ITALO ZINGARELLI


Italo Zingarelli was born in the town of Lugo, in the province of Ravenna, on the 15th of January 1930. His mother, Italia Foschi, taught language and literature, whereas his father, Mauro, was a school headmaster, who passed away when Italo was only ten years old. In 1947, having completed high school, Italo enrolled in the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the University of Rome. He also started to take an interest in boxing, training at several gyms in Rome and eventually reaching the finals of the Italian Junior Middleweight/Heavyweight Championships.
His initiated his career in films in 1949, appearing as an extra in "Quo Vadis?" and being given a number of roles as a stuntman. The following year he became a production assistant and was involved in the making of a multitude of short films, but it would be another four years before he was to become fully involved in movie production. From 1954 onwards he worked as a production director on a great number of films, including ‘Slaves of Carthage’ (‘Le Schiave di Cartagine’). That same year he married Maria Laura Spano, who was to remain his friend, companion and trusted advisor for the rest of his life. Maria gave birth to three children: Fabio, born in 1956, Sandra following in 1957 and Sergio in 1958.

By 1958, Italo had clocked up sufficient experience to move into production, and in collaboration with his partners, he made his first feature film, ‘Rebellion of the Gladiators’ (‘La rivolta dei gladiatori’). In 1964, he founded his own production company, which has made over fifty features since then, films that have received widespread acclaim from audiences and critics alike.
Also in 1964, Italo became an advisor to the Italian National Union of Film Producers, a branch of the National Association of Filmmakers (ANICA), of which Italo would later be elected President for two years in 1980, before being made a Life member.
1966 saw the inception of Italo Zingarelli’s DELTA film distribution company, which introduced a state-of-the-art system for copying reels of celluloid, a system that allows for the so-called ‘carpet bombing’ of movie theatres. This strategy consists of making multiple copies of the original print, which are then used to show the film in several cities at the same time, giving two immediate advantages: the best possible exploitation of the publicity surrounding the film’s launch, combined with the highest possible takings in the film’s opening week. It was at around this time that Italo launched the partnership of Terence Hill and Bud Spencer (pseudonyms of Italian actors Mario Girotti and Carlo Pedersoli) in Comedy Westerns such as ‘They Called Him ‘Trinity’’ (‘Lo chiamavano Trinità), ‘They Still Called Him ‘Trinity’’ (‘Continuavano a chiamarlo Trinità’) and ‘Go For It, Boys’ (‘Più forte ragazzi’). During this period, Italo supervised the production of ‘I’m With The Hippos’ (‘Io sto con gli ippopotami’) and he also worked as a co-producer on such internationally successful films as ‘We All Loved Each Other So Much’ (‘C’eravamo tanto amati’) and ‘How Funny Can Sex Be?’ (‘Sessomatto’).
In 1970, Zingarelli produced ‘A Prostitute At The Service Of The Public And In Line With Government Regulations’, starring Giovanna Ralli and Giancarlo Giannini. The Ministry of Culture gave the film its ‘Quality Award’ (‘Premio Qualita’’) and the protagonist won a Golden Goblet (‘La Grolla d’Oro’) as Actress of the Year 1970. Italo taught Film Production at Rome’s Experimental Film School for the next four years.


We have reached the early Seventies, the period in which Italo decided to turn his dream into a reality by establishing a winery. In 1973, he purchased an 14th-Century village called ‘Macìe’, and the nearby Saint Alphonso’s Farm, in the area of Castellina in Chianti. The buildings underwent a large-scale restoration process, including a modernization of the existing cellars and the addition of brand new cellars, which have been continuously updated ever since. Thus, the Rocca delle Macìe brand was born.
Rocca delle Macìe’s first wines were released for sale, both nationally and internationally, in 1978. The wines immediately received tremendous critical approval. These early successes led to an increase in the size of the company as it acquired the Fattoria di Fizzano, an estate already renowned for the quality of its terroir.
In his time, Italo was an important figure in the Italian wine industry. He was named Advisor to the Consortium of Chianti Classico Producers and Vice-President of the Consortium of the Chianti Classico Denomination (Gallo Nero).
In 1995 he was made an Honorary member of the ATIC (Italian Society of Film Producers) and the AIC (Italian Cinematographers Association). A year later, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, then President of the Italian Republic, conferred upon him the honorary title ‘Knight of Labor’ (‘Cavaliere del Lavoro’).
Italo Zingarelli passed away after a prolonged period of illness. Along with him, his wife Laura, his children, grandchildren and friends all shared in a dream called ‘Rocca delle Macìe’.

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