Skip to product information
L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare example from the work of the 1808 - wine book.
1/10
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare example from the work of the 1808 - wine book.
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare illustrated detail of the 1808 - wine book.
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare image of the 1808 - wine book.
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare photograph of the 1808 - wine book.
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare interior highlight of the 1808 - wine book.
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare fascinating view of the 1808 - wine book.
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare interior highlight of the 1808 - wine book.
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare detail view of the 1808 - wine book.
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare interesting detail of the 1808 - wine book.
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare example image of the 1808 - wine book.
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare example from the work of the 1808 - wine book.
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare illustrated detail of the 1808 - wine book.
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare image of the 1808 - wine book.
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare photograph of the 1808 - wine book.
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare interior highlight of the 1808 - wine book.
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare fascinating view of the 1808 - wine book.
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare interior highlight of the 1808 - wine book.
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare detail view of the 1808 - wine book.
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare interesting detail of the 1808 - wine book.
  • L'Agricoltura by Columella, Lucio Giunio Moderato, a rare example image of the 1808 - wine book.
L'Agricoltura

The Roman art of vine care

Columella, Lucius Junius Moderatus

L'Agricoltura
Volgarizzato Da Benedetto Del Bene, Membro Dell'Istituto

1808, Verona, Presso Giovanni Gambaretti

$380 USD

Overview

First volume of the Italian translation by Benedetto Del Bene of Columella’s De re rustica, the most comprehensive surviving Roman agricultural treatise, originally composed in the 1st century CE/AD.
This (translated) volume of Columella can be considered a foundational Roman manual on winemaking, reinterpreted through Enlightenment eyes, a rare blend of viticultural history, classical scholarship, and pastoral philosophy.

Inside the book

This volume includes the first six books of Columella’s work: Book I is about the farmer and his estate, and Book II focuses on soil, climate, and general crop cultivation. Books III, IV, and V are entirely dedicated to the vine, with part of Book V devoted to the olive tree. Book VI addresses animal husbandry, including preventive medicine for cattle, diseases and their remedies, horse breeds, and the treatment of illnesses in horses and donkeys. Del Bene’s translation renders the Latin into accessible and elegant Italian, reflecting Enlightenment-era agrarian interest in classical sources. The work is significant not only for its philological precision, but also for the translator’s extensive annotations and commentary, which connect ancient agricultural practices to the reformist spirit of late 18th-century Italy.
Above all, the three books dedicated to viticulture provide invaluable insight into: ancient Roman techniques for vine planting, pruning, and trellising; observations on soil types, climate, and vineyard orientation; a detailed picture of how wine production was interwoven with Roman economy and daily life. The two folded plates depict vine cultivation and horse management.

Why La Fenice chose it

It’s like having a 2,000-year-old Roman winemaker giving you vineyard tips, livestock advice, and a dash of philosophy, proof that good farming (and good wine) never go out of style.
Condition Report

Vol. I of 2 (II missing). Pp XV, 497, [2] errata corrige, 2 folded tables.

In contemporary paper boards (with discoloration and losses to the upper cover), red-sprinkled edges; binding loose; internally in very fine condition.

Dimensions (inches): 10.5 x 7 3/4 x 2 1/4
About the author

Columella (c. 4 – c. 70 CE) was a Roman agricultural writer from Gades (modern Cádiz), remembered as the ancient world’s most precise viticulturist. His treatise De Re Rustica stands as the most comprehensive surviving work on Roman farming, with entire books devoted to viticulture. Columella advocated careful vine spacing, airflow, and sun exposure- principles that remain central to modern vineyard management from Burgundy to Napa. Writing from the very region that would later become home to Sherry, he praised Andalusia’s soils and climate for vine cultivation, anticipating the albariza terroir of Jerez. Even his suggestion of blending across vintages to ensure consistency echoes today’s solera method. Nearly two millennia on, Columella’s insights still resonate in the vineyards and bodegas of southern Spain.

You may also like