On the day of the harvest, in Via Valdaso di Campofilone, there is a great deal of excitement. At number 49, dozens of tractors with trailers overflowing with succulent grapes, the best grapes harvested in the local vineyards stand out from the transport tanks, the firmest and most full-bodied berries are displayed in full view to catch the watchful eye of Mario Di Ruscio, the Benemerito della Vitivinicoltura Italiana.
We are in the valley of the Aso River, the ideal climatic cradle for growing a good wine, where the olfactory sensations of the hilly vegetation meet the scent of the sea breeze: welcome to Campofilone, the hometown of the “Cantina dei Poeti”.
Immersed in a lush green, Campofilone gradually descends towards the coast to blend in with the golden sand of the coastal area.
This typical village in the Fermo area has very ancient origins: its roots go back to the Piceno period between the 7th and 6th centuries BC. C. to which the first settlements date back.
In the Republican era (3rd century BC) it became an important centre of Roman expansion. The Roman presence, in fact, is testified not only by the ancient coastal consular road, but also by significant archaeological finds of water cisterns, baths, granaries, necropolises and other findings related to oil and wine production.
Campofilone arose as the residence of Benedictine monks, hence the ancient Latin name Campusphoeudonus, meaning that the inhabitants of Campofilone granted the monks the fief where the ancient abbey stands.
Others suppose that the name Campofilone derives from the Latin name Campus Fullonum, that is, the laundry field where the cloaks and tunics of the legionaries of Rome and other garments of the time were coloured.