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Homeward Bound |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
7/22/2004 8:04 AM
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A farewell to Italy
On July 22, 2004 I was on a plane travelling westward
toward Ottawa.
What a journey!
It was very sad to leave Italy, however I am happy to
be back in Canada!
I hope you found my stories interesting and that you
are now, more than ever, attracted by the beauty of
that warm peninsula, one of the best sites in the
world.&l ...
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GWL Day 32 - Alto Monferrato (PIEMONTE) (174 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
7/5/2004 5:55 AM
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 In the heart of Barbera
I know this is going to be my last day visiting wineries and vineyards. My Italian trip is coming to an end. My energies are diminishing. So is my money (..!). That's OK... after all,..I am satisfied..
I left the to ...
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GWL Day 29 - From Barolo to Dolcetto (PIEMONTE) (115 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
7/2/2004 5:42 AM
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 I left Alba in the morning of July 2, heading southeast towards Acqui Terme (province of Alessandria). A friend of mine was waiting for me in a small town called Cremolino and I was supposed to arrive late in the afternoon. I had the entire day in front of me and I really did not want to leave the ...
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GWL Day 28 - Still in the Langhe area (PIEMONTE) (89 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
7/1/2004 3:47 PM
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 The Roman town of Bra
On July 1 I was wearing my Canadian T-shirt with the red maple leaf and large text "CANADA" written on the back. I found myself explaining to locals what it was all about. They were surprised of how much an Italian can bec ...
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GWL Day 27 - Tour of the Langhe-Barolo sub-region (PIEMONTE) (126 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
6/30/2004 3:36 PM
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 Compared to the four towns of the Barbaresco region, the Barolo DOCG area, which includes 11 townships, seems like an empire. A kingdom. Yes, it really is. Every one of the 11 towns shows off a castle. And each one of these castles is different in the architecture, size and age.
< ...
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GWL Day 25 - Tour of the Roero sub-region (PIEMONTE) (110 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
6/28/2004 12:24 PM
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 Roero is the first area of the three I decided to visit around Alba. You may find interesting the fact that I planned to visit Roero today, Langhe-Barbaresco tomorrow and Langhe-Barolo the day after tomorrow based on the closing weekday of their respective Enoteche Regionali. As you recall fr ...
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GWL Day 22 - Vignale Monferrato (PIEMONTE) (90 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
6/25/2004 9:27 AM
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 A tranquil day at Tenuta Colonna
The Tenuta Colonna estate is a paradise. A beautiful mansion with rooms, a family restaurant and a cellar for wine making. After breakfast, served in a warm ambiance with typical "locanda" furniture, I spent almost t ...
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GWL Day 20 - From Canavese to Monferrato (PIEMONTE) (91 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
6/23/2004 9:02 AM
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 A short drive through rice and corn fields brought me to the town of Roppolo with its beautiful castle of Serra, which hosts the Enoteca Regionale della Serra. Unfortunately this Wednesday morning it was closed. It opens only from Thursday to Sunday. No luck! So far I visited 2 enoteche in Piemont ...
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GWL Day 19 - From Gattinara to Canavese (PIEMONTE) (127 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
6/22/2004 8:55 AM
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 Tasting at "Enoteca del Nebbiolo"
Another reason that made me decide to stay in Gattinara was the desire to visit the Enoteca Regionale del Nebbiolo that is closed on Mondays (the day I arrived in Gattinara). So, this morning, Tuesday June 22, my first morning thought w ...
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GWL Day 18 - Gattinara (PIEMONTE) (61 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
6/21/2004 8:30 AM
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 A splendid awakening looking at the blue "Lago Maggiore" lake and at the green forests around it….the "Canadian" landscape that I am starting to miss...
I crossed the river Sesia leaving the province of Novara, going west into the province of Vercelli, very ...
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MiWine Day 3 |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
6/16/2004 8:17 AM
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 The tasting that made my day: a vertical of Cervaro della Sala from Antinori
9 am - 1 pm
Producers visited in the morning on the show floor:
Montesissa Colli Piacentini - EMILIA ROMAGNA
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MiWine Day 2 |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
6/15/2004 8:08 AM
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 After the success of yesterday afternoon's guided tasting, from my
personal point of view, I wanted to start them as early as I could
today as well. So, I registered for the earliest one right after lunch.
As in Italian streets, here at the show between 1 pm and 2 pm,
everybody is at lunch. The boo ...
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MiWine Day 1 - The first wine fair held in Milano (LOMBARDIA) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
6/14/2004 7:59 AM
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 What else could be more thrilling!
I spent a wonderful
weekend in Monza with my friends Maurizio and Daniela, who are giving
me the best hospitality I could ever receive from a friend. Their
2-year old boy Ivan is a "train" at full speed all day long! ...
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GWL Day 15 - Colli Piacentini (EMILIA ROMAGNA) (190 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
6/8/2004 7:44 AM
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 The tortuous high hills south of Piacenza.
Taro Valley:
Not a good night last night... Nothing to say against the hotel where I
slept... or trying to... Unfortunatelly the hotel was located near a
truck stop. Hundreds of trucks were maneuv ...
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GWL Day 14 - Reggio Emilia (212 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
6/7/2004 7:41 AM
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 An itinerary amongst Legends: from Ferrari to Parmigiano Reggiano.
A route with few natural beauties, but still very interesting. Away
from hills and vineyards, today I am driving through many industrial
areas and truck routes. A good exercise for my drivi ...
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GWL Day 13 - Bologna (73 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
6/6/2004 7:12 AM
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 Bologna: the capital of the home made pasta.
Tortellini,
tortelli, tortelloni, ravioli, agnolotti are only a few of the names
identifying the different varieties of "pasta fatta in casa", a great
specialty of this region. Out from Romagna I am no ...
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GWL Day 12 - Ravenna (140 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
6/5/2004 7:08 AM
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 A day "off" to visit the art city of Ravenna.
It is the
city of the Byzantine, in a time when everything was art. Churches with
an oriental Orthodox touch were built in this city near Venezia and are
now famous for its "mosaici". Scenes ...
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GWL Day 11 - Dozza-Faenza (EMILIA ROMAGNA) (100 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
6/4/2004 6:56 AM
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From Dozza to the Colli Bolognesi DOC
I am leaving Dozza in the morning ... but with a smile on my face ... I
am not going away... I know I am going to come back later on to spend a
last night here!< ...
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GWL Day 10 - Dozza (EMILIA ROMAGNA) (90 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
6/3/2004 6:43 AM
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 The enchanting beauty of Dozza
I learnt about the
existence of this village because it hosts the Enoteca Regionale of
Emilia Romagna. As you know, an Enoteca Regionale is a place where we
can find all the wines of the region and where we can taste a good
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GWL Day 9 - Rimini-Dozza (EMILIA ROMAGNA) (197 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
6/2/2004 6:27 AM
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Emilia Romagna: wine, food, women, cars...
Today is cloudy and rainy... good, because I am planning to leave the coastline and move inland,
so I won't be spreading many tears during the sad &quo ...
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GWL Day 8 - Pesaro-Rimini (EMILIA ROMAGNA) (78 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
6/1/2004 6:21 AM
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 From Marche to Romagna
In the morning I kept driving north passing through a park in a rocky promontory. There were few
nice spots here for pictures, high on the sea with a beautiful scenery.
Then, the road t ...
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GWL Day 7 - Morro d'Alba-Colli Pesaresi (MARCHE) (161km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
5/31/2004 6:04 PM
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 Resting my tasting buds!
After yesterday's tour-de-force, I took a bit of rest.
I took advantage of my vicinity with my beloved sea and I swam, suntanned, relaxed. By doing so,
I also rested my tasting buds... a more than deserved break! ...
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GWL Day 6 - Matelica-Morro d'Alba (MARCHE) (119 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
5/30/2004 4:51 PM
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 From Verdicchio to Lacrima di Morro d'Alba: in the land of 2 native upraising.
On Sunday May 30, every region in Italy hosted a popular yearly event called: "Cantine Aperte". Almost all producers, wineries, est ...
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GWL Day 5 - Staffoli to Matelica (50 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
5/29/2004 5:35 PM
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 Looking for a white wine to age in your cellar? Try Verdicchio di Matelica!
Very cloudy and wet today...It rained all day. This was a shame because I took lots of scenic roads and mountain passes. At the highest pass, my GPS was reading 1,200 mt of altitud ...
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GWL Day 3 - Serrapetrona-Conero (MARCHE) (122 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
5/27/2004 6:58 AM
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 A new promising DOCG in the wine region of Marche: Vernaccia di Serrapetrona.
A "take-it-easy" morning...!
I woke up at 9 am and hit the road at 10.00. After a short 10 km drive up to the mountain, I reached the first of the produ ...
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GWL Day 1, Roma Montefalco (UMBRIA) (231 km) |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
5/25/2004 6:54 AM
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 The king of the tannins: Sagrantino di Montefalco.
A nice 2-hour drive from my parent's home in Ostia (20 km from Rome on the Tirreno sea), brought me to the heart of Umbria. My first itinerary was "La strada del Sagrantino" ("The road of Sagrantino&qu ...
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The GWL 2004???? |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
5/25/2004 6:51 AM
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 Today, Tuesday May 25, 2004, I am beginning what I baptized "GWL". I must be a true North American now, since I like acronyms! GWL = Great Wine Loop.
During the next 6 weeks I will visit some regions of North and Center Italy without coming back to Rome. This journey will b ...
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3 days at Montalcino: the cradle of Brunello |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
5/13/2004 9:24 AM
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 There are things in life that are extremely difficult to explain: finding the right words as well as reproducing the experienced emotions are great challenges. This happens to me every time I want to talk to somebody and narrate about Tuscany. Hard work. You have to be there to understand ...
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Italy: A country of cellphones |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
5/12/2004 6:10 AM
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 Being in a public space is definitely different from what I remember 7 years ago. Sounds are different. People are different. They talk, talk, and talk. They communicate everywhere in the frenetic search for somebody to tell something to.
With the desperate n ...
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Are great Italian wines really expensive? |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
5/9/2004 1:51 AM
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 On May 9, 2004, more that 150 of the "Vini Intelligenti" were presented at the "Citta del Gusto" in Rome.
Guess: I HAD TO BE THERE!!!
"Vini Intelligenti" literally translates " ...
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Full immersion |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
5/4/2004 4:59 AM
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 After a few days of readaptation and relaxation at my
parents' apartment, I was ready to face the big
challenge: a full three morning-to-night day immersions in
the world known as Roman traffic!
I was very surprised for not having lost any of my
driving ...
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A day at La Citta' del Gusto |
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By Antonio Mauriello on
5/1/2004 7:55 AM
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What a name! City of Taste!
An entire building devoted to food and wine!
I could certainly say that I wouldn't mind to live in
it...! It is my Disneyland....
It is a modern structure build in 1999 and it has 4
floors with a wine bar, a cooking school, bookstore
and the "Theatre of Kitchen": lla creme de la creme. It
is a big hall shaped like a theatre. On the stage,
wine and food classes are demonstrated are featured. ...
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