Gabriella is the source of inspiration for our name and labels; Masterpieces by the artist Stefano Vitale.
The story of the name “Donnafugata” originates from the most Sicilian of novels: Il Gattopardo and refers to Queen Maria Carolina who, fleeing from Naples, found refuge where the company’s vineyards are today. A story that also inspired the logo: the face of a woman with her hair blowing in the wind.
A face, and a story, which is also that of Gabriella Rallo, the “woman on the run” who abandons her job as a teacher to take care of the Contessa Entellina vineyards full time. One of the first women in Sicily to produce wine in a sector typically dominated by men: a pioneer of quality feminine-style wine-growing.
Gabriella is the source of inspiration for the labels designed for Donnafugata by Stefano Vitale. An exceptional artist capable of making the personality of each wine stand out.
A harmonious understanding between Gabriella and Stefano that began in 1992 and has lasted for over 30 years: the artist manages to capture the personality of each wine and evoke the colors and the land of Sicily. Our unique and inimitable designer labels express themselves with a distinguishing feminine language, an indissoluble part of the essence of Donnafugata.
Every year on August 10th, on the occasion of Calici di Stelle, we open our wineries and light up our vineyards to celebrate the relationship between wine and art in search of ever new multisensory impressions.
Calici di Stelle is the most longed-for summer event promoted by the Wine Tourism Movement. Every year, on the occasion of this event, our vineyards and our wineries become the venue for an immersive experience, with surprising artistic performances: from music, to classical and contemporary dance, to the puppet opera; we have hosted a countless number of artists on stage to celebrate the relationship between man and nature and the magical combination of wine and art.
Donnafugata and the FAI – Fondo Ambiente Italiano (the National Trust of Italy) – share a love for beauty and the mission of promoting the value of the Italian landscape and culture. A friendship between Marco Magnifico of the FAI and Giacomo Rallo which dates back to 2005 and which results in the restoration of a Pantelleria garden set among the company’s vineyards, donated to the FAI in 2008. The ethos that is shared by Donnafugata and the FAI clearly shows through in this exchange: the belief that when harmony between man and nature is achieved, all-round beauty springs forth.
A love for literature has led Donnafugata to support the Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa Literary Prize for many years, a prize named after the author of the novel Il Gattopardo (The Leopard). On the occasion of the awarding ceremony, Donnafugata has hosted important guests on its estate, such as the writers Abraham B. Yehoshua, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Claudio Magris and Anita Desai, the actress Claudia Cardinale and the composer, Oscar winner, Nicola Piovani.
For over 20 years Donnafugata has supported the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa in the archaeological excavations on the Rocca di Entella, near the Contessa Entellina vineyards. Here the Elymians cultivated vines, as evidenced by the finds of coins with the effigy of a bunch of grapes, uncovered in the ancient city of Entella, later called Anthìlia in Roman times. Since the year 2000, the company has also supported young archaeologists with the “Giuseppe Nenci” Prize, Nenci being a great scholar of the Elymians; the prize is awarded every year for a graduate or doctoral thesis on the history of Ancient Sicily.