Our family
A family, a love story spanning Europe from Bari Vecchia to London. What a family! Filled with love and passion. A family like no other that love to eat together, travel together and party together. We are one and we are Terre Di San Vito. We pour the very essence of Italian craftsmanship, traditional Apulian methods andlove into our authentic, organic produce. None of this would be possible without the Terre Di San Vito team and family. We strongly believe that you cannot make great produce without a great team and great passion.
Even though we are a small family farm, we are fortunate to have a wonderfully hard-working, loyal and experienced team and willing family members!
Over the years, we have learnt together and discovered our own way of doing things.
Sharing common values and having the same goals is our recipe for success.
Our uncle Francesco De Napoli (Zio Franco) has such a passionate and creative mind– he inspires all of us. He had a dream and now it is becoming a reality.
His wife (Zia Lucia) keeps everyone in line and is the most marvellous cook – she makes sure the family recipes are alive and kicking! Giovanni, the eldest son knows his wine! He works alongside his father on the farm, organises events and gives a most incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic wine-tasting experience for local and overseas visitors.
Elena (the eldest) helps with the administration and Giacomo(the youngest of Zio Franco’s children) also works on the farm and is designing a range of beauty products inspired by the Terre Di San Vito olives and wines! Look out for them!
Then we have us, the UK family! We are based in the UK but we spent our childhood in Italy. Every school holiday – off we went to see the family and enjoy the company of our 35 cousins. We loved every minute!
A small farm we may be - a small family – no! Now as adults, our love for our family and traditions has remained.
Johnny De Napoli is Franco’s nephew – our dad was Franco’s big brother and to say our dad loved his family, wine and food is not an understatement and we share that same love and passion.
Johnny is a media executive who celebrates his Italian roots at every opportunity. He relishes drinking wine and eating the mouth-watering, traditional foods of Italy so sharing with you, the delights of the Terre Di San Vito products is his pleasure.
We are very close with our family in Bari. It is a big family and we love it!
Nonno Giovanni and Nonna Elena are our Grandparents.
Having eleven children nearly all of whom are married and have children – including us here in the UK, gives us a great big Italian family with 35 incredible first cousins!
Fifty-eight years ago, our dad Michele and his brother Lello came over to England. They both met beautiful English ladies, married and settled down.
Our dad loved his country and his heritage and this has rubbed off on us all.
The family, the parties, holidays and cooking were and are still very important and special to us all.
We all have such wonderful memories and so many traditions that we keep alive today.
We’ve travelled to and from Bari by car, plane, ship and train – flying is definitely the easiest and most comfortable let me tell you!
We lived in Bari for a while when I was born and I have such wonderful memories of growing up playing with my cousins and getting up to untold mischief!
In the mid 70’s at the beginning of the summer holidays, our parents used to put me and my siblings on a direct flight from London to Bari to see our Grandparents and spend the summers with our family – it was glorious.
Fifty years ago, Bari airport was just a garden shed with a runway! Now it is developed and has gates!!!
We remember the plane landing and out on the runway
would be our Nonna Elena, a couple of uncles and cousins all waving to us from the tarmac!
After being crushed with cuddles and cheeks sore with having them pinched, the adventure would begin.
Squeezing around 14 people into 2 old style Fiat 500 Cinquecentos was an experience never to be forgotten!
Our holidays were full of fun, sun, sea, sand and food. Family was and is everything.
Helping set the lunch table for 26 of us with extra food made –just in case someone turned up unexpectedly – was a major task!
This was before most people could afford paper or plastic plates!
We knew when lunch or dinner was nearly ready – we could smell the tomato sauce cooking – did you know the smell changes as it cooks from a fruity tomato smell to a deep, delicious, stomach-rumbling, come and dip some bread in me tasty?
These are just a few of our cherished family pictures – all eating or drinking! In the flat, on the beach – anywhere we could get together – we did! Whenever you are in Puglia – come and see us – you can meet the team, share our food and explore our wines!
From Terre Di San Vito, with love ❤️
