The start of the first year of activity of the Contessa Florio agricultural company has been inaugurated

Nine hectares of new crops, including seven cherry, apple and olive orchards , and two vineyards with vines resistant to diseases resulting from research at the University of Udine. The start of a beekeeping business to produce honey, the renewal of forest management, the sale of seasonal fruit and processed products such as jams, flours, honey, oil, juices and wine. Courses in beekeeping, basketry, forest management, gardening, grafting, pruning and internships for university and high school students.

This is the intense work program for 2025 of the Contessa Florio Agricultural Company , which presented the start of the first year of activity (video https://youtu.be/VT6_X_hcC0c ) at the headquarters of Villa Florio Maseri in Persereano (Pavia di Udine). The Company was established last year by the Attilio Maseri Foundation, founded by the University of Udine, and named after Francesca Florio, wife of the illustrious Friulian cardiologist. The company's task is to generate resources so that the Foundation can support research, assistance, training and scholarship projects for the most deserving students of the University of Udine. This continues the action of enhancing the heritage that Maseri left as a legacy to the Friulian University, faithfully implementing his last wishes.

THE INTERVENTIONS

Greetings were given at the presentation by: the rector of the University of Udine, Roberto Pinton ; the president of the Attilio Maseri Foundation, Cristiana Compagno ; the central director of the Central Directorate of Agri-food, Forestry and Fishing Resources of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Maurizio Urizio ; the mayor of Pavia di Udine, Beppino Govetto . Historian Liliana Cargnelutti then outlined a profile of Countess Francesca Florio. The president, Raffaele Testolin , and the managing director, Michele Zampieri , illustrated the agricultural company.

They sent a message because they were unable to attend due to concomitant institutional activities: the regional councilor for agri-food resources, Stefano Zannier , and ambassador Antonio Zanardi Landi . The diplomat, who heads the Committee of supporters of the Attilio Maseri Foundation, was held in Rome due to commitments related to the election of the new Pope.

THE RESOURCES

The company has approximately 58 hectares of land that includes crops, permanent meadows and woods. They are distributed between the municipalities of Cividale del Friuli, Manzano (Oleis), Pavia di Udine (Persereano) and Premariacco. It rents some buildings of Villa Florio Maseri from the Attilio Maseri Foundation.

THE APPLE ORCHARD

A new hectare is cultivated with apple trees, in Persereano, with varieties resistant to the main diseases. It is a dense plantation, 1800 plants, with distances of 3.5 meters between the rows and 0.75 meters on the row. It is equipped with sub-irrigation, anti-hail coverage and anti-insect net. Seven varieties are present, with different ripening periods, modern and suitable for fresh consumption and processing. The destination of the product is for fresh consumption, for juice and for new generation jams.

THE CHERRY TREES

One hectare is reserved for the cherry tree, always in Persereano. The orchard, with subirrigation, is under rain cover and has an anti-insect net. It is a dense plantation, 980 plants, with distances of 4 meters between the rows and 1 meter on the row. The ripening calendar is about 30 days, from June 1 to July 5. The destination is fresh consumption and direct sale.

THE OLIVE GROVES

The new five-hectare olive grove was created in Olei di Manzano, an area historically suited to olive growing. It is a super-intensive plant, 5,600 plants, with distances of 4 meters between rows and 2 meters on the row. It is completely mechanized, from harvesting to pruning. Native varieties, from other Italian and international regions particularly suited to super-intensive plants have been planted. The final destination is the production of extra virgin olive oil (EVO) and direct sales.

THE VINEYARDS

The two new hectares with disease-resistant vines resulting from the research activity of the University of Udine are also located in Oleis. They are intended for the production of high-end bottled wines: a white, a red and a brut. Currently, “Contessa Florio” has two Docg vineyards of whites and reds in Corno di Rosazzo, for about one and a half hectares of extension.

THE COMPANY

Established in June 2024, “Contessa Florio” is a limited liability company. The Board of Directors is composed of the president Raffaele Testolin, the CEO Michele Zampieri and the director Mara Pugnale.

THREE GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Tradition, innovation, sustainability , also with a view to transferring knowledge to the agri-food world, are the three guiding principles on which the Company's activity is based. Tradition , because it aims to recover fruit production, such as apple, olive and cherry, once widespread in Friuli and abandoned in the last 60 years in favor of cereal cultivation and livestock farming. Innovation , because the "Contessa Florio" project favors crops with limited phytosanitary needs and intensive, highly mechanized breeding systems. Furthermore, because the organization of residential courses and internships for students will be an opportunity to transfer innovation to the Friulian agri-food world. Sustainability , for the varietal choices and orchard management programs that provide for a significant reduction in the use of defense products and a strong focus on consumer health and the environment.

FRANCESCA AND ATTILIO, A LIFE IN SYMBIOSIS

Attilio Maseri and Francesca Florio married in July 1960. He was born in Udine on November 12, 1935, descendant of a wealthy family from Oleis. She was three years younger, born in Rome on January 30, 1938, heir to a noble and wealthy family from Udine. At just two years old, Francesca, orphaned by her father Francesco Florio, who died in a plane crash in Libya, was raised by her mother, Countess Giuliana Canciani, an agronomist graduated in Bologna, an agricultural entrepreneur, who passed on to her an interest in the countryside. Attilio, graduated in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Padua and specialized in Cardiology and Nuclear Medicine at the University of Pisa, taught Cardiovascular Medicine for many years at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School in London and became director of the Hammersmith Hospital. Maseri was cardiologist to Queen Elizabeth II and Pope John Paul II. From their union, Filippo Maseri–Florio was born on September 23, 1961. Filippo died on July 20, 1994 in a tragic car accident, when he was a student at the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Udine.

THE STATEMENTS

"The University of Udine - said the rector, Roberto Pinton - is proud to continue the work of valorizing the generous legacy of Attilio Maseri, remaining faithful to his enlightened testamentary directions. For this reason we will continue to honor his desire to dedicate every effort to the education and future of young people. Principles in which our University has always fully recognized itself. The birth of the Agricultural Society, promoted by the Attilio Maseri Foundation, and its activity, which also draws on the research carried out at the University of Udine, fully represent the ability to give concreteness, in a pragmatic and innovative way, to the extraordinary act of generosity of the great scientist from Friuli towards our University".

The president of the Attilio Maseri Foundation, Cristiana Compagno , expresses great satisfaction "in seeing the realization of a great project for the enhancement of the agricultural heritage left by Professor Maseri to the University of Udine and now managed by the Contessa Florio Agricultural Company. The company is already using the best scientific knowledge in the agri-food field to innovate and at the same time enhance the agricultural traditions of our territory".

The president of “Contessa Florio”, Raffaele Testolin , highlighted that «the company is located in a lively context, characterized by highly professional companies, partly dedicated to annual crops and partly dedicated to quality viticulture. The agricultural company – Testolin explained – intends to promote the development of high-income crops, in particular fruit growing. Apple and cherry trees have represented interesting crops in the past in some areas such as Collio, the Natisone valleys, Carnia, the Pordenone foothills. They have given way to cereal and livestock farming, which in these times are showing major income limitations. Fruit crops, if managed professionally – concluded the president of the agricultural company – can represent an interesting reconversion for many companies».

The mayor of Pavia di Udine, Beppino Govetto , complimented "the diligence in starting the activity of the agricultural company, for what it has already done and for what it plans to achieve. This is giving substance to the wishes of Attilio Maseri - the mayor underlined -. The Municipality will do its part to support the agricultural company and the Attilio Maseri Foundation and thus contribute - Govetto remarked - to giving new life to the agricultural vocation of the territory".

Due to concomitant institutional commitments, the regional councilor for agri-food resources, Stefano Zannier , sent a message of good wishes. «The Contessa Florio di Persereano agricultural company is not just a touching memory of those who “moved forward” – says Zannier. Nor is it a new, welcome tool with which to enhance the study work of the universities, all in a country that is unfortunately arid on this topic. The company – continues the councilor’s message – is the very symbol of a modern approach between culture and market, a profitable method thanks to which to finance research through an economically sustainable and quality activity, a potential model for private individuals for the attention paid to investments. The Region – concludes Zannier – applauds the Attilio Maseri Foundation and the University of Udine as creators of this initiative, confident in the results that the agricultural company will be able to offer to the territory».

Unable to attend due to commitments related to the election of the new Pope, Ambassador Antonio Zanardi Landi sent a message of greetings and best wishes for her work. "I believe that nothing would have been more welcome to Giuliana Florio - said, among other things, in the message Zanardi Landi, who leads the Committee of supporters of the Attilio Maseri Foundation -, than to know that an agricultural company with a strong component of innovation and research would be dedicated to her memory. Congratulations on this decision by the Board of Directors and best wishes for success. Agriculture was Giuliana's passion and source of strength, who knew how to move agilely at every level, even the highest, and find admirers and allies in Rome, Milan and around the world, without ever losing the very strong connection with agricultural production, its people and its territory".