At the end of October 2012 I was thrilled to be able to make my dream trip to Rome and the Amalfi Coast a reality. Italy is the one place I have always dreamed of traveling to and now that I have had a taste of it I can’t wait to go back. There is so much more of this gorgeous country that I need to explore. I never thought that Rome would be my favorite city but the richness of the history and the delicious food don’t compare to any other city that I have been to. Of course being the wino that I am, a large part of our trip involved drinking Italian wine. We joke when people ask about our trip that our toughest decision at each meal was whether to get a half bottle or full bottle. Normally we would save the full bottles for dinner and just have a half at lunch. This was probably wise since I would have been sightseeing in a wine induced haze. Prior to our trip I didn’t normally gravitate toward Italian wines. An occasional Chianti, Nero D’ Avola, or Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo would be ordered if we were out at an Italian restaurant but it didn’t make a regular appearance at home. I had tasted some not so stellar versions in the past and had also read an article about how cork taint was affecting quite a large amount of their wines. I am happy to say now that we are back from our trip we have been drinking them more at home since we enjoyed the wines on our trip so much. We drank many of the restaurant’s house wines and several different bottles of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. The best part was that they were all extremely reasonable in price. Many were between 8 and 15 euros. We did splurge on our last night with a very nice Brunello from Banfi. Below are some of the highlights of our taste through Italy.
Famous tartufo and house wine at Tre Scalini in Piazza Navona.
Had a glass of Prosecco at Enoteca Barberini. Loved the wine decor on the walls and the live band added to the ambiance.
Hands down the best gelato in Rome is at Gelateria Valentino. We went here twice a day!
Delicious brick oven pizza and house wine at Piccolo Buco.
First time in the trip we didn’t get a house wine. Really good Montepulciano d’Abruzzo that we had with our pizza at a tourist trap restaurant in the Trastevere neighborhood. Pizza was just ok but the wine made up for it!
Our first night in Sorrento we ate at La Lanterna across from our hotel. We enjoyed this rosé which was drier than what I am used to but I loved it.
Another great Montepulciano d’Abruzzo in Sorrento at Pizzeria Aurora.
The most entertaining dining experience we had was at Tavern Allegra. The food and service were outstanding and you sing along with the owner and a guitarist. They pass out tambourines at the end of the evening for the big finale. I believe this was their house wine.
No dinner in Italy would be complete without a night cap of Limoncello. Sorrento is known for it’s lemons and the local Limoncello is the best!
Our driver took us to La Zagara in Positano for some yummy pastries and cappuccino.
Didn’t want to wait in the long lines in Anacapri so we had a liquid lunch while people watching at Due Pini with a half bottle of their house wine.
A tasty bruschetta with prosciutto and artichoke hearts at Due Pini.
I can’t remember the name of this restaurant where we had lunch but we got our daily dose of caprese salad and pizza with a half bottle of their house wine.
Primavera was a daily stop for gelato and they had a TON of flavors!
We loved La Lanterna so much we went back for a second night. This time we sat outside and tried yet another Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.
Back in Rome for our last night in Italy we splurged on a Brunello di Montalcino from Banfi with which I had my last dish of the Roman favorite cacio e pepe.
I definitely ate my weight in creamy pastas, pizza, prosciutto, gelato, and caprese salad for ten days and I didn’t feel guilty about any of it! I am hoping to have my next Italian adventure in the next two years so I can eat my way through Tuscany. I hope I have made you very hungry (and thirsty) with this post. Buon Appetito!
