In Piazza Roma sits a fountain by the artist Carlo Fontana.My hosts had another full day of adventure planned, so after breakfast we made our way to the car, and headed to our first destination: Cantina Tollo.Located in the town of Tollo, the Cantina has a tasting room — reservations are required for tastings.  The tasting also gets you a tour of the facilities.  The area is famous for its wines — most notably, the Montepulciano di Abruzzo.  I was excited to see what the tasting experience here would be like.  Before we did the tastings, we were given the tour of the Cantina.  This was a fascinating experience.  The entire process was explained to us, from the pressing of the grapes, to the bottling of the wine, the labeling of the bottles, and finally, the shipping of the cases to countries all over the world.    What made it even nicer was that it was just the three of us and the guide, and she spoke in Italian and English.The tasting itself was wonderful.  We were given four wines, along with platters of antipasto — which included cheeses, meats, marinated vegetables, bread.  We tried not to eat too much, as we were going for lunch, after we left the Cantina!  Needless to say, wine was purchased.  Once it was safely stowed in the back of the car, we continued on our way.  We headed for the coast of Abruzzo.  It was a lovely day, and so would be perfect for an afternoon stroll by the sea.  And why not choose San Vito Chietino, for our afternoon adventure!Lunch was at a lovely restaurant, near the shore, called L’Angolino da Filippo.  Of course, we dined on fish, and white wine!After a delicious lunch, we headed to the shore, for a walk by the sea.It being October and off-season, the beach bars were not jumping like they would be during the middle of summer.The coast along this section of Italia is lined with wooden fishing shacks, built on stilts, with decks, which are called Trabocchi.  These structures have been part of the landscape here, for over 2000 years.  Most of the Trabocchi are still used for fishing, though some are now used as cafés or restaurants.Our last stop, before heading back to Gessopalena, was the Abbazia di San Giovanni in Venere, in the town of Fossacesia.  Visiting this old monastery/church complex was a fitting end to a beautiful day!

Next up: we leave Gessopalena, heading back to Roma, but not without a couple of stops along the way!

Note: this blog is written in English and Spanish, and the author takes no responsibility for the quality of any other translations which may appear.  If you have enjoyed this post, please check out our archives for more posts from Gessopalena, as well as other Italian destinations.  Grazie!