(Wine-Searcher) - A modern Italian winery has a seriously Old World history beneath its vineyards.

Wineries often boast about their long histories, but few can claim a heritage that stretches back quite as far as Casale del Giglio in Italy.

An innovative, high-tech operation, the Santarelli family's property in the Lazio region has more in common with the groundbreaking boutique wineries of the New World than traditional Italian estates. But it is also a window on to Old World viticulture following the discovery, beneath its fields, of important remains of an ancient town that had its own thriving wine trade.

Every summer, a section of the Casale del Giglio vineyard is given over to excavations by a team of Dutch archaeologists.

"In 10 years of digging we have uncovered a street that was part of the pre-Roman town of Satricum," said University of Amsterdam researcher Marijke Gnade.

"Under the vines we have also found urns and ceramic wine goblets, which show that this place had a wine culture in ancient times."

The researchers have dated the street to the sixth century B.C. They believe it was a "Via Sacra", or "holy way", leading to a famous local temple dedicated to Mater Matuta, the goddess of dawn for both Romans and pre-Romans.

As well as authorizing digging on land they could be using to produce grapes, the Santarelli family have helped to finance a project jointly organized by local authorities and the University of Amsterdam. The archaeological discoveries prompted the family to adopt the name "Mater Matuta" for their top wine, a blend of Shiraz and Petit Verdot.