" ... it was a summer evening when the family gathered as usual on the balcony of the manor, under the starry sky, Elio and Sabina, with their children on their knees, said "this place is too beautiful to keep all to ourselves", from the desire to share all this exciting beauty ,the doors of the fortress opened wide."

The Baglio

ROOTED DEEP IN TRADITION

At the end of the 18th century, as Marsala wine became renowned around the world, more land like our hill, perched just 150 meters above sea level was needed for its cultivation. The Baglio was built to lord over this agricultural area. Coming from the Latin "balarm" meaning fortified house, this type of fortified residence, characterized by high walls, a tower, and defensive elements can be found all around Sicily. Our Baglio is intrinsically linked with the archeology of wine cultivation in the province of Trapani, one of Europe’s most cultivated areas.

Sweet nectar

The famous Marsala wine, which comes from this land, is one of the strongest parts of our tradition, preserved and handed down from generation to generation. Its fame spread around the world by the Oneto family, and English merchants Ingham, Whitaker and Woodhouse, the history of Marsala is closely linked to various bagli. Part of our identity, today as much as yesterday.

The history of Marsala Wine

The story goes that in 1773 a Liverpool merchant named Woodhouse sailed with his ship along the coast of Sicily towards Mazaro del Vallo. Thanks to a sudden storm, his ship had to dock at Marsala, which was renowned for its taverns. It was here that the merchant tried the best wine from the area, Perpetuum, and he was smitten. He decided to bring some home to England, and to conserve it during the voyage back he mixed it with fortified wine. And so, a true legend of Sicily was born – Marsala.

The Noble Oneto Family

The Oneto family is one of the most historic, noble families in Italy, hoasting many famous names since 1100. These include Odinetto, the 11th-century consul of Genoa, Armando Oneto, who followed Emperor Frederick II to Sicily and was granted land in Catania, up to Commendatore Tommaso Oneto Prince of San Lorenzo, who was mayor of Marsala and hosting King Victor Emmanuel on the island in 1922. Tommaso’s niece, Sabina Laudicina Oneto and her husband, architect Elio Palmeri, began to harbor a dream, around 1980, of bringing new life to the family home, giving back to the community anything that was lost through urbanization. Elio studied Baglio Oneto carefully and came up with a food and wine tourism initiative that combined the fascination of its historic architecture with the most authentic hospitality and the production of wine and oil.

From dream to reality

It took quite a few years of devotion and hard work to bring this idea of beauty to completion: but from an ancient fortress structure, the Baglio Oneto you see today took shape, brick by brick, becoming a luxurious Wine Resort for your Sicilian holidays. In every phase of the restructuring, Elio and Sabina modernized the structure and utilities, without ever compromising the essence of the historic fortification. It’s a story of the heritage, history, culture and fine wines, from the past into the future.

Everything was so nice and the staff were very professional. It’s like diving into the past

eleferra68

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Resort Sicily - 5-star hotel Marsala - Wine resort Sicily