{"id":692,"date":"2025-10-28T12:42:32","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T11:42:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecomuseoterrazzeretiche.it\/?post_type=punti-di-interesse&#038;p=692"},"modified":"2026-01-27T18:10:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T17:10:03","slug":"the-cat","status":"publish","type":"punti-di-interesse","link":"https:\/\/www.ecomuseoterrazzeretiche.it\/en\/punti-di-interesse\/la-gatta\/","title":{"rendered":"La Gatta"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>La <strong>Villa \u201cLa Gatta\u201d<\/strong>, owned by the Swiss winery <strong>Triacca<\/strong>, is an example of how to combine the preservation of cultural heritage with the needs of a modern farm. Located to the west of Bianzone, in an area dedicated to viticulture, the estate comprises <strong>vineyards, orchards, stables, gardens and a villa<\/strong> with the adjoining church of San Domenico.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>From the origins to the Mascioni family<\/h3>\n<p>Although popular tradition has it as an old Dominican convent from the 16th century, there are no documents attesting to this origin. The property passed to the noble <strong>De Gatti family<\/strong> after 1500, from which it took its name and whose coat of arms (two cats climbing a tree) can still be seen in several places in the villa.<\/p>\n<p>After about a century, the building changed hands several times, until it was bought by Giacomo Mascioni in 1895. The <strong>Mascioni family<\/strong>, originally from Poschiavo and engaged in the Valtellina wine trade since the mid-19th century, considerably expanded the estate. \u201cLa Gatta\u201d became an important source of work for many inhabitants of Bianzone, offering stable employment in a period of scarce opportunities, as witnessed in a 1965 writing that highlights the importance of the estate for the local economy and the prevention of emigration.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Guido Mascioni<\/strong>, son of Giacomo, continued his father's work and in his honour donated the Confortola house as a nursery school. However, in the 1970s, Guido's son Loris sold and divided up the estate without the sisters\u2019 knowledge.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>The Triacca era: innovation and fine wines<\/h3>\n<p>Sold to Triacca, \u201cLa Gatta\u201d is now a <strong>renowned destination for wine lovers<\/strong>, surrounded by 13 hectares of vineyards. Its cellars age prestigious Valtellina DOC and DOCG wines such as Sassella, Inferno, Valgella and Valtellina.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLa Gatta\u201d is also a centre for wine experimentation. Over 25 years ago, Triacca introduced the <strong>arrangement of \u201ca ciglioni\u201d vineyards\u201d<\/strong> (or banks), with slopes greater than 60-70% and terraces supported by grassed soil. These verges, connected by ramps and lanes, allow the passage of tractors and the use of machinery for tillage, pesticide treatments and grape transport. In addition, a <strong>innovative cultivation system<\/strong> which allows optimal insolation, with the leaf apparatus reaching a height of about 3 metres and a 15 degree slope to the south, maximising sunlight absorption.<\/p>\n<p>Le <strong>large cellars<\/strong> have been completely renovated and house about 570 barrels and casks, with a capacity of about 1,300 hectolitres of wine. Notable among these are the large casks (6000-7000 litres) for maturing Sforzato, a wine made from grapes that are dried for 110-120 days.<\/p>\n<p>Another goal achieved by Triacca was the <strong>improving wine quality through rigorous selection of Nebbiolo vines<\/strong>. A decades-long process, which started with the observation of 213 vines, led to the selection of four \u201cclones\u201d that form the basis for replanting the vineyards. The new vineyards now have 7500 vines per hectare, with a lower yield but higher quality.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Art and history inside the villa<\/h3>\n<p>Inside the large villa, climbing the main staircase to the main floor, one can admire an 18th-century painting depicting the <strong>Immaculate Madonna<\/strong> with the inscription \u201cNon est macula in te\u201d. On the ceiling of the main hall, a fresco by <strong>Giovanni Gavazzeni<\/strong> (a 19th-century painter from Talamona) represents an allegory linked to the vine and its precious fruit.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":927,"template":"","class_list":["post-692","punti-di-interesse","type-punti-di-interesse","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>La Gatta | Ecomuseo Bianzone<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Forse un antico convento, oggi moderna e innovativa azienda vinicola immersa nei terrazzamenti di Bianzone, in Valtellina: scopri la tenuta.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ecomuseoterrazzeretiche.it\/en\/points-of-interest\/the-cat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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