For the past several years, without fail, I have ended up being in Europe on Ernie’s birthday. When it looked like it was going to happen again this year, I told him that he needed to spend his “significant birthday” with me in Europe. In the last posting, I mentioned connecting with him in Belgium, then flying down to Porto San Giorgio just in time for a birthday dinner just ahead of midnight on his birthday.

It was really different spending time in Italy this vacation, since this is the first time that we were there more as residents than as tourists (although the locals probably still called us Crazy Americans!). We rented a condo from our very dear friends, so we had a kitchen, living room, and so on. So for the first time, we went out on a daily basis to the market to get fresh fruit for breakfast, we cooked dinner, and so on. The shop keepers got to know us, both at the market and also at one of the wine stores. And we got to know the lovely town of Porto San Giorgio and some of the surrounding area of Le Marche. We had a fun experience at the Spaccio Alimentare Pamafrutta, which is a lovely shop with cured meats, various Italian packaged gifts, and - oh yes - wine! (Unfortunately, no web page - try looking on Facebook for them.) We found several wines that we wanted to purchase to send home - but while the shopkeeper wanted to sell us the wine, no one would help us ship it home! Horrors! They were fabulous folks - they took Ernie around town trying one mail spot after another, but no success. Apparently there is just not a lot of demand to send a case of wine from Italy to the US that area. So we ended up having them select their two most “important” wines from Le Marche, and we bought them with the intent of drinking them before we left Porto San Giorgio. They were so gracious and so helpful - we plan to go there when we return!

We also made friends with the folks in the market, both the butcher and also the folks selling fruits and vegetables. Ernie was in heaven - he could have Italian cured meats, figs, and cheeses that we cannot find here for breakfast! It was delightful to open the patio doors in the kitchen and have the morning breezes come through while eating. And then down for a cappuccino at Caffé Novecento. One night, we purchased a couple steaks, some local bread, and salad makings and cooked dinner. This dinner was beautifully accompanied by one of the wines we had purchased from Spaccio Alimentare Pamafrutta - a 2010 Kurni from Azienda Agricola Oasi Deli Angeli. This is a very low production wine, so we were quite fortunate that the folks recommended it. The wine is made from the Montepulciano grape, but it was definitely fuller-bodied than a typical Montepulciano. The Kurni was very dark purple, and it tasted of dark fruits with a beautiful silky finish. What a lovely wine to go with our simply-grilled steaks!

A gorgeous 2010 Kurni, recommended by our friends at Spaccio Alimentare Pamafrutta.

Grilled steak, a simple salad, and bread with our Kurni.

Another wine that we purchased from Pamafrutta was a 2009 Il Pollenza from Conte Brachetti Peretti. We took this one with us to a fantastic night out in the town of Cupra Marittima at the Ristorante Pepe Nero. What a great location, and what a wonderful restaurant! (Again, no webpage - look up the great reviews on Trip Advisor.) Pepe Nero focuses on the food, so they have a limited house wine selection - ergo, BYOB. We knew we had a winner when the owner took one look at the bottle, then had a delightful time decanting the wine into the largest decanter I’ve ever seen! The Ristorante is in an old castle up on a cliff, and the space is decorated just beautifully. We had a seven-course dinner, with veal appetizers, eggplant appetizers, beef bourguignon (Italian style), pasta with a bolognese sauce, pork with vegetables, and dessert. It was amazing, all accompanied by the Il Pollenza. This wine is a big, bold wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. We let it breathe for around 45 minutes, and that gave it an intense, fruity taste with notes of spices and herbs. It had lovely tannins, and it made for a very elegant evening. Pepe Nero's owner shared a glass with us, which is only to be expected - and a great compliment to the wine!

I have never seen such a large decanter for one of my wines! Definitely suited the il Pollenza.

Veal carpaccio and an eggplant mousse with our wine.

Beef bourguignon served on a portobello mushroom.

The owner, our gracious host. — The owner, our gracious host.

Another of the restaurants recommended to us by our friend was Damiani e Rossi, which is right on the beach. This was our first introduction to the local langoustines - which are ginormous! So sweet and delicious, once you divest them of their somewhat prickly shells. The waitress was extremely helpful, giving us suggestions for wineries to visit in the Le Marche area. We chose a 2014 Milia Offida Passerina wine from Azienda Agricola Cameli Irene. Passerina grapes are native to Le Marche, and this wine was very characteristic of the DOCG. It was very fragrant, reminiscent of green apples, yet the taste also had almost a honey in the background. Passerina wines go very well with seafood, which is not a surprise because of the amount of seafood available on the Le Marche coast. For dinner, we had a dorado stacked with a lemony risotto and grilled vegetables - just perfect with the wine. We managed to visit Damiani e Rossi right before the chef and several of the staff were headed up to Milan for an Eataly showcase - they were going to be with other restaurants from Le Marche highlighting the food and wine from that region.

Damiani e Rossi, on the beach in Porto San Giorgio.

Beautiful presentation of dorado fish with lemon risotto.

Another restaurant that we visited was Trattoria La Rocca, which was right next door to our friends at Spaccio Alimentare Pamafrutta. They also had a lot of seafood and were just as helpful and friendly as others in Porto San Giorgio. (Really, we have yet to find an unfriendly Italian. Maybe the key is to like good food and wine and be open to new experiences?) The first time we visited Trattoria La Rocca, we had another very characteristic wine of Le Marche, a Verdicchio. This one was Tardivo Ma Non Tardo 2011, from Azienda Santa Barbara. The DOC is located outside the town of Jesi, so the particular DOC is called Verdicchio dei Castello di Jesi. This wine has tastes of tropical fruits and spices, and it is very rich with a lovely finish. A great match with the clams, langoustines, and other fish.

The second time we visited Trattoria La Rocca, we tried a 2014 Le Caniette Offida Passerina Lucrezia. Paired with either clams with chickpeas, or Linguine con vongole bianco, the wine was perfect. The fruit in the wine matched the wonderfully fresh seafood so well. And then the great service from our waitress, who was very good about trying to explain something on the menu that we didn’t understand. She didn’t speak much English, and our Italian leaves a lot to be desired, but sign language and a bit of Spanish thrown in just added to the fun. We enjoyed Trattoria La Rocca, and we look forward to our next visit!

Our very helpful waitress at Trattoria La Rocca.

Sadly, our week in Porto San Giorgio ended, so off we went to that incredible city, Roma. “All roads lead to Rome”, and that certainly was true in our case. We took an autostrada from the east coast right through the mountains that run down the center of Italy to get to the west side. And I do mean through the mountains - they have built the most incredible tunnels I have ever seen. The longest was 24 kilometers, and when you get to the end of it, you are at L’Aquila. Unfortunately, L’Aquila was hit by the large earthquake only a few years ago, so many of the buildings are still under renovation. I have to give credit to the Italians - I would be terrified to be in that tunnel if there was an earthquake, but obviously, the tunnel did fine. Kudos!

We arrived in Rome and had a great time wandering the city for a day. We were extremely fortunate to happen on a wine bar while we were waiting for a restaurant reservation (we were starving from all the walking). So we went in to have a glass of wine and a few munchies and chat with the lovely young lady manning the wine bar, Jessica. Lo and behold, it was not just a wine bar, it was also a wine store - and even better - a Michelin-rated restaurant. So we made a reservation for the following evening to enjoy the full experience.

Some of the incredible array of wines at Enoteca al Parlamento.

Enoteca al Parlamento and the related Achilli Ristorante are incredible. The wine list is actually a tour through the Enoteca to choose a wine. And the store has prices ranging from a number of thousand of Euros down to 10-15 Euros, depending on your wallet and your whims. We had a great time both nights looking at the old Burgundies and Bordeaux, in addition to the assortment of Italian wines that were unfamiliar to us.

Getting ready for a great meal with our waiter, Alessandro.

Our dinner started with our waiter, Alessandro, serving us a glass of a rosé Franciacorta sparkling wine. Very delightful, lots of extremely tiny bubbles, great yeasty flavor, and that exquisite pink shade. We had an assortment of breads and also a lovely appetizer of beef on a bit of onion and pureed cannellini beans with a goat cheese. Wow, with the Franciacorta, it was amazing. Then we switched to a 1997 Gaja Pieve Santa Restituta Brunello di Montalcino Rennina. 1997 is one of the standout years for Italian wines because the weather was absolutely perfect for growing. And this wine lived up to the reputation, particularly since it was a Gaja (and I think they always produce great wines). This wine had a wonderfully full body, which we like, but it had silky, polished tannins and a nice dark fruit like currants or black cherries. There were also spicy notes of cinnamon, plus hints of wild herbs. The wine was a wonderful compliment to the tasting menu that the Chef produced: ravioli with mushrooms with a cream sauce but also crumbles of cinnamon, beets, and cheese; pork served over bok choy with a sauce reminiscent of veal sauce; a beef medallion with porcini mushroom over broccolini. Our dinner ended with an assortments of chocolates and a cup of espresso. What a meal!

A gorgeous appetizer - named something like "Not Your Mother's Carbonara".

A variation on ravioli stuffed with mushrooms - but even better!

And of course, since it was a wine store, we had to purchase some of the unusual wines (for us) that we had never seen. A bottle of Grappa di Barolo for a very good friend, a bottle of the Franciacorta rosé sparkling wine, a very special “orange wine” called Radikon that I had read of, a Basilicata Aglianico, a Sicilian wine, and one from Lazio (where Rome is located). And they were kind enough to throw in a bottle of Prosecco to boot! As we open these, I will make a full report!

Our treasured purchases to be brought home.

This was a great way to end our visit to Italy and wrap up Ernie’s birthday celebration. Lots of new friends made, new experiences with our “living” in an Italian apartment, and many notes on things we want to do again or make sure we hit the next time. People asked us, "Did you relax, did you have fun?" Absolutely! With every walk we took, every meal we had, every halting discussion between English and Italian, every sip we tried - we had a blast! Arrividerci in Italia, Fino all prossima volta! (Goodbye to Italy, until next time!)

Ernie's thank-you gift to our friends - his drawings of the towers of Porto San Giorgio.