Piero and Giorgio Gonnelli

It all began on 13 February 1585, when the brothers Francesco, Lorenzo and Giulio, sons of Taddeo di Michele di Lorenzo, purchased the Santa Téa estate from the Friars of the Carmine Convent in Florence for 300 soldi, as attested by a deed kept at the Florence Notary State Archives. But Santa Téa’s roots go even further back in time: the adjoining oil mill, built in 1426, was already renowned for the extraordinary quality of its oil. An oil made unique by the microclimate of the Reggello plateau, about 400 metres above sea level, exposed to the sun and naturally ventilated, just thirty minutes south of Florence. For over fifteen generations, the Gonnellis have literally grown up inside the oil mill. Brothers, sons and grandsons have succeeded one another without interruption, handing down not only a profession, but a true art: that of the oil millers, born at the time of the medieval guilds. A knowledge made of observation, patience, direct experience and absolute respect for the raw material. Today, this legacy lives on through Piero Gonnelli and Giorgio Gonnelli, contemporary custodians and interpreters of a centuries-old tradition. With them, the Frantoio di Santa Téa has become a living monument of industriousness, where the past is never nostalgia, but a solid foundation for innovation.

Alongside the museum part, which preserves intact machinery, environments and historical testimonies of extraordinary value, today there are the most advanced technologies for milling and constant research and experimentation, both in the mill and in the field. Tradition and innovation proceed together, in balance, with a single objective: to produce extra virgin olive oil of absolute excellence, faithful to the character of the land and to the Gonnelli name. The Frantoio di Santa Téa is not just a place of production: it is a rare testimony of family continuity, agricultural culture and Tuscan identity. A place where every drop of oil tells more than five centuries of history, work and passion.