Giovanni, an economist, was born of an aristocratic Neapolitan family in 1929. He studied at the University of Naples and then worked briefly on a coffee plantation in Africa and at FAO in Rome before going to California for an advanced degree at UC-Berkeley.
There he met Diana, daughter of a California artist, who was already entranced with Tuscany after a European tour following her graduation from Stanford.
We were married in 1961, and after a few years in Naples we moved to the Castle where we managed the farm and raised four children, while Giovanni continued to teach European agricultural policy at the University of Siena until his retirement.
Around 1980 we started refurbishing the abandoned old stone houses within the castle walls and around the property, offering them for rent to vacationers.
In 1995 daughter Paola, who had learned computer design in San Francisco, designed the first Montalto web site, subsequently updated regularly by Giovanni and completely reworked by daughter Elena in 2006.
As time went by, one after the other the old buildings were restored, bathrooms and heating put in and plumbing and wiring improved. The swimming pool and tennis court were installed and the former granary became an impressive hall for banquets and ceremonies. Montalto is still a working farm under Giovanni's guidance, but agriturism - "agrotourism" or hospitality for tourists in an agricultural context - has become a full-time occupation.
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