The two lions that line Regio Cantina’s coat of arms hark back to the glorious Roman past of Venosa, the city that is home to our estate. Among the ancient Romans, the lion was a symbol of strength and power, thus expressing the invincibility of their legions. With lion skins were in fact covered the aquilifer, soldiers who carried the insignia of the army.
With the reference to this animal in our coat of arms, we wanted to pay homage to this immortal legacy, which is particularly felt in Venosa, since this city was the birthplace of one of the greatest poets of the ancient world: Horace, the monumental Roman author, who among his most memorable verses also wrote the very famous “carpe diem.” In the poem containing this expression, the poet invites us to savor every moment of our existence. Horace reminds us that it is useless to scramble to try to predict or anticipate the future; the only time we have experience of is only the present moment. “Carpe diem” means just that: to “seize the day,” to fully enjoy the moment, the only certainty of our lives. Not coincidentally, in the same poem, Horace reiterates the importance of indulging in pleasures, including — precisely — that of drinking excellent wine.
Finally, the crown that encircles the Regio Cantina coat of arms recalls another important page in the history of this corner of Italy: the Swabian kingdom, which imprinted its legacy on the art and culture of southern Italy. Flourishing during the 13th century, the kingdom had in Frederick II one of the most celebrated rulers in European history, so much so that he was named “Stupor mundi” (wonder of the world). Among his most innovative political moves was the drafting of an avant-garde and fundamental code of laws promulgated in Melfi, just 20 km from our Venosa.
The crown, moreover, refers to the very name of the estate: in fact, Regio Cantina means “king’s cellar.” With our coat of arms, therefore, we wanted to celebrate the history of our Basilicata region, between its Roman past and its medieval splendor.