Category Archives: Italy

Hiking, Italy

Hiking Valtellina’s Vineyards II

 

Because I sometimes wonder whether I appreciate wine enough, innumerable tastings notwithstanding, I will occasionally take the time to hike multiple stages of some of the longer European wine trails. That is the case with the Via dei Terrazzamenti (Terrace Way) in Italy’s Valtellina wine region. Set just south of Switzerland in the Lombardy province, this Alpine region is as awesome as it is daunting. I appreciate a physical challenge, and while the trail is not as difficult as it could be, given the rugged nature of the terroir, there are literally several breath-taking ascents. These sometimes seem to climb endlessly, but rejoice in it: the higher the climb the more expansive the views. Then there are the descents that will leave your legs feeling it.

Straight Up Shooting, from the Trail

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Italy, Wines

Wine Notes: Italy’s Valtellina II

 

What I Learned

While the Valtellina wine region is not the northernmost wine producing area in Italy, its grapes grow at altitudes of over 760 meters (2500 feet). The terrain here is dominated by mountains: rocky, incredibly steep, subject to sudden changes in weather from the north.

The classification system in Valtellina, like the appellation controlee system in France, is based on geography. In Valtellina, there are five recognized areas of cultivation of the Chiavennasca grape (known as Nebbiolo in the Piedmont). These five areas are distinct micro zones of terroirs and traditions, each with its own history, and each with its own Chiavennasca wine.  Visiting each area, and sampling their wines, provides an excellent opportunity to explore the different expressions of Chiavennasca as vinified in Valtellina.

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Hiking, Italy, Nutshell

Trail in a Nutshell: Via dei Terrazzamenti II

 

Trail Name:  Via dei Terrazzamenti (Terrace Way)

Trail Type: Long distance; well-maintained, with a hard-packed, but occasionally uneven, surface; usually good marking on the trail

Length:

Total: 70 kilometers/43 miles (Morbegno – Tirano)

Mine: 14 kilometers/8.5 miles

Convenient to: Sondrio, or Tirano, Lombardy, Italy

Marking:

The words Via dei Terrazzamenti, accompanied by a logo resembling a four-leaf clover on a yellow arrow; sometimes the same logo is on a white bar over red bar rectangular sign (See the featured photo above, and the photo below.)

Via dei Terrazzamenti Trail Marker

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Hiking, Italy

Valtellina Vineyards I

 

Strung together like a string of pearls, the vineyards of Valtellina occupy terraces along south-facing mountainsides in this spectacular Italian wine region. The vineyards climb vertiginously away from towns along the Adda River, up to villages clinging to the side of the mountain.

From the Adda to Montagna in Valtellina

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Italy, Wines

Wine Notes: Italy’s Valtellina I

 

What I Learned

Italy is famous for its for wines, especially powerful, refined reds such as Tuscany’s Brunello, Valpolicella’s Amarones, and Piedmont’s Barolo and Barbaresco wines. The Valtellina region of Lombardy, Italy, also produces well-regarded, powerfully flavorful, red wines, and made from the same varietal that produces Barolo and Barbaresco. It also produces wine in a process similar to Valpolicella’s Amarones. Lovers of such powerful reds will find Valtellina’s DOCG red wines delicious and a good value for the money.

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Hiking, Italy, Nutshell

Trail in a Nutshell: Via dei Terrazzamenti

 

Trail Name:  Via dei Terrazzamenti

Trail Type: Long distance; well-maintained, with a hard-packed, but occasionally uneven surface throughout, usually there is good marking on the trail, but it tends to disappear in villages and towns.

Length:

Total: 70 kilometers/43 miles (Morbegno – Tirano)

Mine: 14 kilometers/8.5 miles (Chiuro – Ponchiera)

Convenient to: Sondrio, or Tirano, Lombardy, Italy

Marking:

Words “Via dei Terrazzamenti” on a white background with a four-leafed clover design inside; sometimes associated with a metal yellow arrow.

White over red horizontal bars indicate a hiking trail generically

Note: The photo below shows all of the above, with the addition of an extra sign on the yellow arrow, (with a number thirty), indicating a different trail as well.

Signage: Via dei Terrazzamenti

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Hiking, Italy

Vineyard Views from Vignale

 

I immediately resolved to visit the village of Vignale Monferrato, and wander its vineyards, on my premier trip to the Monferrato district in northern Italy.  I first saw the vineyards and the village while hiking in 2016 through the Malvasia vines of nearby Casorzo.  Rounding a prominence, I spied distant vineyards circling a steep hill capped by a compact village. Capping the village itself is an impressive parish church, with the most expansive view imaginable of the Monferrato from its side-yard.

Monferrato: View from the Top of Vignale

It took a while, but I finally got there in late May of 2019. (Little did I know then that I would not return to Italy for a little over two years now.) But the wait then was worth it, as the experience of the village and the hike was fantastic. The food and wine were outstanding of course, this being the Piedmont.

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Italy, Wines

Wine Notes: Piedmont’s Monferrato

 

What I Learned

Monferrato has a long tradition of wine-making, pre-dating even the Romans. As the famous Roman naturalist, Pliny the Elder noted, the Romans greatly appreciated the wine coming from the Muscat grape cultivated in the Monferrato as a varietal more resistant to cold weather.

The rise of Christianity and establishment of monastic organizations ensured that even after the fall of the Roman Empire, and especially after the barbarian invasions, the production of wine would continue in the Monferrato up until today.

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Hiking, Italy, Nutshell

Tra Valli e Cascine: Trail in a Nutshell

 

Trail Name:  Tra Valli e Cascine (AKA Sentiero 732)

Trail Type: short-distance hiking circuit; marking on the trail is fairly good, and consistent; once out of town, the trail surface is mostly gravel over hard packed earth, with a grassy stretch for about two kilometers/a bit over a mile.

Length:

Total – 9.7 kilometers/6 miles

Convenient to: Casale Monferrato, Alessandria, Piedmont, Italy

Marking:

Trail signage: Vertical red-white-red bars imprinted with the number 732 in black; alternatively, trail markers are red and white horizontal bars.

Trail Signage photos: See featured photo above, and trail marking photo below:

Trail Marking

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