Aielli & Benevento

THE HISTORY


The is the great Italian wine par excellence, made from Nebbiolo grapes. It originates in the heart of the Langa hills, just outside the town of Alba: a magnificent amphitheatre of hills divided into tidy geometric stretches of vineyards which the light of the setting autumn sun bathes in wonderful colours that not even the palette of an impressionist artist could reproduce on canvas. The Municipalities form a magical itinerary of hills, chiselled meticulously by the wind and drawn by the expert hand of man. Villages with an age-old story to tell, villages that arouse authentic emotions in those sensitive enough to perceive them in a stone, a castle, a farmhouse or a flower… 


It was the wine of the Marquise Julia Colbert Falletti, Lady of Barolo and its lands, of Count Camillo Benso di Cavour, mayor of Grinzane for many years, and had the great of honour of gracing the tables of the Royal House of Savoy. 

More than three hundred barrels (carrà) of wine, one for every day of the year, once travelled along Via Roma in Turin to the Royal Palace. Just imagine the amazement and curiosity of the people who were in the habit, even then, of strolling under the arches and pausing in the cafés. The wine had been sent by Marquise Julia to the then King Carlo Albert, by his express request, as he was curious to taste the excellent wines made on her land. Carlo Alberto was so delighted that he bought Verduno Castle and the neighbouring land, as well as the Pollenzo and Santa Vittoria d’Alba estates.

It is the wine that creates the atmosphere for grand occasions. Year after year it manages to give its best, confirming class and finesse, elegance and superior quality. It amazes consumers with its great variety of shades and scents which make every vintage unique and unrepeatable. 

Undoubtedly it isn’t an easy wine, but a complex of olfactory and taste sensations, each one different from the last thanks to the immense range of nuances it conveys. A wine with a great structure which is always fascinating, capable of stirring up new and different emotions. 

Faced with a glass of Barolo, the heart warms and the mind opens. Thoughts drift to the Langa hills, quilted with historical hamlets and proud castles. A land where the grape and the environment are united in an exceptional combination, which achieves its maximum exultation thanks to the meticulous work and experience matured by man over two centuries of history.

SUMMARY OF REGULATIONS


Recognition of the D.O.C.: Presidential Decree of April 23rd 1966
Recognition of the D.O.C.G.: Presidential Decree of July 1st 1980

Grape variety: 100% Nebbiolo in the “Michet”, “Lampia” and “Rosè” sub-varieties 
Production zone: the whole municipal territory of Barolo, Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d’Alba and part of La Morra, Novello, Monforte d’Alba, Verduno, Grinzane Cavour, Diano d’Alba, Roddi and Cherasco. 
Maximum production per hectare: 8000 kilos for 52 hectolitres of wine or 6,933 75cl bottles of wine. 
Minimum legal ageing: 3 years from the 1st of January of the year following the grape harvest, 2 of which in chestnut or oak barrels. It is a wine with characteristics that make it perfect for long ageing. The term “Riserva” can be printed on the label when the wine has been kept in the cellar for 5 years, calculated once again from the 1st of January of the year following the grape harvest. 

Minimum alcohol content: 13% Vol.
Minimum total acidity: 5 per thousand
Minimum dry extract: 23 g/litre

Barolo wine which has been aged for at least five years is allowed to bear the specification of “Riserva” on the label. Barolo DOCG can be used to make Barolo Chinato, following the addition of alcohol and a blend of aromatic herbs featuring chinaroot.

ORGANOLEPTIC CHARACTERISTICS

Color: bright garnet red with ruby hues that tend towards orange as it ages. 

Perfume: an exceptionally rich, harmonious and completely composite and ethereal bouquet. Pleasant and intense it calls to mind the typical scents of its Langa home, white truffles and dried mushrooms. The fresh fruit of the early months evolves into a universe of spices. Therefore violets, roses, liquorice and the fragrance of other newly plucked fruits, such as cherries, adventure into the exotic kingdom of spices where they are joined by the scents of vanilla, cinnamon and green peppercorns. 

Flavour: pleasantly dry and complete, robust and harmonious. Warm, austere and lingeringly persistent in the mouth, it reveals velvety body and clear strength. Pure breeding with character and extraordinary aristocracy, closing with liquorice scents.  A warm symphony of flavours and sensations which offers the attentive consumer both satisfaction and pleasure.

Every year Venice enjoys its own kind of July 4th celebration… So if you are in Venice around the week around July 18th, stay for the joyful Festival of the Redeemer,  aka ‘The Rendentore’. Or plan on being there next year, the third Saturday of July, when the entire population seems to be out on their boats for a two-day celebration. More than a few out-of-towners join in the mix.Boats and barges – with musicians! – arrive over the course of the day. Few Venetians decorate like they used to, but some have traditional paper foliage and some have balloons. In the Giudecca Canal and the Bacino di San Marco these boats gather and anchor. For centuries, boats stretched from the Zattere to the foot of the Church of the Redeemer (Il Redentore) on the island of Giudecca. People walked across them to the church that was built as an answer to prayers for deliverance from the plague. It is also one of the most important examples of Palladian religious architecture. Now, pontoon boats are lined up for the journeys to and fro.As the sun sets, the bars come alive. Cafes, shops, terraces and bridges are lit up. Later, fireworks illuminate the domes, bell towers, and famous spires of St. Mark’s Square and the Venetian skyline. The colors reflect dramatically off the dark water. This is one of the most awe-inspiring settings for a fireworks show in the world. Hardy partiers carry on until dawn, and then travel out to the Lido to watch the sun rise over the Adriatic Sea.Sunday is dedicated to a variety of boat and gondola races (regatta) and the pilgrimage to the Church of the Redeemer. Clergy, city officials, dignitaries, standard-bearers with multicolored flags, and costumed torchbearers lead a parade of people across the boats to a somber mass of great historical significance.This festival dates back to the sixteenth century, commemorating the end of the plague that killed over 50,000 Venetians in less than two years.

> Venice info (www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/EN/IDPagina/134)

Strawberry Smash   |  See-Through Sangria
|  The Lemon Pop  |  Lavender and Peach Bellini |  The Lawn Mower  |

From a trip to Puglia in Southern Italy…found the people there to be warm and fiercely proud of their regional wines like Salice Salentino, their orecchiette pasta and fragrant local olive oils. But curiously, when it came to sparkling wine, their drink of choice was usually prosecco from northern Italy. This is heaven, being able to order a glass of this delicate and fresh wine from the Veneto just about everywhere and usually for just 2 or 3 euro ($3 to $4.50). “Why can’t it be that way here in the U.S?” Well, just because prosecco isn’t on tap at the local bar doesn’t mean you can’t make it your house wine. With warmer weather , it’s a perfectly refreshing drink, with its subtle flavors of green apple, flowers and minerals, its soft bubbles and relatively low alcohol content. And it’s a very affordable wine too: it’s possible to find a satisfying bottle for $8 to $20 at most wine shops.  Some readily available brands include Mionetto, Zonin, Nino Franco, Zardetto, Bisol.

Note: The most famous prosecco cocktail is the peachy Bellini created back in the late 1940s by Giuseppe Cipriani and served ever since at Harry’s Bar in Venice. You’ll find prosecco is one of the most sociable sparkling wines around, mixing and mingling quite easily with a range of spring and summer fruits and flavors. I’m sure these prosecco cocktails with strawberries, honeydew melon, lemons and peaches created by some creative people who love to entertain will help you live a festive, dolce vita style.

Strawberry Smash

The Strawberry Smash is a refreshing spring cocktail with strawberries, prosecco and your favorite fresh green herb.  This variation on the mojito lets you mix strawberries with your favorite herb such as mint, basil, lemon verbena, cilantro, rosemary or thyme. Try the drink out before serving it friends to get the amount of herbs right for you.  It’s tasty with the alcohol or without; for a totally non-alcoholic drink, use sparkling water instead of  prosecco.

Makes 1 cocktail: 3 ripe organic strawberries, hulled and sliced
6 leaves of one fresh herb such as mint, basil, verbena, cilantro OR 1-inch section of fresh rosemary or thyme
1 ounce good white rum like 10 Cane or clean white gin like Bombay Sapphire
1 ounce all-natural sour mix (see note)
2 ounces prosecco.  Add the strawberries and your selected herb to a rocks glass. Smash the strawberries and herbs gently with a muddler until the berries are a pulp and the herbs smell strong. Add the rum or gin if using and sour mix to the glass and give it a stir. Fill 3/4 full with ice. Top off with the prosecco. Garnish with a sprig of the herb you used.   Note: To create an  all natural sour mix, mix 1 cup lemon and or lime juice with 1 cup sugar in a medium non-reactive saucepan. Heat over a low-medium flame, stirring to dissolve the sugar. When cool, pour syrup into a sterile glass bottle and refrigerate. Keeps for up to 2 weeks.

To make the vanilla simple syrup, add 1-1/2 cups water and 1 cup sugar to a medium saucepan. Heat over a low-medium flame, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Toss in a vanilla pod slit lengthwise. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the syrup cool. Remove the vanilla pods and set them aside. Pour the syrup in a sterile glass bottle. Keeps for up to 2 weeks.  (Once the vanilla pods are dry, bury them in your sugar cannister to make vanilla-scented sugar.)

See -Through Sangria


This recipe was inspired by a drink Denise Gee created for her gorgeous book Southern Cocktails. It’s a very light and refreshing take on a white sangria, without the brandy that can make sangrias so potent.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

1 bottle prosecco
1/2 cup Cointreau
1/4 cup sugar
1 unpeeled lime, thinly sliced and seeded
1 unpeeled lemon, thinly sliced and seeded
1 small unpeeled orange, thinly sliced and seeded
1-1/2 cups fresh organic strawberries, hulled and sliced
1-1/2 cups green grapes, sliced in half
2 cups chilled sparkling water or club soda or more to taste
several small whole strawberries with stems, for garnish

Combine the wine, Cointreau, sugar and fruit in a large pitcher and refrigerate overnight. Pour into cocktail glasses filled with ice and top off with club soda. For the garnish, slit the bottoms of the whole strawberries and place one on the rim of each glass.

(Source: Southern Cocktails  by Denise Gee, Chronicle Books, 2007.)

The Lemon Pop

Prosecco, limoncello and homemade natural sour mix make for a sparkling twist on the Lemon Drop cocktail.

Try using homemade limoncello made with organic Meyer lemons from Sonoma, California for this variation on the Lemon Drop.  Make it with Iron Horse de Blancs, but it’s also great with a certain Italian sparkler.

Makes 1 cocktail

2 slices fresh lemon
sugar
1/2 ounce limoncello
1/2 ounce all-natural sour mix (see note above)
4 ounces prosecco.  Use the lemon slice to moisten the edge of your champagne flute or coupe. Put the sugar on a flat saucer. Press the  rim of the glass into the sugar to make a frosted rim.  Carefully add the limoncello, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and the natural sour mix to the prepared glass. Top with prosecco. Garnish with the remaining lemon slice and serve.
From Rob Akins and Maria Hunt

Lavender and Peach Bellini


This cool twist on the classic peach nectar and prosecco cocktail comes from Linnea Johansson, a top New York City party planner. If peaches aren’t quite in season (please don’t use hard ones from Chile) pick up peach nectar in the juice aisle of your favorite supermarket. Dried lavender is available at most organic grocery stores or plant some in your garden!

Makes 1 cocktail

1 part peach puree (say 2 ounces)
2 parts prosecco (4 ounces)
1 pinch edible, non-toxic dried lavender.  Add the peach puree to the bottom of a champagne flute. Carefully add the prosecco. Don’t stir, but use a soon to carefully pull the puree up along the sides of the glass, so you don’t lose the bubbles. Garnish with the lavender.

 (Source: Perfect Parties by Linnea Johansson, Skyhorse Publishing, 2007.)

The Lawn Mower

Spring Green
Honeydew melon, mint and a bit of vanilla make this a very original and fragrant cocktail inspired by a drink called The Lawn Mower that L.A. caterer Nicole Aloni included in her book The Backyard Bartender. This version uses a vanilla syrup instead of vanilla vodka to keep it on the lighter side.

Makes 2 cocktails

1 cup diced honeydew or similar melon
1 ounce vanilla bean infused simple syrup (See Note)
1/2 fresh lime
1/2 ounce all natural sour mix (see Note again)
1 tablespoon roughly chopped mint, plus a couple whole leaves
1/2 cup (4 ounces) Prosecco.  Juice the melon or puree in a blender, adding a little water if necessary to get things going. Strain the melon puree through a fine mesh tea strainer into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.  Add the vanilla bean syrup, a good squeeze of lime juice, the all natural sour mix and chopped mint to the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously 20 to 30 times. Strain equal portions of the mixture into two champagne flutes. Top each one with 1/4 cup of the prosecco. Garnish each drink with a mint leaf and serve. (Source: Food & Drink Magazine)

This just in from Sergio Esposito, Italian wine expert extraordinaire—a profile on a great Barolo:

Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra–the house flagship–derives from grapes cultivated in the celebrated Ginestra cru of Barolo’s Monforte d’Alba. Clerico initially purchased 3.3 hectares in Ginestra in 1981, and enlarged his holdings in 2001, with the acquisition of an additional 5.4 hectares. The wine is known for its demonstrative aromatic expression, a quality that is attributed to the vines’ south to southeast exposure and altitude of 300 meters. While Clerico aged Ginestra for a period of time exclusively in 700-liter tonneaux, the current medium employed is barrique (90% of which is new). The Barolo was named for the affable half of the sibling pair–Mentin and Fiore–that owned the property prior to Clerico, as well as the house (ciabot in Piemontese dialect) that resided in the vineyard.

Rooted at the core of Clerico’s winemaking philosophy is his staunch conviction that the quality of the vines is the sole factor determining a wine’s potential. Clerico regards production techniques as mere tools of the trade as opposed to intrinsic components of the wine itself. Appropriately enough, the producer champions the virtues of terroir by focusing on single-vineyard bottlings that express the merits of distinct sites. Perhaps there’s no better testament to Clerico’s meticulous approach to viticulture than the sign that directs vintners to his cellar door–Domenico Clerico, Viticoltore (i.e., Domenico Clerico, Vinegrower). Clerico’s efforts in the vineyard are tenacious, based on a relentless pursuit of quality. His average yields, in fact, are among the lowest in the region.

While Domenico Clerico will always be a Barolo Boy, he’s matured quite a bit since that revolutionary period in the ’80s, when himself and the other members of Barolo’s backstreet vignerons stripped Barolo of its Slavonian oak and attired it with rich oak trappings and accoutrements. While Clerico was the most lavish at one point in these ministrations, employing 100 percent new barrique for his Barolos, his career has been marked by a shifting stylistic spectrum, a constant probing for the aesthetic that best suits his wines and their terroir. His new barrique-aged Barolos weren’t what he was looking for, coming across as overdone and melodramatic, though his Barolos continue to see a substantive degree of new oak. But Clerico hasn’t just been working out his involvement with barrique. In fact, his work with maceration periods has been, in many respects, far more dramatic than his experimentation with barrique. In 1993, Clerico’s maceration periods ranged from five to eight days. In 2001, that period averaged between 12 and 14 days, going up to 18 in 2006, with a new addition to the Barolo portfolio (from the 2006 vintage, derived from sourced grapes), receiving 23 days of maceration.

§   Domenico Clerico 2005 Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra $86.00**

Drink 2015-2030

§   Domenico Clerico 2005 Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra (1.5) $198.00**

§   Domenico Clerico 2004 Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra$105.99

Drink 2012-2024

§   Domenico Clerico 2004 Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra (1.5) $225.00

§   Domenico Clerico 2003 Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra$100.45  

Drink 2001-2023

Domenico Clerico Barolo Pajana

Recognized by its incredible concentration and a lasting finish, the Barolo Pajanà is a product of the Ginestra vineyard, a subzone of Barolo already known in the 19th century for its superior wines with full bodies. While rather reticent on the nose, yet generous on the palate, the ‘03 demonstrates a smoky-sweet bouquet of over ripe black fruit with rich chocolate. The ‘04 possesses a pure, balanced personality that boasts expansive fruit aromatics and a powerfully slick display of bold, dark fruits. An exceptionally gorgeous wine, the ‘05 owns its powerful floral and tar aromatics, and its palate of leather, earth, tar and spice; it’s a breathtaking wine that strides the line between power and elegance.

Billionaire Francois Pinault, of Gucci-Christie’s fame, is sharing more of his world-class modern art collection with the public. Palazzo Grassi, which he purchased in 2006, was apparently not enough of a showcase, so he opened a second museum in Venice, Punta della Dogana, in June.

The opening exhibit, Mapping the Studio, is a selection of 300 works from Pinault’s extensive and respected collection. Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, Cy Twombly, and Takashi Murakami are exhibited in the 38,000-square-foot space alongside emerging artists Matthew Day Jackson, Adel Abdessemed, and Kai Althoff.

The space is spectacular. The former customs house, built in the 17th century, sits next to the Basilica Santa Maria della Salute at the triangular point of land where the Grand Canal meets the Giudecca Canal. Eighty percent of the perimeter borders on the waters of the lagoon.

The Punta della Dogana was renovated in a uncharacteristically short (for Italy) 14 months by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, who despite no formal training won the Pritzker Architecture Prize, considered the highest distinction in the field, in 1995.

Ando respected the former warehouses, arranged side by side in a row along the two canals, but did not disguise his transformative and totally modern reinforced concrete additions. The architect has called concrete “the marble of the 20th century.”

In keeping with the continual juxtaposition of old and new, grids on the doors that overlook the waterfront were made of steel and glass by Venetian craftsmen…modern creations, traditional artistry. Extensive work was done on the foundations to safeguard the structure from humidity and acqua alta.

Celebrity footnote: Pinault is married to actress/producer Salma Hayek.  Warning: this show, with its headless horse, huge sodomy sculpture ‘Train, Pig Island’ or the room decorated with ‘Male and Female Genital Wallpaper,’ is decidedly not for children.

> Palazzo Grassi

Campo San Samuele

(Vaporetto stops: S.Samuele (line 2) or S. Angelo (line 1))

www.palazzograssi.it

Concierge.com recently completed its own survey of the “world’s sexiest resorts.”  Among its choices was the an old gem outside of the Renaissance city of Florence.  Under the category “MOST SEDUCTIVE LANDSCAPE” first in the field was the Orient Express owned Villa San Michele.

Here’s what Concierge.com had to say about this unique hotel: 

• Ø       Ideal for: Uptight Brits and their would-be suitors (well, it worked for Julian Sands and Helena Bonham Carter).
• Ø       Sexiest detail: Swoony, Renaissance-packed views.
• Ø       The lure: No wonder they called it A Room With a View. This 15th-century monastery turned ultraluxe hotel—a favorite of Brigitte Bardot, Madonna, and Julia Roberts—has jaw-dropping views of Italy’s most heart-stopping skyline thanks to its unbeatable perch on a hill just outside Florence. To best appreciate the Renaissance beauty of the city spread out in the valley, book one of the suites in the Limonaia, so called because it’s where the monks used to store their lemons in wintertime.
• Ø     Sexiness factor: As breathtaking as a newly discovered nude by Raphael.

For more information:

Villa San Michele

Via Doccia 4, 50014, Fiesole

Tel#  055 567 8200;  Fax: 055 567 8250; Email: info@villasanmichele.net

Here are a few outstanding pizzerias in greater New York. For more on the square and round shaped ambrosia see “Crust Is a Canvas for Pizza’s New Wave”, By Frank Bruni, New York Times, July 7, 2009.

> Lucali

575 Henry St., Brooklyn,  NY 11231 
near First Place;  Tel #
718-858-4086. Opened in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, in 2006, and charges $34 (cash only!) for a pie with cheese tomato, pepperoni and mushrooms.

> Zero Otto Nove (089)

2357 Arthur Ave, Bronx,  NY 10458; Tel # 718- 220-1027. Wood burning domed oven. The name “Zero Otto Nove (089)” comes from is the area code for Salerno, Italy, the seaside town from which chef-restaurateur Roberto Paciullo emigrated in 1970. Source: NYMagazine.com

 > Franny’s

Flatbush Ave.,  Brooklyn, NY 11217 
nr. Prospect Place.; Tel #
718-230-0221.   A newf  angled Park Slope pizzeria where, even in its earliest days, the Underground Gourmet has glimpsed pizza greatness.  At Franny’s, a pizza isn’t just a pizza—it’s a political statement, the vehicle for expressing a worldview shared by husband-and-wife owners Andrew Feinberg and Francine Stephens, veterans of Savoy and as committed to the Chez Panissean tenets of local, sustainable agriculture as they are to the venerable tradition of artisanal pizza-making. Try the unadorned pie (extra-virgin olive oil and sea salt); it’s a classic of its kind.  Source: Chow.com

 > Salvatore of SoHo

1880Hylan Blvd
, Staten Island, NY 10305. Tel # 718-979-PIZZA.; INFO@SalvatoreOfSOHO.com.
 Salvatore of Soho has reinvented the wheel, or at least repurposed it in a good cause: superior pizza. This newish restaurant—not in SoHo, actually, but on Staten Island—spins its pies on a rotating metal disk in a coal-fired oven. The result, according to comestible, is an excellent thin crust: beautifully charred, crisp, yet slightly chewy. But this place isn’t only about pizza. Hounds recommend lobster ravioli, eggplant rollatini, house-made mozzarella, pizza-dough garlic bread, and Swiss chard in garlic-scented tomato sauce, among other things. Expect a wait, which will probably pass in no time thanks to the neighborly vibe. –Source: Chow.com

> Co.

230 Ninth Ave., New York, NY 10001 
at 24th Street; Tel #
212-243-1105.   Co. is a 54-seat Chelsea pizzeria and the stage for a new Lahey pizza creation—round, thin-crusted, Neapolitanish, and iconoclastically topped.  Co.’s pizza will be baked at around 700 degrees in a wood-burning oven imported from Modena. Source: NYMagazine.com

 > Kesté

271 Bleecker Street, Tel # 212-243-1500.  The  Naples-style pizzeria on Bleecker Street—just across from the venerable New York pizzeria John’s—calls itself Kesté, which means, “This is it” in Neapolitan slang (and, yes, you probably should take that for the boasting it sounds like). Kesté’s pizzas are, on the whole, tasty—as long as you’re not expecting a crisp, thinnish New York–style crust. Pizza in Naples is usually eaten with a knife and fork; the crust is puffy and bread-like, and the middle is often sodden with olive oil. Kesté’s crust is classically Naples-style—the crusts are billowy, chewy, and soft, dotted with a dappling of char.The restaurant’s long, narrow space, relatively unadorned and packed with simple wooden tables and chairs, culminates at the far end of the room in a beautiful, domed pizza oven, covered in copper-colored tiles. Source: Village Voice.

 > Motorino

319 Graham Avenue (between Ainslie St & Devoe Street)  Brooklyn, NY 11211; Tel # (718) 599-8899; www.motorinopizza.com.   A new brick oven pizza/antipasti joint from an alum of Bouley and BLT Fish, opened in East Williamsburg devoid of serious restaurants. That part of the neighborhood has its slice joints, its red sauce Italian, and its cheap burrito and sushi places, but this is the first arrival to the neighborhood we’ve noticed actual excitement about.  Source: eater.com

In 1516 a Senate Decree instituted an area of Venice (the north corner of the Cannarégio district) where Jews were confined to live and could not leave from sunset to dawn. The decree created the first ghetto of the Western World. Confinement and a burgeoning population lead to the six to nine story buildings still visible in this area today.

Exploring the Ghetto Ebraico or Jewish Ghetto is a must for any trip to Venice. Stop by the Jewish Museum and synagogues, which house artifacts preserving Venetian Jewish heritage. On display are cultural objects, textiles, gold works, and other art. The museum also maintains five neighboring synagogues, and tours are included with entrance to the museum. Of the five synagogues, the Scuola Levantina is often hailed as the most impressive and should surely not be missed.

After a day touring the Ghetto Ebracio head to Ai Canottieri for dinner. This small restaurant features a comprehensive menu at a great price. Lunchtime is popular for students therefore a stop is best saved for dinner where the menu is far more elaborate.

> Museo Ebraico e Sinagoghe

Cannarégio 2902/B, Campo del Ghetto Nuovo; Tel #041 715 359; Hours: Sun-Fri 10am-7pm (June-Sept), 10am-5:30pm (Oct-May), departure for the synagogues every hour.

> Ai Canottieri

Cannarégio 690, Fondamenta di San Giobbe; Tel #041 717 999; Hours: Mon 8am-4pm, Tue-Sat 8am-4pm, 7:30-midnight.

Need some kneading after a long day walking the marble floors of the Uffizi? The Four Seasons is the only hotel in the heart of Florence with a spa on-site. Nine light filled treatment rooms are appointed in soothing but not typical spa shades: white, putty, green, and gray. The Grand Spa/Couples Suite is in its own separate garden building with a fireplace, freestanding bath and views into a private garden.

Spa guests have access to lounges, whirlpools, and a gray marble pool surrounded by hedges. and The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Firenze is the only spa in the world to use the products from, natch, Santa Maria Novella, one of the world’s oldest pharmacies, based in Florence. They use all-natural ingredients and still follow the traditional recipes the monks formulated in the 13th century. Spa treatments include a cypress scrub, pomegranate bath, and chianti massage, all done with local ingredients.

Four Seasons FlorenceBorgo Pinti, 99Tel # 055) 26261; Fax # 39 (055) 2626 500www.fourseasons.com/florence 

Siena is the gateway to the great southern Tuscan estates of Maremma, Montepulciano and Montalcino fame.  But with the city walls are some wonderful places to taste some of Italy’s finest reds.  Here are two such places.  (To refer to them simpy as wine bars seems to do them an injustice. 

> ENOTECA AI BIANCHIU 


Via Banchi di Sopra, 85; 
Tel# 0577-56011;
Web Site www.royaldemeure.com.
 Open Daily, 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Part of the Grand Hotel Continental, with access from the street, this intimate wine bar (and wineshop) is the perfect place for a predinner aperitif. Knowledgeable, English-speaking sommelier Manfredo Venditti serves Champagne, spumante, and red and white wines by the glass. Also on offer are well-priced bottles from Tuscany and beyond.

> ENOTECA I TERZI 


Via dei Termini, 7 
Tel# 0577-44329; 
Web Site: www.enotecaiterzi.it. 
Open Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. 
Cost Tastings $5-$15 
The entire 1,200-label restaurant wine list (see Where to Eat) is available for purchase by the bottle over the counter. The choice of 35 wines for tasting by the glass changes every month and ranges from simple whites and reds to Brunellos and Barolos.

> ENOTECA ITALIANA

Via Camollia, 72 ; Tel# 0577-228811;
Web Site:  www.enoteca-italiana.it. Open Monday to Saturday, noon to 1 a.m. 
Cost Tastings $4-$25 
This is a state-funded establishment, founded in 1960 in the beautifully restored, 16th-century Medici fortress. The brick-vaulted cellar houses a permanent exhibit of 1,800 wines from Tuscany and the rest of Italy.  A handheld device supplied on arrival reads the bar code on each bottle, triggering an audiovisual presentation about the wine. A printout at the end of the tour lists the wines marked for tasting and/or purchase by the bottle. Sommelier-guided tours are also available on request.