By: Eric Gennaro
All Roads Lead to Rome. That is exactly how my Spring trip to Italy went. It was an awe inspiring three weeks full of coffee, tiramisu, prosciutto and porchetta set in the back drop of rolling and hilly countryside and Medieval stoney towns starting and ending in the Eternal City. This journey was put into perspective after meeting with Milena Pepe, from Tenuta Cavalier Pepe, in Verona during VinItaly, Italy’s most famed annual wine festival.
Cavalier Pepe is a historic estate producing complex and mineral driven wines from ancient varieties. The vineyards surround the town of Irpinia , a region within Campania in Southern Italy and is close in proximity to the city of Naples. It is a loud and hectic place with a tough exterior that becomes warm and welcoming once embraced. The vineyards range from 300-800m above sea level and are influenced by the volcanic soil from Mount Vesuvius and the coastal Mediterranean breeze from the west. As we sat with Milena, snacking on pecorino cheese and cracker-like taralli and weaving our way through a magical flight of wines, she talked about the the old Roman road that runs through the property. This old stone road, known as the Appian Way, runs from Rome to Brindisi in Apulia and was the Empire’s major military trail. It allowed troops and supplies to be transported to and from the country’s eastern port away from the difficult Pontine marshes to the south and the tricky Apennine mountains to the north. As you can tell I am a bit of a history buff.