For more than three years, Aline Coquelle, the well-known globe-trotting photographer, and Count Gelasio Gaetani d’Aragona Lovatelli, a member of one of the oldest aristocratic Italian families, have followed the map of Italy’s best wines.

Guided by Gelasio, readers are introduced to a tribe of artistic and wine-loving amici who share their passion for their country’s heritage and bounty.

The Italian Dream: Wine, Heritage, Soul is an escape into the effortlessly elegant Italian lifestyle, savoring wine behind the private gates of family castles and vineyards, from the foothills of the Alps to the hill towns of Tuscany to the relaxed southern seasides.

Photography by Aline Coquelle

Text by Gelasio Gaetani d’Aragona Lovatelli

Foreword by Lapo Elkann

Winemaker, industry consultant, cellar advisor, speaker and visiting lecturer, Count Gelasio Gaetani d’Aragona Lovatelli is an eclectic and versatile authority on Italian and international wines, having traveled and worked in the U.S., South America, England, and the Far East.

Inheriting from his maternal grandfather, Baron Raimondo Franchetti, a passion for wine, agriculture, and terroir, Gaetani studied agricultural sciences in Italy, attended the Wine & Spirit Education Trust in London, and gained industry experience working for Julius Wile & Sons in New York, L & P Antinori in Florence, Souverain Wines in California, and Calona Vineyards in British Columbia.

Upon returning to Europe, he founded, together with his brothers, the renowned Argiano winery in Tuscany. A writer and raconteur, he has published several books, including Wine Notes (Luca Dotti, 2002), Walking on the Wine Side (Gribaudo, 2013), and Vini, Amori (with Camilla Baresani, Bompiani, 2014). He is also an Italian style and brand ambassador, bringing together tradition, passion, and experience in international strategy consultancy.