The Calabretta Family came in the late 1880s to Passopisciaro where they were involved in the construction of the Circum Etnea and the artistic decoration of the local church. In the beginning of the 19th century Gaetano Calabretta and his wife Grazia started to cultivate the first vineyards. In the late 1920s and the 1930s a great part of their production was sold in northern Italy where the family owned a store in Santa Margherita Ligure.

After the second world war, son Michele took over the winery and set up the local distillery that was very successful. When in the 1970s the agriculture on Mount Etna was in decline the family gave almost all grounds away. In the following years his son Gaetano Calabretta tried to maintain the remaining structures. In 2010 the son of Gaetano and grandson of Michele named Michele Calabretta together with his wife Claudia – both appassionate wine lovers – aquired new land in Passopisciaro and the sourrounding area and decided to re-establish the old family tradition under the label Tenuta Boccarossa. The name “Boccarossa” is dedicated to the vulcano and its powerful eruptions, an incredible energy.