The history of the Romano and Lidia Levi family

The Levi family comes from the village of Fraciscio di Campodolcino in the Spluga Valley (near the Swiss border). In that place, the Levis operated as distillers since the 17th century. For more than two centuries, these distillers moved toward Piedmont when it was harvest time. They traveled with a few portable stills, distilled locally, and produced a high-quality grappa, mainly from Barolo and Barbaresco (Nebbiolo) pomace. In the second half of the 19th century, some of these distillers moved from the Spluga Valley and decided to remain in the areas where major wine producers were present.

Here they installed some important distilleries, not only in Piedmont but also in Lombardy and Veneto. In Fraciscio di Campodolcino, the old Levi house still stands, called "House of the Angels" because all the heads of the family were named Angelo.

Levi Serafino married Teresina Balbo and they had two children: Lidia (1926) and Romano (1928). Around 1920, Serafino decided to move to Neive because the region produced great wines and there was a large quantity of high-quality pomace. In 1924, he founded his direct-fire distillery and began operations. Serafino died in 1937, leaving behind Romano, Lidia, and his wife, Teresina Balbo, who continued to work in the distillery until her death in 1945, caused by one of the few bombs dropped on the town of Neive toward the end of the war. Romano was only 17 and a student in Alba. He decided to stop his studies and began working in the distillery, which he never left until his passing on May 1st, 2008.

The Wild Art of Romano Levi

Romano Levi transformed the distillery's labels into a personal language, made of spontaneous strokes, light figures, and phrases born from daily observation. Each bottle became a unique piece, hand-written and hand-drawn, capable of telling the story of his way of experiencing distillation as a human and poetic gesture. That wild, recognizable, and unrepeatable art helped make his work famous around the world.

The direct-fire still, the heart of the Levi distillery

The direct-fire still introduced by Serafino Levi is the living heart of the distillery, an apparatus that requires constant presence, sensitivity, and a continuous relationship with heat. Romano Levi called it a "little jewel," certain that, if fueled and respected, it could yield a grappa with an authentic character.

Around its warmth, an identity has been formed, made of seasons, aromas, and attention to the nuances of the pomace. The choice to keep it unchanged preserves a practice that refers directly to the history of the Levis, offering a continuity that gives voice to the land, hands, and memory.

The Grappas of Lidia and Romano Levi

The history of Levi grappas is a shared narrative, the result of the joint work of Lidia and Romano, the joint heirs of the Neive distillery. Lidia, reserved and stern by nature, lived on the first floor of the house, where she would select and prepare the extremely rare herb-infused grappas, delicate creations that required absolute care and rigor. Romano often recalled how decisive his sister’s presence had been, describing her as a precious source of balance and discipline.

At the same time, the international fame of their bottles stems from the labels that Romano began writing by hand in the early sixties, enriching them with spontaneous phrases and drawings. From that daily gesture took shape what we now call wild art, a unique signature that has made their grappas recognizable and unforgettable.

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