Sangiovese Amphora “ALTRO”

Countless times, engineer Giuseppe Camerini travelled the beloved roads of Elba Island, paths so dear to him that they inspired his poems, books, sculptures and reflections. Every corner of Elba, shaped by air, sky and sea, offered an opportunity to create works of art that would stand the test of time.

The vision of this man, born in Milan but an Elban by adoption, becomes even clearer as you walk through his woodland, where he would retreat to enjoy the blue of that “strip of sky” glimpsed between the branches of the Mediterranean scrub, almost blending into the waters surrounding Elba. His paths through the Parco della Guardiola in Procchio reveal the precious legacy of a versatile, reserved and generous individual who lived in harmony with nature and safeguarded its secrets. These numerous trails were walked, laid out and cleared with his own hands over a lifetime, making them accessible to everyone who loves nature. They are his stone roads that “cross Elba”, shaded paths brightened by strawberry trees, where walkers can discover his Monumento alla terra elbana (Monument to the Land of Elba) among the shrubs and holm oaks, reach Valle mira, pause for reflection at the Pianoro della lontananza, or admire other works of art discreetly scattered throughout the Mediterranean scrub. The Parco della Guardiola is an enchanting place, where his still-fresh footprints will continue to guide the steps of others, inviting them to contemplate their surroundings and sit down to write at the many small tables nestled among the hedges.

Everything the Engineer—as he was affectionately and deservedly known—left us bears an aura of intrinsic beauty. Protecting those 27 hectares was not his only dream. In 1990, he began producing quality wines that celebrated the land of Elba. This brilliant mind’s intuition gave rise to Cecilia Winery, one of the island’s outstanding wine estates. It began beside La Casina, a small pink farmhouse in La Pila, just a few hundred metres from Marina di Campo, which remains the heart of the business. Today, his grandsons Lorenzo and Renato carry on this cherished work. Ansonica, Vermentino, Chardonnay, Sangiovese, Syrah and Aleatico are among the grape varieties used to produce more than 65,000 bottles a year. In nearby I Marmi, a farmhouse proudly overlooks the vineyards and the island of Montecristo—his Oglasa, also the name of one of the winery’s fine red wines—where Aleatico, Moscato Bianco, Sangiovese and Ansonica grow. The Engineer’s spirit also lives on in Altro, a wine made using a traditional winemaking method dear to him, and in Cecilia’s visual identity, which he created by reinterpreting a geometric principle devised by the renowned mathematical physicist Roger Penrose.

A life shaped by balance and harmony. The harmony of nature, the harmony of mathematics, and the harmony of a memory: that of the Engineer, who will live on through the unbreakable bond between his footprints and the roads of “his Elba”. An island that remains in our hearts, just as he does.