OUR HISTORY
Records of Risaia del Duca, date back to before the 1600s, when the Ducal Chamber (the institution through which the Duke of Este formally exercised ownership) owned a large area south of the present-day municipality of San Felice sul Panaro, known as Bosco di San Felice or Bosco della Saliceta. The main activity was the production of timber for shipbuilding, along with a secondary product, firewood.
A significant turning point occurred at the beginning of the 1800s, when the timber resources were running out. Consequently, Dukes Francesco IV first, and later Francesco V, decided to promote food crop cultivation in the area, both to increase revenues and to meet the local population’s demand for employment.
From 1820 onwards, a series of land acquisitions and exchanges began around Bosco della Saliceta, which by around 1840 led the Ducal Chamber to become the owner of over 2,000 Modenese biolche (approximately 625 hectares) under the name Reale Tenuta di San Felice, Risaia Reale, and Fornace.
The lands surrounding the Bosco were used for various types of cultivation.
Azienda Agricola Risaia del Duca Società Agricola a r.l. Società Benefit Via Dogaro, 1019 – 41038 San Felice sul Panaro (MO) ITALY | Registered office: Strada Degli Schiocchi, 12 – 41124 Modena VAT No. 03787520364 – R.E.A. MO – 417776 – Share cap. € 10,000,000.00 f.p.