The Ricci family was born in 1150; Palazzo Ricci, one of the most beautiful Renaissance buildings in the city of Polizia, was commissioned by Cardinal Giovanni Ricci in 1534 to the best architect of the time, the Sienese Baldassarre Peruzzi and was finished building in 1562. The Cantina de’Ricci was part of the Palace project , however it was built on previous medieval structures; in fact documents were found in which it is said to have been built following the ancient rules of the Montepulciano statutes of 1337. In 1959, at the behest of the Marquis Giulio Ricci, the Cantina changed its name and until today was known as “Cantina Redi”. The current owner family chose to go back to their origins and to remember the Ricci family, who was one of the most representative of the town, both for what they gave to the wine, and to Montepulciano. “He who sows well remains,” this was said, and this is also the truth; after so many centuries the family is still present, in fact the building and the cellar are in fact a destination for many visitors every day, coming from all over the world. Yes, the brilliant intuition of Riccio de ’Ricci, an meteorologist, who was able to make weather forecasts by looking at the behavior of hedgehogs. In Montepulciano, in the 12th century, a peaceful citizen predicted the weather with such certainty that he was believed to be a sorcerer. To save himself from the accusation, the man revealed his secret: he made his predictions by observing the way a hedgehog scrutinized the sun. The hero then received the nickname “Riccio”, which he passed to his descendants with his own coat of arms, where the little beast looks at the sun, evidently to understand what the weather will be like.
