Gaetano Guarino, Caroline Zimmermann, and Salvatore Ferragamo
Final Day of Filming on “Terroir”

It was the first weekend in July and for the last 23 years I’ve been in Laguna Beach for the opening of the Festival of Arts. This weekend was a bit of a departure for me: not only was I not in California, but still in Tuscany and still filming the last scenes for our indie film Terroir.

We found ourselves back in Borro… that is the Il Borro Estate owned by the Ferragamo Family. John had asked Salvatore Ferragamo to do a cameo role for Terroir, and he kindly agreed.

The Villa – Il Borro

The medieval hamlet of Il Borro and its gorgeous Villa originally brought us to Tuscany and the Val d’Arno area. John was filming at the estate in the summer of 1999, where met and filmed with the young Salvatore Ferragamo, who manages the Estate. After several conversations, dinners, wine and grappa, John informed me that we were going to rent one of the Borro village apartments… Salvatore generously included a studio for me to paint.

We lived in Borro for over two years, had our wedding party there. I had numerous workshops and painted prolifically while we were there. Living there was a dream, and until our old mill house aka Molino found us, we were quite content.

Now fast forward 10 years and our return. Salvatore did a fantastic job, playing a character not far from himself – a premiere winemaker.

We filmed early mornings on the estate and were fortunate to have another guest appearance: his Polo Pony, Azul, who was by the way, a natural in front of the camera!

The cantinas are fabulous and make a marvelous set! The Borro Estate Winery has over 45 hectares of vineyards that produce varietals such as Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Petit Verdot. And we have the prviledge of introducing the estate’s next wine in “Terroir” – a 100% Syrah with a very unique label!

“October in Il Borro” 2000
by Caroline Zimmermann

If you are considering a memorable vacation in Tuscany, do look up Il Borro. Words alone cannot give a full description to the beauty and majesty of this Tuscan Estate. You will simply have to see for yourself.

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