The phenotypic and genotypic variability of cv. Picolit, an ancient, female-flower cultivar from north-eastern Italy was investigated by means of ampelographic and ampelometric descriptors and by molecular markers, such as microsatellites and AFLPs. Thirty nine samples were collected from old plants (30-100 years old), which showed some differences in morphology and growth. In two samples (P6 and P7) morphological differences were found. These samples showed a different allelic profile at 18 out of the 21 SSRs analysed and were therefore considered not to belong to the cv. Picolit. Of the remaining samples, 35 gave the same allelic pattern at all SSRs and they were therefore considered ‘true-to-type’ Picolit, whereas two of them (P4 and P8) showed several variations, including extra alleles. One of the possible causes of such differences is chimerism. The AFLP analysis, from which samples P6 and P7 were excluded, enabled screening of a larger portion of the genome and confirmed the differences of the P4 and P8 samples from the remaining ones. P4 and P8 were different from the majority of samples at 13 and 37 AFLP loci respectively. A few further polymorphic bands were recorded in the remaining samples, but they were disregarded since they were not always reproducible. This research confirmed the appreciable somatic stability of SSR markers even in long-lived, vegetatively propagated plants, and the occasional occurrence of solid mutations and chimerisms.