Next month Ro and I are off to Southern Italy for our sixth visit over the last six years. We hope to share photos and short articles with our readers while in Italy. Here is our tentative itinerary:

We will be spending two nights in Rome. While in Rome we will spend one evening at our favorite enoteca, L’Angolo Davino, which is located near Campo de Fiori. Other than L’Angolo Davino we are wide open as to our Rome itinerary, but chances are we will enjoy espressos at Café Settimaino at the corner of Via di Santa Dorotea and Via di Porta Settimiana in Trastevere, people-watching at an outside table. Across the street was the residence of Raphael’s famous model and mistress, La Fornarina. Raphael immortalized her face in a portrait, “La Fornarina”. This painting is displayed at the Galleria

After Rome we will take a train to Naples and meet our friend, wine consultant and trip organizer, Gaetano Petrillo of The Wine Bus. Gaetano will take us from Naples to Maratea. We will visit a winery at some point during the trip. Maratea, which is located at about the midpoint between Salerno and Cosenza (see map above),  is a picturesque community located on the Tyrrhenian Sea. The town is a popular vacation spot for Italians and Europeans, but not so much for Americans. This will be our first visit to Maratea.

After two nights in Maratea, Gaetano will drive us to Rionero del Vulture, a town in the heart of the Aglianico del Vulture wine region.  Rionero del Vulture is located about 25 miles north of the City of Potenza. During our four night stay in Rionero del Vulture, we will visit wineries in the Aglianico del Vulture wine region, Foggia region of Puglia, and Avellino region of Campania. In addition we plan to visit Guardia Perticara, a small town in the southern part of the Province of Potenza. This town, which is located less than 10 miles from my grandparents’ home town of Corleto Perticara (see top photo), was awarded the Orange Flag by the Touring Club Italiano. The Orange Flag certifies small towns that have historical, cultural and environmental merit of heritage and offer tourists a quality welcome. There are only nine Orange Flag towns south of Naples. Also, Guardia Perticara is one of only six towns in the Region of Basilicata that have been designated the “Most Beautiful Villages in Italy” by the Associazione Nazionale Comuni Italiani. We may also visit an agriturismo in my grandparents home town.

We will finish our 2015 tour by spending five nights in the City of Salerno. From there we plan to visit our friends located at the Amalfi  Coast (Le Vigne Di Raito, Reale, and Si-Wine Enoteca), Caserta (Terre del Principe), Avellino (Caggiano, Molettieri, Perillo, and Bambinuto), and make new friends at other wineries. In addition we plan to visit our favorite restaurants such as Osteria del Taglio in Salerno.