Monte del Fra'

Monte del Frà has a unique Italian history, led by our forefather, Massimo Bonomo, who in the mid twentieth century (Est. 1958), rented his first group of croplands in the northern part of Italy within the hills surrounding Lake Garda in the province of Verona. This is a place where some of the renown italian wines originate.

The first documented reference regarding Monte del Fra’ dates back to 1492. During that time, a group of Friars (Fra’ in Venetian dialect) belonging to the Order of Holy Mary of Scala di Verona were active in a former standing monastery on this land. A signed leased document created in 1619 allowed the rent of 25 parcels (hectares) for the cultivation of vineyards and fruit trees, and for the Friars to work the agricultural land in Sommacampagna. This document is kept in the historic library in Verona (Capitolare). In 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed the end of Church properties and auctioned all contents of the monastery. During the same century, in 1848 and in 1866, some of the most crucial moments of the Risorgimento (Italian unification) transpired during the first and the third Italian Independence Wars. Today, on these properties stand two of our most relevant cru of Monte del Fra’: Custoza and Staffalo. Additionally, in the village of Custoza, are the remains of nearly two thousand Italian, Austrian and Hungarian soldiers who fought and died during these battles.

The Bonomo family arrived during the mid twentieth century. Year after year, harvest after harvest, those first parcels (hectares) have become one of the most extensive vineyards in Verona, 137 proprieties and 68 leased hectares distributed in all the main denominations of Verona: Valpolicella, Custoza, Lugana, Soave, and Bardolino.

After sixty-two years, the management of Monte del Fra’ remains under control of the Bonomo’s family. The second generation is represented by two brothers, Eligio and Claudio, which is then followed by the third generation, Marica, Silvia and Massimo. As a family they have strong and concise values: the loyalty to their land and its appreciation and an increasingly sustainable agriculture. These vineyards are real “cru”, where some of our great wines originate and have become a point of reference for quality Italian wine in accordance to some of the most prominent international wine critics.