Santa Maria al Monte

Santa Maria al Monte is a beloved name in Italian liqueurs. It is rumored that the Sanctuary of Madonna del Monte in Genoa gifted a sacred herbal recipe for the “miraculous elixir of Santa Maria” to the Duke of Aosta. His chef, Vicenzo Castrovillari, developed the recipe into an amaro and began producing it for the public in Sampierdarena (now a part of Genoa), receiving a patent for his product in 1892. Amaro Santa Maria al Monte quickly garnered international acclaim, and it was notoriously lauded by the director of the Medical Clinic of the University of Genoa as being “superior to fernet.”

In the early 1900s, the brand was purchased by established Ligurian liqueur maker Nicola Vignale, and for three generations, the Vignale family preserved this Genoese specialty. Now owned and produced by Gruppo Caffo, the amaro and liqueurs of Santa Maria al Monte are made with the same recipes and methods that have made them Italian household and bar staples for well over a century.