Fall is a magical season in Italy, from the sunsets in the Umbrian hills to the seasonal Tuscan cooking. But one of the best elements of an Italian autumn is the ongoing grape harvest, which means wine tastings and festivals are abundant in many of Italy's premier wine-producing regions. October in particular is packed with events, and with the month's mild, pleasant weather and relatively smaller tourist crowds, there's no better time to reap the benefits of the wine harvest. As an added bonus, the wine festivals often bring with them the best of local and regional cuisine.
Piedmont in northern Italy is beloved for its chocolate and white truffles, but it's also one of country's most famous wine regions. The ancient town of Neive hosts a wine festival each October in its historic center. Neive is known for producing the best wines in the Langhe, a lush, hilly area of Piedmont. It has been called the Terra dei Quattro Vini, or Land of Four Wines, based on its famous Barbaresco, Barbera d'Alba, Dolcetto d'Alba and Moscato d'Asti selections. The suggestive ellipsis in the festival name alludes to the other offerings: live music, costumed figures and cuisine characteristic of the Piedmont region. Such dishes include eggy pastas and the boiled meat specialty bollito misto. Past editions of the festival have served up risotto made with four wines and sample plates of bruschetta, meats and cheeses, delicious whether you're drinking red or white.
Set in the tiny Tuscan town of Cinigiano in the province of Grosseto, the Festa dell'Uva is the perfect event for true wine connoisseurs. It's also ideal for anyone wanting to learn from skilled sommeliers or go beyond tasting and feasting and enjoy a sophisticated dinner setting. Typically held on the first weekend of October, past festivals have included in-depth round-table discussions with wine experts, usually conducted in Italian. If your language skills aren't up to par, you can still enjoy the tastings, live music and large-scale dinners of the festival, which is held in local restaurants and typically hosts up to 300 people.
The Sagra del Tordo is held in the Tuscan town of Montalcino every year on the last weekend of October. What began as a food-and-wine festival to boost the local economy has grown into a full-blown folk festival, complete with parades of medieval-costumed characters, dancing and even an archery tournament. The highlight, however, is sampling the delicacies. You can feast on pappardelle pasta paired with wines like Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino; one of Montalcino's reds, the Pian dell'Orino, won a prestigious award from Decanter, a wine connoisseur magazine. When you need to fuel up with something substantial after all your wine drinking, try Tuscan specialties such as lampredotto, a type of sandwich made with cow stomach that wins over even the most skeptical foodies.
The Sagra dell'Uva is a major wine festival in the city of Marino in the Lazio region, an easy day trip from Rome. The festival usually takes place on the first Sunday of October. Be prepared: These festivities aren't designed for halfhearted tourists, as the atmosphere can get quite rowdy. But it's more convivial than crazy. Visitors and locals alike come in costume to watch a procession through the historic center, and the traditional Fountain of Four Moors gushes wine, which flows freely through the crowd of thousands. When bumping elbows with the boisterous locals, keep your energy level high by fueling up on the soft breads and meats available for purchase.
