Perhaps few people know that the whole city of Rome, the Eternal City, is a UNESCO heritage site. This should come as no surprise, as the city is a treasure trove of art and culture, which Rome wine tours will lead you through. This is the city where layers of history lie one on top of one another.
Ancient ruins brush shoulders with exuberant Renaissance and Baroque churches, piazzas and fountains, as well as modern architecture from the 19th and 20th century. Wine tours in Rome are like strolling around a living museum.
Myth has it that the city was founded on the Palatinus, one of Rome’s seven hills, by Romulus, the brother of Remus. The twins survived near murder, being saved by Tiberinus, the Father of the River. A famous symbol of the city is the boys being fed by a she-wolf. By AD 100, Rome was the undisputed capital of the world, although its golden age was numbered when Constantine moved his power base to Byzantium. Renaissance Rome rose from the ruins of Medieval Rome and the great papal dynasties of Barberini left their mark on the city to this day.
The city became known for sumptious cuisine and good wines as some of the best chefs of the time worked for the popes. The 50s and 60s were known for ’la dolce vita’ with Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg in the film of the same name plunging into one of the world’s most famous fountains, the Trevi Fountain. Now is the best time to experience the city through a wine tour. Rome, Italy, underwent a major clean-up for the Millenium and the city is in the best shape it’s been for decades.
The wine culture has also undergone a revolution in the last twenty years. In the past, Italians typically drank wine mainly with their meals, and generally the wine was local wine on tap. Now Italians too are rediscovering their vinous culture and enotoche, or wine bars, have sprung up all over the city in recent years, with quality local wine from Lazio and from all over Italy increasingly being served by the glass from extensive menus.
Discovering history is thirsty work and wine tours in Rome are a great way to discover the city whilst giving you chance to refresh yourself along the way. Foodies will also love the chance to wander the colourful local markets and explore the artisan food shops on a Rome food and wine tour. The fabulous range of fresh ingredients, cozy trattorie, modern eateries, gelaterie and wine bars on offer in the city combine to turn any walk around the city into a impromptu food and wine tour. Rome will not disappoint food and wine lovers.
Should you crave some fresh and greenery, you can take wine tours from Rome into the Colli Albani, where the Roman nobility escaped the summer heat in the past. Here you can taste Frascati, a crisp, dry white wine drunk by the gallon in Rome’s trattorie. You’ll be in good company too, as one former queen of England fell in love with the wine and had it served regularly served at court, thus enhancing the wine’s reputation. Any wine tours near Rome will certainly take in the historic centre of Frascati, one of the towns which make up the Castelli Romani, backbone of much of Lazio’s winemaking activities.
So why not treat yourself to your own Roman Holiday. At Wine Paths, our team of local experts can help you arrange the details of wine tours in Rome.
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