Oh and the fabulous wine!

grape vines, Palazzoni, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Where wine is less expensive than water. Well of course I had wine every day..sometimes with lunch as well as dinner. Often just by itself. Kristi and Bill arranged for 2 wine excursions. The first was at Il Palazzo del Gusto where we learned about the qualities of all the Orvieto wines and tasted quite a few. We also were introduced to the philosophy of cittaslow, or slow food. Olive oil of course is fabulous in Italy so we had a little tutorial on OO as well.
Then one afternoon we went as the only guest party to Palazzoni winery where the owner, Giovanni educated us and entertained us. Of all the wine tours I have been on in California this afternoon surpassed them all. The ambiance of the winery and the countryside simply begs you to return. I am not sure I will have the opportunity to return to this lovely spot but I will cherish my memories and search for Orvieto's fine wines here at home. Doesn't this post whet your appetite for a nice glass of wine?

12th century architecture

12th century architecture, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Orvieto from the winery

Orvieto from the winery, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

My inspiration for my Italy trip was an art workshop

Jane LaFazio and our inspiration, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

My art teacher and friend, Jane LaFazio, taught a 5 day workshop on " sketching and watercolor: journal style" offered through Adventures in Italy. So I went to paint. The first morning we met in the convent courtyard with our gear and listened as Jane gave us inspiration and direction.

and some really hot!

cooking class denise and lorenzo, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Giovanni at Palazzone winery, Orvieto, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

There were very old and dead things

Orvieto from the necropolis, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Of course we all know that Italy has a deep history. The "rock" of Orvieto was first build and occupied by the Etruscans. Those are the guys that lived 600 BC even before the Romans. They buried their dead at the base of this rock city in the necropolis along with the treasures that they owned. The tombs have since been raided and lay empty but moss and lichen grow inside and wild flowers grow outside making this dead place very alive. That is Orvieto on the top and my portable chair in the foreground. Yes I should have noticed it in my frame but the picture is still good.

Etruscan tomb, raided

Etruscan tomb, raided, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Orvieto wine, Yipee!

Ah yes, there is an Orvieto wine. I found this bottle of wine at Whole Foods last week and couldn't resist. It was a mild table wine but quite tasty. It was a good complement to the salmon pasta I had for dinner. Little things like this help me get excited for my trip in May.

Italy in May

I am so excited to say that I am going to Italy in May to join a sketching and watercolor week long class in Orvieto, Umbria with my teacher and friend Jane LaFazio. I am brushing up on some Italian (from my iPhone app) and studying with prep list from the Adventures in Italy tour company who organized this awesome trip. We artists and artists in training will be staying in a converted convent that just happens to be next to a vineyard up on this hilltop city that dates back hundreds of years. The trip is full enough for definitive planning but if anyone would like to join me I would love for you to come along.