Aielli & Benevento

This month’s issue of Wine Spectator unveils the new Aielli & Benevento ad for our “ultimate luxury wine tour”. A& B will be offering this luxurious touring option in several different wine regions including Chianti, Piedmont, Veneto and Maremma /Montalcino. The “Wine Harvest Escape,” as the touring program is named, is designed for both wine professionals and enthusiasts. This is a one of a kind experience for those who wish to tour Italy’s great wine estates, meet leading proprietors, taste their great vintages and more, all in the most luxurious touring mode. To get more info on the Wine Harvest Escape offering, email: info@aielli-benevento.it .

The Ferragamo family has been a shoemaking fashion sensation for years. Recently, the clan began gobbling up real estate in Firenze and converting these properties into chic hotels (the Gallery Art Hotel and Lungarno Suites among several) Now, for the traveler who wants Ferragamo sophistication beyond the Arno comes Castello del Nero in the hills of Tuscany. This new Ferragamo hotel is surrounded like an old style ‘Borgo’ or village. A standard room, in season, runs a mere 500 euros (that’s $625 USD per night).

The Wall Street Journal’s Tastings column recently attempted to find the most appropriate wine pairing for the most common of pasta offerings. Using $20 a bottle or less as the guide, a dozen wine merchants were asked to choose what they thought would go best with rigatoni. The results of twelve tastings was a tie between a white and a red: the ’04 Ca’ Montini’s L’Aristocrat and Santi Solane’s ’03 Valpolicella Classico Ripasso, $16.99 and 17.99 respectively. Rounding at the top five picks were: Scansano’s ’03 Il Puntone Morellino; Cusumano’s ’05 Nero’dAvola and De Bortoli’s ’05 Petite Sirah. Two heavier reds were also praised fro their depth: Terra Noble Carmenere’s Reserve ’04 and Malacari’s Rosso Conero (03).

Chiaia di Luna is the name for a crescent shaped turquoise bay, reached by walking through a 656-foot Roman tunnel. This could very well be the place they filmed The Blue Lagoon movie but it is actually a secluded beach on the isle of Ponza, a small island off the coast of Naples. In addition to its fabulous coastline, this hideaway village has a few shops, some boats for rent and a few quality beachside trattorias. Check it out here: www.ponza.com.

It is now two years running that two of Italy’s most impressive cities have led Travel + Leisure’s list of best cities in the world. Rounding out the list of places savvy travelers prefer were New York, Sydney and San Francisco. But most impressive in their “World’s Best Awards” was the Italian dominance in the Europe’s best hotels category. Eleven Italian hotels scored in the top 50 amongst fine European properties. They ranked as follows: Villa Cipriani, Asola (4); Hotel Villa Feltrinelli, Gargnano (10); Villa san Michele Fiesole (12); Palazzo Sasso, Ravello (17); Villa d’Este, Cernobbio (27); Gritti Palace, Venice (28); Le Sirenuse, Positano (30); Hotel Miramare, Santa Margherita Ligure (35); San Pietro, Positano (36); Four Seasons, Milan (45) and Il Falconiere, Arezzo (48). Those stellar rankings even out pace the readers’ poll by Traveler (see last issue).

It is no laughing matter but last year’s aqua experience in New Orleans gives its residents much in common with Venetian dwellers. We have all heard the stories about Venice sinking over time. But a new report says, St. Mark’s floods on average one of every six days, mainly in winter. Italy’s best engineers have been working on a new, complex sea gate system to protect the city from the waters of the Adriatic. Unfortunately, while the system is supposed to rival that of Dutch Amsterdam, the project is on “Italian time and is not expected to be completed until 2011. For now, Venetians are temporarily joined at the hip to their boots.

Those of us who enjoy just thinking about a well-made cup of Italian Joe, know there are a good many American establishments who have honed their brew making skills. But wait, now comes Manhattan’s Max Brenner café concoction, a chocolate lathered cappuccino. According to recent news flash, this Big Apple coffee designer has created “a cappuccino cup that has a slide on the rim where solid chocolate gently melts its way into the coffee. Don’t get trampled by the chocoholics racing to 841 Broadway.

National Geographic’s most recent issue of Traveler, has an excellent story on the artist of all time: Michelangelo Buarnarotti. The cover story by Lorenzo Carcaterra, searches out little known examples of the artist’s influence throughout the streets of his native Florence. The author points out that The Artist sculpted his famous David from a discarded piece of marble rejected by Leonardo da Vinci! This is a must read for all Florence lovers and Michelangelo-philes!

For savvy travelers not sure about escorted touring, A&B has introduced custom travel plans, for those of independent spirit. These are detailed trip outlines with specific tips and recommendations. Each day includes a proposed daily itinerary of activities, sights, museums, city walks, etc…. In addition to our savvy traveler tips, these touring plans provide specific suggestions on accommodations, professional guides and other services. For a typical one week stay in Rome and Florence, a client receives a 20 page personalized itinerary.

To get more info on the Rome, Rome and Florence, Tuscany, Amalfi and Sicily offerings, email: info@aielli-benevento.it .

Beware of the latest changes to US passport regulations. American travelers will need to apply for a passport well in advance of Dec. 31, 2006, when all passengers (regardless of country of origin) traveling by air or sea to or from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda will be required to have a valid passport. This requirement will be extended to land border crossings as well as air and sea on Dec. 31, 2007. See US Passport office.