Wine Tasting and the Journey Back to Naples

We left Agriturismo Costantino which was sad but luckily we had another fun experience ahead of us to experience even more of the agriculture magic of Italy.

I liked this fist door knocker.

When we arrived at Statti winery they were rocking a whole lot of olive trees as well. Olives really seem to be catching on.

We met our guide and had a nice stroll.

She said they had a wild boar problem and showed us some damage they had caused.

Ernie examined the wine making equipment and had a lot of good questions about the process.

Ernie kept flirting with our guide and distracting her. She commented on how social he is which was nice. I do have the feeling that he is special but I'm sure every parent has that same feeling.

Next we got to do some wine tasting. In my mind France is the country that is most synonymous with wine but it turns out Italy is the top wine producer by volume. It was also cool to hear about Calabrian grape varieties like Gaglioppo and Mantonico.

We headed back north towards Naples and stopped for lunch in Cosenza. I have wanted to visit here for a while actually because it is the capital of the Province of Cosenza, in which Cleto is located.

A Cantina Cosentina was so legit that it had a handwritten menu. This made translation less pleasant but it was still fun.

I showed the boy how to eat pasta.

There was a gelato stop in Castrovillari. I can't imagine who that was meant to placate.

I knew we were nearing Naples when I saw my old friend Mt. Vesuvius.

I was hunting for a sfogliatella last time we were here and I ended up finding one right under my nose at a bakery steps away from the airbnb. I think I thought it looked like a bread type bakery and not a pastry place. Victory was mine!

Sfogliatella is a super popular Neapolitan pastry so I just could not leave here without trying one. It had layer upon layer of delicious flaky crust in a cool seashell shape. There was a creamy filling as well. It was a big win.

As our time in Italy was drawing to a close I cut open the soppressata I bought from Giovanni Milito's butcher shop. It was really good. It seemed meatier and less finely ground than the sort of salami I normally find in the US.

I was almost forced to call Giovanni and tell him about Lydia's attitude.