Arrived in Asti yesterday evening after a 3.5 hour train ride from Levanto. At some point a whole bunch of kids boarded our train car. It got a little noisy. If it weren't for my iPod I probably would have screamed. But it was all good. The hotel we're staying at is just steps away from the train station, so that was a huge convenience. As well, the hotel is fairly new so the rooms were well appointed and comfy. You actually had room to manoeuvre in the bathroom versus what we had in Levanto.
Today we went to the Luca Ferraris vineyard and winery. It was about a half hour bus ride from Asti. After being given a small tour of the facilities, we had a wine tasting session. I think we tried about 5 different types of red wines they make as well as a moscato d'Asti. Yummm! I really like the sweetness of that one. Some of the folks in the group made some purchases of bottles of some of the wines. I asked to have a case of 6 bottles (2 of 3 kinds) shipped home. I left my address and email so they can let me know if it would be possible to ship back and how much it would cost.
After the wine tasting, we had lunch at a nearby restaurant. For 15 euros we were treated to a 5 course meal. The antipasto was a plate of local cheese made with both cow and sheep's milk served on a small bed of greens and topped with a preserve made from grapes and some chopped walnuts. The piatti primo was a lovely penne dish with a light sauce that had tuna and breadcrumbs(?) in it. The piatti secundo was thin slices of veal and a vegetable caponata. Then there was a cheese course where we sampled 4 different cheeses of the region. For the dolci, it was a custard/mousse like dessert made with chocolate and almonds. It was all quite delicious. The meal was served with some local wines. This was quite a feast for a lunch!! I was quite full after all of this!
Afterwards, we got to visit the studio of a local artist. Some of his works graced the bottle labels of some of the wine we had. He also designed a huge glass piece for a church in Torino. This was a nice little treat.
Soon it was time to catch the last bus back to Asti. Our group leader wasn't sure where the bust stop was so he had to ask a few people. We eventually found the stop and the bus arrived more or less on time.
Right now, some of the folks decided to go do some shopping. I decided to pass on that and get some rest and maybe take a nap. But before I take a nap, I figure I'd do some updating here since this internet point is just around the corner from the hotel.
It's interesting to note that some of these internet points are also western union locations. As well, it seems like cheap long distance calls can be made from these places. I first noticed this in Lucca that a lot of non-Italians were making use of these cheaper LD rates to call home.
Tonight, I might join the others in search of dinner. We have an early start tomorrow morning. We will be catching a train to Milan where we will have a few hours for some quick sightseeing and shopping. Afterwards, it's off to Lake Como.
At this point, I'd like to control how much shopping I will do between now and the end of the trip. My bag is already fairly full, but I think I have devised a way to make it from Rome to the airport at the end. I hope to visit the Murano glass factory and museum while I am in Venice. I might make a few purchases there as well. So I really need to conserve baggage space. I also would like to avoid having to buy another piece of luggage for all of this stuff!!!
Anyway...
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