Touring a Winery

We toured a small winery before dinner one night. It was in the famous Barola wine country. The winery was only 100 years old. Considered very young for Italy. It sold about 200,000 bottles of red and white wine each year. The gentlman who gave us the tour, looked to be in his 70's and was a friend of Edwardo's. He spoke English, and Edwardo interpreted everything he said. He was very hospitable and took as much time with us as we wanted. His father started the vineyard and this man was born there. The family lives upstairs above the working part of the business. His son, which I might guess to be in his mid 40's was also there and joined in on the tour. He was clearly running the business with his father at this point, but you could still tell the father "KNEW" the vineyard like the back of his hand, and was very proud of every inch of dirt. In fact, when we arrived the father was sitting out in the front yard, and later told us that he had just walked the whole property inspecting the grapes after the brief rainstorm that had just passed over. The first picture is in the tasting room. They gave a history of the vineyard and told how and what they do. Then we tasted some wine before we took the tour.






The father was sitting out in those chairs when we arrived. Just looking at his property. I would too!!





The small store where they sell wine that is not sold to resturants and businesses. These are some of the containers that the white wine starts off in.
The red wine is made in wooden barrels.
This is the father who gave us the tour. He talked with his hands to whole time.
Notice the small door at the bottom of the barrel? A person actually has to climb through that opening to clean the inside of the barrel before next year's wine is put inside. Edwardo said he did some cleaning of wine barrels when he was a boy.

Still talking with his hands. Stacey and Kevin are thinking, "We don't understand a word you are saying, but Edwardo will tell us exactly what you just said!!" Kevin is ready to move to Italy and start a winery!


Kevin asked if people really do go through those opening to clean the inside of the barrels. Yes, and they do!!! I guess if your an out of work horse jockey you could make a living cleaning wine barrels!
Jeff and Kevin are talking about starting a family business.
Hey, tours over! What are you two doing back here???? It's hard to not feel romantic in a setting like this. The place was beautiful, quiet, peaceful, and made you want to start you own winery and live like an Italian!!

Olympic Stadium!

A good friend of ours, Edwardo, stopped and showed us the Olympic Stadium on our way out of town for dinner one night. We were in Turino for a few days while Stacey worked. The tall square thing in the background was where the fire burned. Edwardo could see the flame from his home.

First Night in Rome.....

After a full day of sight seeing around Rome, Jeff, Alex, Kevin, Stacey and I went back into Rome to stroll to a "eatery" and to see Rome at night. After dinner Jeff and Alex had their first GELATO!!!
Jeff's first pasta plate!!!! Thumbs up!!
Alex's first oven pizza. One order per person. This pizza cost about $4.00!!! Did she it the whole thing by herself??? I will never tell!!
Kevin calling Matt and Kendall, telling them we wish they were here with us.............

We saw this bar called, "The Big Apple" What kind of Americans would we be if we didn't pop in for a pre-dinner drink?! Strolling through the famous Piazza Navona, looking at the artists, the fountains, and people of all kinds.......






Kevin, Jeff, Alex, and Kathy standing in front of the Pantheon, Rome's oldest temple.

Inside the Pantheon. We only had a couple of minutes. It was closing time. We will come back with the tripod to take some pictures. It is an amazing place with lots of history. More later... Stacey giving a one minute tour..........

In Rome, do as the Roman's do!! That means you for one thing, you have to talk with your hands. Strolling around we came upon the spot where Caesar was killed. He was killed in the Senate, but the Senate was temperarily meetin in this spot. (They didn't want to kill him in the Forum...that would be like killing the President in the Whitehouse) Anyway, the spot just left of the columns and at the base of the skinny pine trees is where the deed was done.

I still can't get over street after street with windows, doorways, flower boxes and soft shades of brown, orange, and yellow. It is just amazing!