Day 15 – June 3, 2025 – Foiano, Italy
After a beautiful morning with our coffee and a big breakfast, we looked forward to today as we had our day trip with Barbara, who was taking us to two different wineries and then to two little towns, one after our first winery stop, and one after the last winery stop before heading home. She arrived around 9:50 and we headed towards Di Filippo, a winery in Cannara, in the Umbria region, which is about 1 ½ hours away.
Di Filippo is an organic vineyard on 30 hectares (about 74 acres), overlooking Assisi, on hills between Torgiano and Montefalco, in the heart of Umbria. They have been practicing respect for nature for three generations and have been organic certified since 1994 and adopted a biodynamic system of agroforestry since 2008. They use actual workhorses to limit the use of tractors as it helps to reduce soil compaction, one of the causes of decline in fertility. They also have about 300 geese that roam freely and feed on the grass that grows between the rows of vines.
We had nine tastings along with meat, cheese, and bread. The grape varieties include: Grechetto, Trebbiano, Montepulciano, Cornetta, Sangiovese, Barbera and Sagrantino. John and I had a couple of favorites, so we bought a case to ship home.
Our next stop was to a little town called Montefalco, where we spent over an hour walking around. It is a historic town in Umbria and is DOC regulated with its production of Sagrantino grapes. It is almost enclosed by double city walls, dating from the 13th & 14th centuries and surrounded by towers through which the gates open. We passed through the Camiano Gate, which has the oldest preserved copy of the Montefalco arms.
Our next stop was to the Tabarrini Winery, which is in Montefalco in the village of Turrita. We met Mario, our guide, but it is run by Giampaolo Tabarrini, a fourth-generation farmer, who took over in the late 90’s. They have 22 hectares (about 54 acres) and 15 hectares (about 37acres) are devoted to the vineyards. The wine cellar is MASSIVE and beautifully done with lights. It really is a showpiece! Alessandro explained the whole wine making process of Tabarrini as it was very impressive! We tasted five different wines along with more meat, cheese, and bread, lol! Steve and Patty bought a bottle of wine, and we passed this time. While we liked the wines they had, we thought the other winery had better tasting ones.
Our next stop was on our way back to Foiano to a little town called, Rasiglia, known as the “Little Venice of Umbria”. It’s a medieval town dating back to the Middle Ages and built on water and surrounded by nature in the Appenine Mountains. It has narrow streets with small wooden bridges with water streams running through it. It was founded in the 12th or 13th centuries, and it flourished with its abundant water supply that helped to create mills and factories. Its population is about 40 people! It is a beautiful little town.
We met Barbara and headed back to the villa, which took about 30 minutes. It had been a long day, and we all felt full just from all the meat, cheese and bread we had, so we opted for a light dinner of yogurt and granola, lol! Tomorrow is a free day, so we have no plans at the moment. We are on Italy time – Ciao!
