Bella Giornata Tours
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • BLOG
  • Tours Booking Now!
    • Booking NOW! Rome and Tuscany!
    • Booking NOW-Amalfi Coast!
    • Girlfriends on the Go!
    • Rome, Lower Tuscany and Umbria
    • Build Your Own Tour!
  • Client Buzz
  • Irene's wine rack...
    • Italian Wines
    • Pacific Northwest Wines
    • South American Wines
    • French Wines

Food, Wine and Birthdays!

10/23/2014

0 Comments

 
With only ten people traveling together (7 clients, one translator, one driver, and ME), it's hard to believe two of those people would share a birthday. But they did! So this next day of our trip was filled with food, wine and birthday celebrations!

But to start off, I wanted to show you a photo of the area my clients stayed in during this portion of the trip. The Val D'Orcia is one of my favorite parts of Tuscany; rolling hills, beautiful greenery, and fantastic, food and wine.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Our first stop today was one of my favorite tiny towns in the area famous for its cheese and honey. Everyone had a little free time here this morning; time to stroll the streets, take in the views, and have lunch on their own. (And as you can see by the photo on the left....it's a great town to shop in.)
Picture
Now on to the very vertical town of Montepulciano for a really great wine tasting experience!











Talosa is always great fun to visit. It's a winning combination of delicious wines, a beautiful subterranean cavern, and Cristian's great personality.

Picture
Me, standing next to a barrel to give you an idea of how gigantic they are!
Picture
We descended so low.......
Picture
Client Peter on the left with Cristian from Talosa Winery.
Picture
....that we could see fossils and seashells buried in the ancient cavern walls.
Picture




All that climbing up and down has made us thirsty. Time to start tasting these delicious wines!
Picture
Picture
After all the tasting, oohing and aahing, lots of purchases are made. Arrangements are made to ship cases to the U.S., and everyone leaves happy, knowing their wine purchases will be arriving before too long.

After all our trekking about today, we move on to an agriturismo for the next two nights. It is at this agriturismo called Fontanaro where I have made arrangements for the birthday celebrations to take place.

We arrive with time for everyone to settle into their villa accommodations before having dinner with Alina and her mother Lucia. They fix us a fabulous meal. We start with cheeses, honey, and cured meats. 
We follow that with two different homemade pastas. Those are fresh truffles Alina is shaving onto the first pasta. The second has a simple, but oh-s0-delicious fresh tomato sauce on it.
And what would a birthday celebration be without cake?! Or in this case, a gorgeous fruit tart. Happy Birthday Evelyn and Holly!
It's been another fun-filled day. What's on tap for tomorrow? Pizza making lessons!! Stay tuned.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Instagram

    RSS Feed

    Follow Me on Pinterest

    Italophile......
    are  you one?

    According to Webster's, if you are "friendly to or favoring what is Italian", you are one! Interested in Italy?  Me too! Follow my ramblings and recipes if so inclined.  I'll try to visually capture memories of Italy and share some of my favorite recipes.  Want the real flavor of Italy though?   Then.....let me take you there.

    Archives

    January 2018
    November 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

    Categories

    All
    Amalfi Coast
    Art
    Assisi
    Bagnoregio
    Bevagna
    Bomarzo
    Capri
    Carnevale
    Chocolate
    Coffee
    Culture
    Deruta
    Drink
    Florence
    Food
    Girlfriends On The Go!
    Gubbio
    Lazio
    Lecce
    Markets
    Montalcino
    Montefalco
    Naples
    October 2013
    Olive Oil
    Orvieto
    Perugia
    Pienza
    Pompei
    Positano
    Praiano
    Puglia
    Recipes
    Rome
    Semproniano
    Shopping
    Sicily
    Spello
    Spoleto
    Spring 2013
    Todi
    Tuscany
    Umbria
    Walla Walla
    Washington State
    Wine
    Wine Tour October 2012
    Wine Tour October 2014