Of course this can only happen in Italy - and in one of Italy's most famous wine regions - the Tuscany. Amerigo Vespucci Airport in Florence, Italy is redefining what house wine means. The regional airport will feature a 19-acre vineyard on the roof of its planned new terminal building. The airport will also be connected to the city center via a light rail system, so we will not need to worry about driving.... The structure will be built in two phases, with the first portion opening in 2026 and fully completed in 2035. The vineyard is intended to be camouflage and help the terminal building blend into the surrounding Tuscan landscape. However, it will be a fully operational vineyard, according to designboom Magazine. Rafael Viñoly Architects, the project’s design firm, plans to work with a famous local vintner to harvest the grapes and produce a wine that will be aged in a cellar underneath the terminal.
What better way to be welcomed to Tuscany, the heart of wine-making Italy, than an airport with a vineyard on the roof? Well, the one in Florence could become, in a few years, the first hub in the world to produce its own wine from the grapes grown above the passenger terminal. Apparently an important Tuscan wine producer will be responsible for the maintenance of the vineyard. The produced wine will be (after aging) made available for sale at the Florence airport.
The infrastructure will require a complex approach, with particular attention to weight distribution and drainage system. Furthermore, since the microclimate on the roof is different from that of a traditional vineyard, there will also be challenges related to heat control, wind protection and proximity to moving aircraft. In addition to the vineyard, the new hub will also benefit from improvements in other parts of the Airport site, which is located only a few km from the center of Florence. Reorientation and lengthening of the existing runways, new arrival and departure areas and creation of seven parks around the facility, along with student accommodation, retail space and enhanced surface transport links. The aim of the new terminal is to facilitate seamless connections and promote eco-friendly travel options. The intention is to build a light metro system (the famous Florence tramway) to directly connect the airport to the city centre, offering efficient and convenient transport for passengers. Furthermore, dedicated transport, parking and commercial spaces will be available inside the terminal, accessible to all, not just travellers, in order to make the airport a dynamic and inclusive connection centre: part of the city. The new Terminal will have a spacious square with various shops, inspired by traditional Tuscan city squares. This vibrant space will serve as a convergence point for arrivals and departures, thus optimizing passenger flow. We cannot wait until this project is finalized!
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