This is where our beer is born: in Gualdo Tadino, among the well-known Umbrian hills celebrated by Dante Alighieri. Here the pure water descends from the mountains heading straight to our fields to feed the ground, to quench the trees’ thirst, to blend into the atmosphere and to give life. Gualdo Tadino is the “heart-shaped” city because of the shape of its ancient walls which have disappeared after experiencing a succession of stories of culture, master craftsmen and heroic deeds. Even our story begins here...
Our barley has its roots in a very ancient story. Emperor Frederick II visited Gualdo Tadino around 1242, during his dispute with the Papacy, when he found the loyal Ghibelline town of Gualdo destroyed after a terrible fire. Touched by the fate of the allied town, the Emperor showed his generosity by building new city walls. He personally laid the first stone of the renovated “Flea Castel”. Furthermore, “he rode his horse around this land, and sowed with his own hands wheat, barley, spelt, broad beans, millet and other oils; he asked the Almighty to help the Castle grow and the people multiply, and to ensure them food and an everlasting safety”. (Chronicon) Nowadays, Birra Artigianale Flea originates from the well-known waters of Gualdo Tadino and the seeds sown by Emperor Frederick II many centuries ago. Moreover, Matteo and Maria Cristina have a strong passion for local stories about heroes, ladies and witches, and decided to name beers after these people: Isabella, Adelaide, Bianca Lancia, Margherita, Costanza, Anais, Federico II, Federico II Extra, Bastola and Violante.