As even if you don’t speak Italian, you can probably guess the message!
Vigneti
There’s something magical about grape vines in fall, their harvest already collected, the fog off in the distance as winter approaches, and we dream of wines to come.
Piemonte in fall, via Azienda Giribaldi. Definitely click on the picture to properly appreciate.
Venice In Danger
Please visit Venice, but do so sustainably.
Complimenti, Giribaldi!
Congrats to our friends in Rodello for this excellent result from a renowned critic. And yes, this wine is not only fabulous, but a fabulous buy. If you can find a better Italian red at this price point, we’ll buy your next bottle. It really is a $60 wine, but it’s priced in the mid-$30s. Grab it when you see it.
Cooking Classes In Italy
Needless to say, we’re big fans. Can’t wait to learn more from Mama Isa!
Cheap Airfare
Just sayin…
It doesn’t get much better than that. Airlines are finally coming to the end of more expensive hedges on fuel and are now able to start passing along some savings to consumers. Your airfares don’t automatically get lower when your price at the gas station comes down because of the mechanics of how they buy fuel, but we’re starting to see some really good rates.
If you’ve been on the fence about planning a trip for this spring, summer, or fall, now might be the time to strike.
Piemonte In Autumn
The color palates are only matched the amazing flavors on the dinner table, and the fireworks that happen when your truffle pastas and locally sourced artisanal meats and cheeses are mated with local Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, and Barolos.
This view from a terrace overlooking the valley between Montelupo Albese and Diano d’Alba, as seen from Rodello.
Torcello Flowers
Before winter descends on the Veneto and all the tourists are gone, the subtle corners of the remote islands of the Venetian lagoon share their colors in quiet fall splendor.
Flowers on Torcello.
Grazie, Antiche Locanda Montin
One of our favorite restaurants in Venice shared my photo of their fabulous linguine alle seppie. Delicious…and not a bad shot if I say so myself. 🙂
Fun With Wine And Google: Piazzano
For a brief while our friends at Sovereignty Wines had an allocation of a very nice DOCG Chianti from just west of Florence, via the Piazzano estate. We liked it so much it demanded an investigation via Google Earth:
West of Florence, in the heart of the Tuscan wine paradise.
Drilling in a bit, we get some perspective for the closeness to the Firenze metropolitan area, while maintaining the rural roots that embody the terroir.
Beautiful. We’re getting closer. Note the purposefully repurposed plots of land, the agrarian sense of the place nestled close to developed areas…yet far enough out there in the Tuscan countryside to be what you’d want a Tuscany winery to be.
Aerial closeups.
And finally some earth level views that give up a sense of how magical this place is. The upright Tuscan cypress, the dry but fertile fields…magic all around.
Look at that view. You can see why expatriates from other countries give it up, all of it…the houses, the cars, the bank accounts, etc to go live in and amongst the Tuscans.
Sassi Italy Tours 