When I was younger, the only stories I wanted to hear about were fairytales. The stories of princesses being swept off their feet by their prince charming or stories of wild adventures through beautiful places. Today, instead of watching or hearing of these stories, we were able to live out our own kind of a fairytale. A fairytale filled with lots of wine, food, and a beautiful garden.
The Marco Carpineti winery is an organic winery located in Cori, Italy. It is family owned and stretches over 50 acres of land. Thanks to our wonderful program, we were able to help the Carpineti family with their grape harvest this year! After we picked some grapes, we made our way to the cantina to learn how the process of winemaking truly works. Because we’re in Italy, it is obvious we go through our fair share of wine, and so I’m grateful we were able to see the process of how these winemakers make what we drink. Being in Hotel and Restaurant Management, this is a useful process to know. Picking the grapes and seeing the process was fun, but the best part of all was saved for last- food and wine tasting. We were taken to a beautiful room overlooking the land and were served incredible wine and food.

Following the winery, we all made our way to the Ninfa Gardens. The second we stepped into the garden, I knew this would be one of my favorite places in all of Italy. I found myself surrounded by flowers, streams, and hundreds of trees and plants. These gardens made me stop and realize that the simplest of things bring the most happiness. I know I am not alone when I say that I could have sat in the Ninfa Gardens the whole day. Needless to say, this day proved to be a fairytale we will never forget.

Ciao!
Elyse