Let’s talk cultural meccas. Remember how in school we learned Italy was the birthplace of art, architecture, history, cuisine, law, finance…well, almost everything? It’s no wonder this destination tops so many bucket lists, ours included. So when Madison’s WMTV 15 announced its trip to Italy in October, we clinked our glasses and said “Salute!”
In spite of our excitement, we were faced with a dilemma…
Each year we do an annual Octoberfest Brewery Tour in which, given its name, we celebrate artisanal beer. Of course, Italy is all about wine. Could we break tradition and trade our mugs for stemware? We could and we did. In fact, we’ve just returned from a 10-day extravaganza of all things Italian and it was amazing. Here’s a lowly sampling of our trip.
Viva L’Italia in Rome!
If there’s such a thing, Rome is an overload of art, architecture, and history. And people—oh my, so many people. Being a Jubilee Year, it’s expected up to 32 million from around the world will pilgrimage to the Vatican City (I think we were all there together in early October:-). It was an incredible experience!
Florence: Birthplace of the Renaissance
Florence was fascinating. Think House of Medici, Michelangelo, Tuscan wine, leather, gold, and delicious food. We toured the monastery Certosa di Firenze, built in the 14th century, and learned to cook and taste wine at Castello Del Trebbio, built in the 12th century. Did you get that? The age and preservation of Italian architecture is mind-blowing!
Venice: A Floating City
Technically, Venice is not floating—it’s a series of islands built on wooden piles, which have now petrified into the soft soils of the Venetian Lagoon. We were ferried to the city and wonderfully, there are no cars allowed. Oh, how romantic—it’s no wonder so much beauty comes from this part of the world. Speaking of, we toured the Original Murano Glass Factory and were awed by the magic of its skillful artists.
And lest you’re worried we deserted our autumn beer tradition, let me assure you we did not. It turns out Italy has a flourishing craft beer scene. Interestingly, by law, the birra artigianale italiana is not pasteurized or micro-filtered, and it must be produced by small and independent breweries. We sampled quite a few interesting ales.
And now, may I present…
Every year, I exercise my creative muscle with a commemorative Octoberfest poster. Poster art is fun and I’m particularly fascinated with the styles of vintage travel posters. For 2025, I’ve combined the geometric designs of Italian tile, our travel itinerary, and my husband’s pursuit of Italian beer beyond Peroni. Cin cin!