Your connection to Florence stems from football. When did you realize that Tuscany would also become the place to build a new life and a new venture?
In reality, I have always been deeply attached to my home region. I grew up in the Tuscan hills and was fortunate enough to go through the youth academy at Empoli and later spend a significant part of my career in Florence. This allowed me to maintain strong, lasting ties with lifelong friends, my family and the local area. My wife is also from Empoli, so when we were choosing where to live and raise our family, we didn’t hesitate: Tuscany has always been home.
How did Cantina Dainelli come about, and what drove you to turn your passion for wine into a business venture?
Cantina Dainelli was born, first and foremost, from a passion for the land and for wine. I was 25 years old when my best friend, Cristiano Savini, and I opened a restaurant in Peccioli, my hometown. It was there while working alongside the sommelier that I began to immerse myself in the world of wine; we held tastings to curate our wine list, and over time, a group of us formed to travel across Italy, discovering new regions, producers and wines. A few years later, my wife and I found the house where we still live today, in the hills of Cerreto Guidi. The property already included some vineyards, and that’s where the idea struck: why not try producing our own wine? It took a great deal of study and hard work. Even before I started production, I had already envisioned the wines I wanted to make and had even designed the labels. Then came my meeting with Attilio Pagli – a highly experienced winemaker – and the rapport we established allowed the project to truly take shape.
From the very beginning, my dream and ambition have been to produce the best possible expression of this land. It’s a region particularly well-suited to Sangiovese, with clay and limestone soils rich in fossil sediments—soils capable of yielding wines that aren’t necessarily “big” or heavy, but rather elegant, savory and aromatic.
You were also the captain of Fiorentina. What’s your relationship with Florence and the Viola world today?
I was incredibly proud to serve as Fiorentina’s captain for so many years, and I consider myself lucky to have experienced that era with an exceptional group of people—a team with whom we qualified for European competitions and the Champions League over several seasons. I later had the opportunity to return to Fiorentina in an executive role. But my connection to Florence goes far beyond football: I got married here, my children were born here, and I have built a fundamental part of my life here. That’s why the bond with Florence and Fiorentina can only be one of love.
Fiorentina turns 100 in 2026. What is your strongest memory from your time in the Viola colors, and what does it mean to be part of this century-long history?
Choosing just one memory is truly difficult. If I think back to my playing days, I would probably say the match against Liverpool in 2009—one of those nights that stays with you forever. If I look at my time as an executive, however, I would choose the 3–0 win against Juventus in Turin in December 2020. A victory that’s hard to forget. Being part of Viola history – especially in the centenary year – fills me with immense pride.
