There are places that don’t try to win you over.
They welcome you. They recognize you.
And in that recognition, discreet but profound, they reveal their greatness.
The third stop on the journey through the Cantine Etiche takes us right here: to the elegant and peaceful residence of the Marchesi Ruffo della Scaletta, one of the oldest and most fascinating souls of Umbrian wine.
It is not just a winery.
It is a story that spans the centuries.
🌿 The roots of a family that has traversed history
The Ruffo family is one of the oldest in southern Italy. Ruffo della Scaletta obtained the title of Princes of Scaletta, from the village of Scaletta Zanclea near Messina (Sicily), in the 17th century.
This branch, therefore, originated in southern Italy but, like many noble families of the time, expanded over time to other regions, including Umbria.
🌿 The Umbrian branch: the Ruffo della Scaletta family of Terni
In the 19th century, Francesco Ruffo della Scaletta, son of Prince Vincenzo (of the Sicilian branch), decided to transfer part of his interests to central Italy.
He purchased land and farms in the Terni and Narni area, where he founded a farm and winery that would later become the current Tenuta Marchesi Ruffo della Scaletta.
From that moment on, the name “Ruffo della Scaletta” took root in Umbria, maintaining its original noble title but linking its identity to the Conca Ternana, a fertile area crossed by the Nera River and known for its high-quality agricultural production.
It was a counter-current choice.
An instinctive choice.
Probably the call of the land, perhaps the desire for peace.
Certainly, it was a decision that would shape the family’s agricultural destiny.
From that moment on, the Ruffo della Scaletta family intertwined their name with the rural history of Umbria:
- they bought farms,
- renovated farmhouses,
- expanded vineyards,
- and experimented with techniques that were visionary for the time.
After World War II, the company was defined as a “model company” for its innovation in sprinkler irrigation: an agricultural revolution that anticipated modern sustainable practices by decades.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the family renovated the vineyards using advanced technical criteria.
Today, the sixth generation is in charge of the estate.
Same surname, same discretion, same vision: to do things well, without fanfare.
🍇 A wine that is a legacy
Entering the cellar of Marchesi Ruffo della Scaletta means entering a place where time does not run: it measures.
Each bottle is a bridge between past and present, between the land and memory.
Rosso della Scaletta is the symbol of the house:
an elegant, profound, refined wine.
It seduces not with power, but with grace.
It is the classic sip that is not forgotten, because it tells the story of the land with the calm voice of those who have seen many seasons and continue, stubbornly, to believe in quality.
The estate’s white wine is its most intimate version: bright, mineral, very fine.
More of a caress than a wine.
A promise of sincerity.
🕊️ Invisible nobility: the Ruffo style
This winery does not need futuristic scenery.
Its architecture is moderation, its character is sobriety, its strength is continuity.
Here, nobility is not ostentation.
It is responsibility.
It is the guardianship of the land.
It is the rare and precious choice to keep an agricultural heritage alive without bending it to fashion.
In the bright rooms of the estate, in the quiet courtyards, among the rows of vines overlooking Todi, but in Narni, the historical and romantic side breathes, everything speaks of an elegance that never goes out of fashion: that which comes from consistency.
🤝 The role in Cantine Etiche
Within the Cantine Etiche project, Marchesi Ruffo della Scaletta represents the memory that gives roots to the network.
If Tenuta dei Mori embodies the emotional origin of the journey,
if Collespino expresses the truth of the land,
if Santo Iolo looks to the future,
if Villa Bucher opens up to internationality…
…Marchesi Ruffo della Scaletta is time.
Time that teaches,
time that shapes,
time that preserves.
They are proof that sustainability does not only mean innovating, but also honoring what already exists.
That ethics is not only technology, but also tradition.
That a network project works when it includes not only the new, but also those who have a legacy to protect.
🌅
A sip of grace that lingers
Every visit to the estate is an experience that leaves something inside you.
The light on the hills.
The silence of the courtyards.
The slow pace in the vineyards.
The glass that tells stories that are not shouted, but deeply profound.
Marchesi Ruffo della Scaletta is the stage where the journey slows down, becomes intimate, and acquires depth.
It is the chapter in which Umbria reveals itself for what it really is:
a land that does not need to show off to be extraordinary.
A land that speaks softly,
but leaves a strong impression.
Marchesi Ruffo della Scaletta
Via della Luna, 8, 05035 Narni TR – ITALY
+39 0744 715227
