Fashion, Farm, and Family: An Interview with Vittoria Ferragamo

People expect you to love fashion if your last name is Ferragamo. But the granddaughter of Salvatore, the creator of the footwear-turned-haute couture dynasty, never found her calling in women’s shoes. She found it in horseshoes.

Vittoria Ferragamo is a lifelong equestrian, lover of nature, and the Head of Sustainability at Il Borro, a 2,700-acre Relais & Châteaux resort in the Arezzo province of Tuscany. The magical medieval property includes a working farm that Ferragamo family purchased more than 30 years ago. (Here's my Fathom article about it.) Most days, you’ll find her rocking Superga sneakers instead of Ferragamo heels — and she wouldn't have it any other way, as she explained when we sat down for a chat.

Tell me about your relationship to Il Borro.

It has always been part of my life, but in different ways. I've always been a huge lover of animals and of nature. What brought me to Il Borro was often just the desire to be in nature with my dad, Ferruccio. He would come here to hunt, and just to be with him and his dogs in the woods was very special. That's how I came to really love this place, enjoying every corner and seeing its history and future.

We lived just outside of Florence, in an area in the hills called Fiesole. The city is just a 20-minute drive away, but we were living in the country. Out here [in Arezzo] it was even more wild. At Il Borro we were immersed in vast woods and all the possibilities of its fields and rivers and lakes. When I was about 10 or 12 years old, I’d ride horses all over the property, jump through the ditches. We’d gallop around and race.

Is this what sparked your desire to be a professional equestrian?

When I was in school, I was horseback riding at an important level and visited Il Borro less frequently. When I was about 22, I came back to the area to work, mainly in our hotel business. Then I came to Il Borro and started working here. My father always wants people to be able to do what their passion is and what they're good at. He said, “Why don't you take care of the horses, but also be on the board so you can understand everything that's going on?” Slowly, I took on various responsibilities, especially the horseback riding and the wine-cellar tours, both of which I love immensely.

Wine is quite different from horseback riding.

I started taking care of our food production that was developing beyond wine and olive oil. In 2015, we became certified organic, and in 2016 we started to produce our own grains. We set up our own vegetable garden and started producing honey. Then we created vegetable boxes for weekly deliveries to cities nearby.

Like a CSA?

Yes, exactly, and we're still doing that, but only in Florence at the moment. We have strengthened the connection between our own restaurants and our own production. About 50 percent of the ingredients used in our restaurants come from Il Borro, which is something we really value and are very proud of. I'm not an expert at sustainability, but we have consultants, and I have an amazing team.

Is there any connection to the Ferragamo fashion dynasty?

There's a connection. My father’s values have come into the world of Il Borro. Fashion and hospitality are very different businesses, of course, but it’s all about passion at the end of the day. My grandparents came from the small village Bonito near Avellino, a primarily agricultural area a few hours from Naples. Both families had this strong agricultural activity.

My grandfather wanted Ferragamo to be what it is. It was his dream, it was his vision, and our whole family brought it forward after he passed away.

My grandmother was very good at giving each son and daughter an area in which to express themselves, depending on their capabilities and passions. My grandfather did that a lot with his creations, with his shoes, when he explored different kinds of materials. My father has done the same with Il Borro. That's where I really feel the legacy is and the heritage in doing something with personal passion.

This interview has been edited for clarity.