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Once upon a time there was a forest called “Moletto”…

The history of the Moletto Company begins with the gradual but irreversible loss of a forest. Today, this would be perceived as a sad and highly controversial act if we don’t take into consideration the economic needs that arose in these areas over five centuries ago, and the impact it had in a variety of ways, which was not immediately foreseen at the time.

“These woods didn’t exist only in the first centuries of the Common Era, but also much later. Ottone Orseolo, a doge, in a certificate given to the citizens of Eraclea in 1015, spoke about a large forest, which reached as far as Livenza and was used for hunting by the Doges, as it was home to numerous deer and wild boars.” (L. Rocco, Motta di Livenza and surroundings, Arnaldo Forni Editore, new edition in Treviso 1897).

XV Century

The Moletto Forest was part of the Motta family estate, a large area divided into 13 districts, which were governed by the Venetian Doges through a member of the Serenissima aristocracy who resided in the Praetorian Palace of Motta. The area of Moletto was under the jurisdiction of the first of these districts – Motta and Riva di Livenza – designated as one of the seven divisions (colmelli) of the municipality.

XVI Century

1502 The forest: primary asset of the Motta family, followed by a gradual clearing of its trees.
1522 A new area of arable land was created
1528 The forest was appropriated by the Signoria of Venice.

It was not until 1502 that we have documentary evidence of the work, which directly affected the Moletto Forest.
The rebuilding of Motta di Livenza, which was attacked, destroyed and set on fire by the Hungarians in 1412, was completed at the beginning of the XVI century. To defend the city, the Mayor, Jieronimo del Guerra, ordered the building of a gate on the small bridge of Monticano and a small clock tower (torresin) on the bridge over the River Livenza. For both projects an estimated 25,000 bricks were required. These would be prepared behind the Moletto Forest because the forest itself would provide the necessary wood to bake the bricks with. 50,000 bricks were made in the “Campagnole” and baked by the monks of the Monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, who were authorised by the Mayor Jieronimo del Guerra «to cut the necessary wood in the Moletto Forest.»

«... for the honour and glory of our Worship and of our magnificent Rector, and for the example and contemplation of our successors, before our Council for the embellishment of our Castle we will make use of the Moletto Forest, to prepare bricks and bake them with the wood of this forest. These bricks will be used to build a gate on the pizolo del Montegan bridge; and with the rest we will build a clock tower, over the River Livenza by the square ...» (Manuscript from the Archivio Comunale, book I, sheet 186).

From 1450 onwards, the Moletto Forest began to gradually lose its trees due to the wood being used up. The area was transformed into new arable land, which was recorded in 1522 as two hundred fields, which were leased out.
Most of the forest was transformed into arable land, grassland, and vineyards.
In 1528, a provision by the Venetian Republic appropriated what remained of the Moletto Forest from the city of Motta, which thus ceded possession after two hundred years.

XVII Century

This large area of land went to the high-ranking families in the area: The Venetian aristocracy – the Morosini, the Condulmer, the Foscarini-Cornaro – who obtained most of the lands regarded as “Municipal Assets” (assets which had always belonged to the city, subsequently appropriated by the Republic).

«The Venetian aristocracy and wealthy families wished to celebrate and enjoy the fruits of the land and spent a lot of money in building their palaces.» (Girolamo Priuli)

XVIII Century

In 1726, the Nani Land Registry Office reported a detailed description of this small section of the forest called the Moletto, publicly owned lands comprising oaks, plane trees, and small softwood trees.
In 1765, the Land Registry Office of the noblewoman Elisabetta Cornaro Foscarini described a large estate of about 2,000 fields around Treviso. Included in these lands is the Moletto Sotto La Motta, with details of its farm lands (arable land, grassland, grape-growing land, and woodland).

XIX Century

Between the end of the 18th Century and the early 19th Century our region was governed by two foreign administrations: a French one (until 1815), and an Austrian one.
Preliminary entries in the Austrian Land Registry describe the land as being arable and suitable for grape-growing, with woodland and grassland; with wine-growing being one of the most important industries.
In 1897 the principal industry of the region is agriculture.

Historian Lepido Rocco provided a description at the end of the 19th Century:
«... Years ago there were plenty of woods, of which today there is only a tiny remainder…»
«... (among the trees) mainly vines, in particular for raboso, red marzemino, pignolo and white verduzzo.»
«The main industry in this region is agriculture. …We must praise in particular some clever landowners who with their hard work have become pioneers of another nobility, the nobility of the land. » Amongst these, first Count Luigi Revedin and then his son, Count Ruggero, who through their hard work skilfully managed their large estates, including the large area once covered by the Moletto Forest.

XX Century NEW HORIZONS

1960 Mario Stival acquired the Moletto
1967 The turning point: the production and marketing of Moletto wines began
1984 The recognition of the Moletto geographical area

In this century, a piece of land which was part of the huge area covered by the Moletto Forest, and in particular the land which belonged to Corrado Gini, a leading statistician, become the property of Mario Stival. With intuition and a touch of ruthlessness – a quality specific to pioneers – he began to reorganise and transform this land, which was anything but fertile: by removing the oaks, sycamores and acacias that hindered production in the existing wine-growing areas, and by levelling the land and building a new drainage system in order to make the land, which had been practically abandoned for decades, fertile once again.
From 1963 on, once he had ascertained that the soil consisted of clay and limestone, and taking into account the farming tradition that had marked the history of these lands over the last few centuries, he bravely began to plant vines until he had covered an area of what is today almost a hundred hectares.
1967 saw the start of the marketing of the Moletto brand. A prestigious name, as precious as the ancient forest itself and respectful of the forest and its history.

In 1984 the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests approved the use of the Moletto geographical designation for the wines produced in this production area, thereby protecting our wines by officially acknowledging the historic wine-growing importance of the region.

Moletto: a family company

The support that Mario Stival received from his wife Annamaria when the company was founded was fundamental. And so was the subsequent collaboration, from the beginning of the 1980s, of their children, Mauro, Chiara and Giovanni, who were able to elevate the Moletto wines, already established and appreciated locally, to an international level by giving them a quality and a “character” which has been at the heart of their success.

“We are committed to bringing out the best this territory has to offer through the preservation of its natural environment and all the traditional warmth of its past and through our fervent, on-going dedication to the creation of high-quality products following in the footsteps of the centuries'-old mission and legacy of this land.”

Today the Moletto winery boasts a friendly team, which only a family can have, driven by enthusiasm and entrepreneurship, while remaining faithful at all times to our roots. These roots are embedded in the land and require dedication as well as care, passion and hard work. These roots are what we call “wine culture”, by which we mean they are a gift from the land to those who love, cherish and respect it.
A gift that the Stival family are happy to share with our friends, who are always welcome to the Motta di Livenza estate to visit the wine cellar and the vineyards.
And to sample together the aromas, the fascination and the culture of this centuries-old history.