History and tradition are turned into hospitality.
From the Calvia Estates to the Alghero Resort.
1700
The Calvia Estate was acquired by Domenico Maria Simon, who was born in San Bartolomeo in Cervo in 1697.
Having visited relatives in Alghero, he decided to move here permanently.
His son Bartolomeo was responsible for taking care of the Estate.
A passion for horses.
On the Calvia Estate, Bartolomeo, a good farmer and, even more importantly, an expert horse trainer, tried out new techniques, importing Andalusian stallions from Spain to cross them with the local breed.
1800
Towards the second half of the 19th century, the Calvia Estate was inherited by Matteo Giulio Alessandro, Bartolomeo’s grandson. It was thanks to the new owner that the produce cultivated on these lands, and the olive oil and wine made here, were recognised internationally for their quality.
A passion for the soil’s offerings: olive oil and wine.
On the estate, Matteo built up a business based mainly on the production of olive oil and wine. The holding also encompassed large amounts of grazing land used to rear all types of livestock.
He was one of the first people in Sardinia to produce wines using modern techniques, and he won various awards for the grafting of wild olives, for rational haymaking and for the pruning of the olive trees.
1800
Matteo Giulio Alessandro did everything in his power to ensure that Sardinian products – hitherto almost unknown on the international market – came to be appreciated outside the island, by showcasing his wines and olive oil at the leading national and global trade fairs.
Stories of Alghero’s wines and olive oil.
In 1878, at the universal exhibition in Paris, he received two gold medals for his dessert wine and was granted membership of the French Agricultural Academy. In 1888, at the Brussels international competition, he scooped gold medals for his olive oil, wine and vinegar. Three silver medals followed for his fortified wines and dried fruit at the exhibition in Antwerp, and at the trade fair cum competition held in Rome, in 1880, he won the only silver medal handed out to a producer of fortified wines.
He was allowed to feature the royal crest at his winery as an official supplier to the Royal Household.
1900
None of Matteo Giulio Alessandro’s children followed in their father’s footsteps, and so the Calvia Estate and the grand mansion house – dubbed the Casino di Caccia – were neglected, until his grandson Matteo Guillot Lavagna inherited the Estate and made it profitable once again by training horses and cultivating olive trees and vines.
ALGHERO RESORT COUNTRY HOTEL 2000
The Macciotta family acquired the Estate Owner’s House, which was by then in a state of abandon, turning it into a wellbeing hub for visitors in search of Sardinia’s history, traditions and landscapes.
An oasis of silence and tranquillity, sheltered from the noise of the celebrations forever taking place in nearby Alghero.