The D'Ancona Agricultural Company, the oldest on the island of Pantelleria, is a small family-run business operating in the Cimillia area. Memories trace the company's history over four generations: Salvatore D'Ancona, a winemaker in the 1920s and a professor at the Agricultural Institute on the island, decided to leave teaching to devote himself full-time to his business. His first winery was established in Margana but was moved to Sciuveki in the 1930s when the construction of an airport for military purposes began in Margana and all the lands in the area were expropriated. Salvatore was already shipping Passito and raisins with sailing ships, and later motor ships, to the main Italian ports (Marsala, Naples, Livorno, Genoa). It is worth noting that the Passito was bottled, a very rare thing at the time, with beautiful labels of which we still have some examples! His son Antonio, known as Totò to his friends, took over the business after returning to Pantelleria in 1963 following a long stay in Tripoli. Despite being very reserved and averse to any form of self-promotion, he was known in the industry as an influential and experienced professional. His particular care and attention to wine production started in the vineyard: even today some growers remember with admiration and nostalgia the advice and directions he used to give to obtain the best quality grapes. Totò decided to move the winery to its current location in Cimillia, inside an old dammuso owned by his wife Angela, and immediately proved to be an innovator and a precursor of what is now called "wine and food tourism": he introduced the use of concrete tanks, started mail order sales and hosted many visitors in his winery, offering them a taste of his wines, presented with simplicity but as a precious gift, like a work of art that required effort and sweat. Outside the old dammuso, Totò opened a large square where the grapes are still laid out to dry in August, and set up an old Arab garden that contains three orange trees. After his death, his 5 children continued their father's work, but the company entered a critical phase of generational transition typical of many family-run businesses, until in 2000, after changes in the company's statutes, it was managed by only two of Totò's daughters, Caterina (Ketty to her friends) and Sara, supported by the invaluable presence and help of their mother Angela. A significant phase of revitalization then began, with the renovation and modernization of the winery, and a new impetus was given to the hospitality activity during the summer, with information activities on production processes, wine tastings paired with typical island products and organization of evenings for the presentation of books, documentaries and other cultural initiatives. Today it is Lorenzo, Ketty's son, who after studying engineering and gaining professional experience in the automotive industry, is approaching the company with renewed enthusiasm, and bringing new ideas especially in the field of marketing and communication. The challenge now is to guide the company in an increasingly global and rapidly changing world without compromising its identity and integrity.
