, Marsala. Today, thanks to careful restoration and conservation work, among the rooms of the baglio one can still breathe in that noble and princely atmosphere, cradle of a wine culture of excellence throughout Sicily, which is perpetuated by the baglio’s current owners, Giacomo Ansaldi and Paola Letizia Galfano, organic wine producers, who have restored the 19th-century baglio, returning it to its original agricultural function.
For Donna Franca, we chose to use the flexibility of the Track 48, which is concealed within the ceiling truss; the same applies to the wine racks.
For the central table we used Spot 48 Plus with narrow optics to create atmosphere and precision on the table, which is used for tastings, presentations and conferences.
For the racks we used Spot 48 Micro with wider optics to provide uniformity and cleanliness on all the bottles.
Everything is DALI, i.e. controlled by a control unit to manage both functional and scenic scenarios, optimising consumption and the lighting impact with the architectural structure.
A gallery of taste
The renovation of the building, carried out respecting and preserving the pre-existing structure, was completed by the latest intervention, the design of which was entrusted to architects Fabio Costanzo and Maria Rosaria Piazza, owners and founding partners of Studio 4e architetti associati.
Evocative architecture
Conceived as a place for the dissemination of the values, history and culture of the winery, Wine Cellar Baglio Donna Franca is not only intended to display the winery’s products, but to be a small hub of knowledge of wine culture through a profound and immersive experience.
Transparent perimeter enclosures allow visual communication with the outside of the complex and its central courtyard, conveying to visitors an idea of continuous synergy of all the winery’s activities. The interior spaces are therefore airy and bright, and simple, contemporary, custom-designed and made-to-measure wooden furniture elements leave room for the true protagonist of the environment, the wine. Large geometric shelves house the bottles for storage and ageing in the climate-controlled environment, at the same time constituting the central elements of the architecture.
