Antonio’s Italy
May 26-June 2, 2012
Join Swirl Wine Bar & Market in May 2012 as Antonio Molesini, Italian Wine Specialist and native of Tuscany, takes us on a very special wine and cultural tour of his homeland. We’ll be living like locals, spending a week in a historic villa in Cortona and visiting Antonio’s favorite wineries, restaurants, hill towns and wine bars. With its centralized location, Cortona is the perfect base from which to explore both Umbria and Tuscany, allowing easy access to Orvieto, Montepulciano, Chianti, San Gimignano, Florence, Lake Trasimeno and more.
Accommodations: Our home for the next week is the beautifully restored Casa Berrittini, located just inside the ancient city walls of Cortona. This 14th century house has been lovingly refurbished over several years by the owner, in the traditional Tuscan style, but with modern conveniences. Villa Berrittini is wonderfully situated within this medieval city and offers incredible views, a beautiful garden and four suites with a separate sitting area, queen size bed and private bath. Common areas include a large kitchen and living room areas as well as full use of the majestic gardens.
Cortona: The medieval hill town of Cortona offers many options to the adventurous traveler. Tour frescoed churches from the 13th century; explore the original city walls; see an art exhibit in the 16th century fortress. You can also visit the local museums and libraries, tiptoe around ancient monasteries and Etruscan tombs dating back to the second century B.C. Dine on the best Tuscan dishes as you look out on an historic palazzo or hike out to the beautiful countryside. As for shopping, you'll find local handicrafts, antiques, and of course local wines and olive oils that simply outdo anything you've ever tasted!
Day One: Saturday, May 26th - We meet in the medieval city of Cortona. The Villa is located with in the ancient city walls and gives us easy walking access to the town center. Today we’ll get settled in, have lunch at a little enoteca, explore our surroundings, relax with a little Prosecco in the beautiful gardens before we walk to dinner at La Logetta.
Ristorante La Loggetta is wonderfully located in a 13th century building overlooking the main piazza of Cortona. We’ll sit outside on the terrace where we’ll be spoiled with delicious and innovative takes on traditional Tuscan cuisine while we watch the goings on in the piazza below.
Day Two: Sunday, May 27th – Exploring Cortona. Cortona is a small charming town enclosed by stone walls that dates back to Etruscan and Roman times. Sitting high on a hill top in the typical medieval fashion, this dominant position over the valley offers a spectacular view from all over the town of the surrounding region and even Lake Trasimeno. Its narrow winding streets are lined with excellent wine bars, shops and trattorie, making it a great place to just hang out. After breakfast we’ll do a walking tour of the ancient churches and monasteries, viewing beautiful works by Pietro di Cortona, Luca Signorelli, Fra Angelico and many other famous Renaissance artists. We’ll have a picnic on the beautiful grounds of the Basilica di Santa Margherita, eat a light lunch and give you time to explore on your own before dinner at the villa. Homemade Lasagna, lovingly made by a local “nonna”, is on the menu tonight, with fresh pasta and baked to perfection, as well as antipasti of local cured meats and cheeses, insalata and of course some delicious regional wine.
Day Three: Monday, May 28th - After breakfast this morning we’ll travel by car to one of the most treasured wine areas of Tuscany, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. We’ll spend the early part of the day touring the vineyards of Poliziano. Vintage after vintage, this family-owned property near the charming hilltop village of Montepulciano sets the quality standard in this historic region. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano was one of Italy’s first DOCG-designated wines, and continues to command a place among the country’s most celebrated reds. Our visit to Poliziano includes a tour the vineyards, the winemaking facilities and aging cellar, followed by a tasting of their range of wines and lunch of regional foods at the winery.
After lunch we’ll pass some leisurely time in the village of Montepulciano, without doubt one of the most beautiful medieval towns of Tuscany. Resting at 600 meters above sea level protected by still impressively intact walls, Montepulciano is known for its noble Renaissance town houses and for the elegant architecture of its churches. Montepulciano has more enoteche and cantine (wine cellars) than you can shake a wine bottle at, most offering the chance to sample local products: pecorino cheese, salami, honey, olive oil, and, of course, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Many shops also let you descend into their cantine, often a linked maze of basements, underground tunnels that once connected the palaces, and older grottoes carved into the tufa of the mountain. Afterwards we’ll head back to the villa, drink a glass of wine in the gardens and walk to dinner at La Bucaccia in the center of town.
Located in the restored wine cellar of a 13th century palazzo, Ristorante La Bucaccia is owned and operated by Romano Magi and his wife, Agostina. Together, the Magi family creates a dining experience that is the perfect expression of Tuscan culinary traditions from the region, and we’re hoping tonight we’ll get to try Agostina’s famous Chestnut Ravioli and Romano’s house made mozzarella!
Day Four: Tuesday, May 29th – Our base in Cortona makes the region of Umbria just a short distance and today we will spend the day in the medieval city of Orvieto. Few places in Italy are more dramatically situated than this Umbrian town, which sits atop a cliff of red volcanic rock. A stronghold in Etruscan times, sacked by the Romans, reborn in the Middle Ages, Orvieto has one of the most beautiful duomos in Italy, ancient churches and towers, as well as a maze of quarries, tunnels and tufo cellars.
Orvieto is also a wine-producing town, bursting with wine bars and fine food shops. It is one of the main centers of Italy’s Slow Food movement – and the headquarters of Cittàslow, the Slow Cities movement which celebrates the concept to “leisurely living”. So we will take our time, sit in the piazza enjoying Panini washed down with the local wine and have time to peruse the shops, churches, and hopefully the Etruscan tombs. Time permitting we’ll drive over to Lake Trasimeno, known historically as "the lake of Perugia", the largest lake in peninsular Italy. We’ll stop in the lively town of Passignano, taking in the sights and relax in a café overlooking the lake while we indulge in a little gelato or a refreshing apertivo.
Dinner tonight will be a real treat as our friends at Trattoria Dardano will prepare a local favorite, beef steaks from the local Chianina cattle. Thought to be one of the oldest breeds of cattle in existence, Paolo will grill this delicious meat in the famous style, Bistecca Fiorentina, the epitome of the rustic simplicity of Tuscan cuisine.
Day 5: Wednesday May 30th – Today we’ll immerse ourselves in one of the most famous wine producing regions of the world, Chianti Classico. Here, the olive groves, cypress trees, farm houses and miles and miles of vineyards, create an amazing landscape for us to explore. The village of Volpaia sits on a hilltop just north of the town of Radda in Chianti, in the heart of the Chianti Classico region. Built in the 11th century as a fortified village on the Florence-Siena border, the medieval layout and buildings within the village are still intact, making Volpaia one of the best-preserved villages of its period. Two thirds of the village is owned by famed producer Castello di Volpaia, a winery fully devoted to organic farming who produces olive oil, vinegar and wine, with a focus on Chianti Classico.
We’ll tour the vineyards, the winemaking facilities and aging cellar, and for lunch afterwards we’ll dine on our local fare and taste wines from the Maremma estate, Prelius, as well as the Chiantis and Super Tuscans of Castello di Volpaia.
If there is time we will stop in one of the many beautiful hill towns on our way home to take in the views and walk the ancient streets. Dinner tonight will be at the villa where we’ll feast on delicious hand made ravioli from our favorite Cortonese nonna!
Day Six: Thursday, May 31 - After an early breakfast this morning we’ll head west to sample some of Tuscany’s most famous white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano. And when it comes to producing this stellar quality white wine in Tuscany, the Teruzzi & Puthod estate stands heads and shoulders above the rest. This pioneering producer helped to usher this region’s historic Vernaccia di San Gimignano wines into modern times, and today is the indisputable benchmark against which all other Vernaccia wines are judged.
Designated Italy’s very first DOC wine in 1966 and later elevated to DOCG status, Vernaccia di San Gimignano holds an illustrious place in the history of Tuscany’s iconic white wines. The medieval town of San Gimignano in the province of Siena is one of Italy’s oldest winemaking sites, and the fame of the Vernaccia-based wines that originate in its hillsides is nearly as ancient as the city itself. And while they are famous for their white wines, Teruzzi e Puthod also produces a line of reds that are not exported to the United States that we will have the opportunity to taste on our tour. We’ll tour, taste and eat a light lunch at the winery before we head into the historic town of San Gimignano.
San Gimignano, known as the City of Beautiful Towers, is a classic medieval walled hill town in Tuscany, Italy. Its 14 surviving medieval towers create a beautiful skyline visible from the surrounding countryside. Originally there were 72 towers, some as tall as 50 meters, built by patrician families to demonstrate their wealth and power. We’ll stroll the narrow streets of San Gimignano, see the spectacular frescos in the Duomo, climb La Rognosa, the tower of City hall, visit specialty food shops, check out the local pottery and crafts and have an espresso in a little café before heading back to Cortona.
Tonight we’ll pick up pizza from one of Cortona’s local pizzerias, and have dinner in the garden with some insalata, antipasto and of course, vino!
Day Seven: Friday, June 1 - Today you will have the option to go by train to Florence with Antonio on one of his infamous shopping trips, schedule museum tours or spend a leisurely day relaxing in Cortona. Antonio loves to shop and visit the merchants on the Ponte Vecchio, the outdoor markets and main shopping thoroughfares in one of the most fashionable cities in the world. Or if you would like, we can arrange for you to visit Florence’s incredible museums on your own and we will all meet at the train station in the afternoon to return to Cortona together.
For those who choose not to go to Florence, you can spend a relaxing last day in the tranquility of Cortona, visiting the local merchants on the Via Nazionale to do you last minute shopping before our farewell dinner at La Grotta. La Grotta is a charming ristorante tucked away in a little piazzetta (little piazza) off the main Piazza Repubblica in the center of Cortona. Famous for their hand made pasta dishes, this multi coursed feast of local Cortonese specialties will be an excellent end to our culinary travels!
Day Eight: Saturday, June 2nd - We sadly say “Arrividerci” to Cortona this morning and take you to the train so you can get to you next destination.
Trip Cost: $2650/person for double occupancy (single occupancy is not available), not including airfare. A $750 check deposit and completed registration form are required to secure your reservation. Travelers from our previous trip to Tuscany will have priority in booking and will have until 11/21/2011 to respond. All other booking can begin as of 11/22 and spots are secured with deposit check and reservation form. For a registration form or information, please contact me at beth@swirlinthecity.com or call me at 504.304.0635.
Important Information:
-The villa has 4 double occupancy suites therefore we can accept up to 8 travelers maximum.
-Casa Berittinni is a historically restored 14th century villa that does not have air conditioning or an elevator.
-Due to the nature of the trip, you must be 21 or older to register.
-At times the trip will involve strenuous walking on steep hill town roads that are not accessible by car. Please make us aware of any physical limitations you may have.
