the adventure in italy continues, finally!! one of my (many) favorites while there was to visit castello d'albola which is located in radda in chianti, central tuscany. It was about a 30 minute drive from greve in chianti, where we stayed. the scenic drive along the way was out of this world! it was difficult to take so much in... i know that a repeat trip is in order. my father, a travel writer and photojournalist, chiles larson, visited this fabulous vineyard and winery a couple of years ago while working on a book project with barboursville vineyards in virginia. barboursville is owned and operated by the zonin family, one of the italian 'sisters' to castello d' albola. for those who are curious, my dad's book "Barboursville Vineyards: Crafting Great Wines Inspired by the Past" is pretty impressive, to say the least. so when we arrived there we got the royal treatment.... what a fabulous place and such wonderful people! lisa assini gave us a well-informed tour of the winery and history of the place, she made sure we had wine in our glasses and that we enjoyed ourselves at all times (not a problem!). after the tour, we enjoyed a luncheon with director/enologist, allesandro gallo, prepared by the personal chef there. it was truly a wonderful experience i will surely never forget. i left italy with a smile on my face and sadness that i could not bring the cuisine back with me!! what wonderful people, the food, the wines, the scenery. love! love! love!
now for the photos...
our fabulous wine tour gal, lisa assini
excuses, excuses with the harsh light!! finicky photographers (such as myself) only can dream of beautiful early morning or late afternoon/early evening light. especially in tuscany.. so this cherub was photographed in mid-day harsh light.. yikes! its all good. i was in italy, enough said!
i'm in love with this pic... not sure why, i just am
where the corks are made
everything is beautiful there...
my sister, page, grabbed my camera and took this pic of me.. so she takes full credit!
very refreshing on a hot summer's day
my adorable niece, kathryn, who will be celebrating her 19th birthday, tomorrow!! HAPPY HAPPY B-DAY!!
that would be me, kathryn, alessandro, and caroline. kathryn said she liked alessandro's yellow pants... i have to agree!
the tasting room
as we were leaving
needless to say i ordered a half case of wine from them. they shipped it to me thru barboursville vineyards, which is the way to go! so my father and stepmother will be visiting this coming monday en route to asheville, nc, so i will be sharing a bottle from castello d'albola with them!!
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