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Terre dei Cavalieri — The Company

Coat of arms of the Sovereign Order of Malta — Terre dei Cavalieri

The Company
Terre dei Cavalieri

Five historic estates, one Order: from the Colli Orientali to the Tuscia, the winemaking and farming tradition of the Knights of Malta. For centuries they have supported works of assistance to the most vulnerable.

About us

A great agricultural heritage

Terre dei Cavalieri brings together a group of outstanding agricultural estates, deeply bound to the history, tradition and territories in which they stand.

Among the oldest and most significant farming enterprises in Italy, it safeguards a heritage built over time through care for the land, expertise and respect for local vocations. Under the guidance of the Sovereign Order of Malta, it works across several fields of agriculture: from the cultivation of cereals, vineyards, olive groves, walnut groves and hazelnut groves to livestock breeding.

This heritage inspires a way of working founded on dedication, integrity and responsibility — values that find expression in the quality of the products, in the protection of the landscape and in the attention devoted to every stage of agricultural work.

Winemaking is carried out in three estates of particular prestige: Rocca Bernarda, in Friuli; Villa Giustiniani, in the Veneto; and Castello di Magione, in Umbria. Alongside them, the Mugnano and Sugarella estates broaden and enrich the agricultural heritage of Terre dei Cavalieri.

History, territory and the culture of the land thus come together in an authentic and distinctive reality, the expression of an Italian agricultural tradition capable of renewing itself over time.

5
Historic estates
4
Italian regions
3500
Hectares farmed

Our values

What guides us

Heritage

A thousand years of the Order of Malta’s history, kept alive in every estate.

Terroir

Vineyards, olive groves and fields from the Colli Orientali to Umbria, each with its own identity.

Excellence

Wines and products born from care for the land and from tradition.

Service

The Knights’ spirit of hospitality and service guides every choice we make.

The Order’s spirit
«Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum»

Defence of the faith and assistance to the poor: this is the motto that has guided the Sovereign Order of Malta for nine centuries. Our estates carry forward its spirit too — care for the land, hospitality and attention to our neighbour.

Nine centuries

The history of the Order

From the papal recognition of 1113 to today: nine centuries of the Knights of Saint John, down to the estates that bear their name.

The recognition
1113

The recognition

Pope Paschal II recognises the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem with the bull «Pie postulatio voluntatis»: the official birth of the Hospitaller Order from which the Knights of Malta descend.

Rhodes
1310

Rhodes

The Order settles on the island of Rhodes and rises as a great naval power of the Mediterranean, in defence of the faith and of pilgrims.

Malta
1530

Malta

Emperor Charles V grants the island of Malta to the Order, which establishes its seat there: from then on, the «Knights of Malta».

The Great Siege
1565

The Great Siege

The Knights defend Malta against the Ottoman siege, one of the most celebrated pages of European history: courage and sacrifice for the «Tuitio Fidei».

The Order's lands
The legacy

The Order's lands

The Order’s commanderies and estates preserved through the centuries the agricultural vocation of the Knights: the same care for the land that lives today in our estates.

Terre dei Cavalieri
Today

Terre dei Cavalieri

Five historic estates united in a single project, carrying forward the spirit of the Order.

A naval legacy
The Order’s Fleet

Beneath the eight-pointed cross, for over three centuries the galleys of the Knights of Saint John sailed the Mediterranean in defence of the faith and the weak — from the harbours of Rhodes to the bastions of Valletta. The same symbol now watches over our estates.

The Order in Europe

The Order’s seats and Tongues

EnglandFranceAuvergneProvenceCastileAragonItalyGermanyJerusalem — 10481Rhodes — 13102Malta — 15303Rome — 18344
The seats over the centuries
  • 1Jerusalem 1048
    The origins: the Hospital of St John for pilgrims in the Holy Land.
  • 2Rhodes 1310
    The Order settles on Rhodes, a naval power of the Mediterranean.
  • 3Malta 1530
    Charles V grants Malta to the Order: the Knights of Malta are born.
  • 4Rome 1834
    The Order establishes its sovereign seat in Rome, where it remains today.
The eight Tongues of Europe

Not spoken languages, but the eight «nations» into which the Order was divided: each knight belonged to one by region of origin, with its own seat (auberge) and a stretch of walls to defend.

EnglandFranceAuvergneProvenceCastileAragonItalyGermany

From the Mediterranean to Italy

The same calling, today

From the great Mediterranean seats to the hills and vineyards of our estates: the Order’s tradition lives on in the care of the land.

Our lands

The estates, from north to south

ViticultureFarmingLivestock

Atmosphere

Among cellars, courtyards and vineyards

The cellars
The cellars
The vineyards
The vineyards
The courtyards
The courtyards

«On this long journey through Italy we have chosen to safeguard the tradition, quality and authenticity of our products, celebrating the culture of our territories.»

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