Some encounters change the way a story is told.
The meeting between the Rallo family and Stefano Vitale was one of them. A friendship that began more than thirty years ago and grew alongside Donnafugata, eventually becoming an integral part of its identity. From shared ideas came images capable of telling stories of wines, territories, dreams and visions, transforming every label into a story to be discovered even before the wine is tasted.
Designer labels with Gabriella Anca Rallo
Labels on Display
In 2018, this long-standing collaboration was celebrated through Inseguendo Donnafugata (Chasing Donnafugata), an exhibition held at Villa Necchi Campiglio, a FAI (Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano) property in Milan. The project was created to tell the story of Stefano Vitale’s creative journey and the deep connection he shared with the Rallo family, taking visitors through original drawings, sketches, labels and inspirations that accompanied the growth of the company.
The works on display revealed the imaginative world of Donnafugata: a luminous and surprising Sicily shaped by landscapes, characters, music, nature and culture. A fantastical and distinctly feminine world where reality and imagination meet, and where wine becomes a form of storytelling.
Throughout the exhibition, each illustration revealed what often remains hidden behind a label: the thought, research and inspiration that brought it into being. Stefano Vitale’s images did not simply accompany Donnafugata wines, they interpreted their spirit, translating into colour and form the bond with the land, respect for nature and a constant pursuit of beauty.
The choice of Villa Necchi Campiglio added a further dimension to the project. Donnafugata and FAI share a commitment to landscape, culture and the promotion of Italy’s heritage. This shared vision led Donnafugata to donate the Giardino Pantesco on Pantelleria to FAI and found a natural continuation in the exhibition.
Inseguendo Donnafugata was much more than an exhibition. It was a celebration of friendship, a shared vision and a creative language that continues to tell the Donnafugata story through images that move, inspire and spark the imagination.
Because every wine tells a story. And some stories begin long before the wine is poured into a glass.
