b'We visit Italy this yearbecause it is October, potentially the middle of the grape crushingFor dinner we are transported to a palazzo hidden away in the heart season in Tuscany. The WineGeese, a collection of wine-lovers fromof the city with family records dating back over a thousand years. Our The Ireland Funds, begin their pilgrimage in Rome. An itinerary hasbeautifully restored dining room offers us a chance to connect with been compiled around strategic venues which will educate our mindslife in the Renaissance era.and satiate our palates. But we must move onwe are here for Toscana and its wines!We stay close to the Pantheon, built some two thousand yearsEnroutetoourhotelwepauseforlunchatAvignonesiawell-ago,sportingaconcretedomewhichstilltodayisthelargest known producer of Super Tuscans. This winery practices biodynamicun-reinforced concrete dome in the world. A tour of some of the citysmethods,usingcowmanureorquartzpackedintocowhorns,lesser known historical sites sets us up for our Italian experience. buried in the ground, then crushed with water and later sprayed on AvisittotheburialsiteofHughONeillputsintohistoricalto the ground or vine leaves. A Belgian lady, Virgine Saverys, recently perspective the name Winegeese. ONeill was one of the originalbought the struggling winery, which she then rejuvenated with these Wildgeese who fled Ireland in the early 1600s to gather continentalecological techniques.armies in Irelands fight against King James I.Our borgo at San Felice, outside the quaint town of Castelnuovo DinneronourfirsteveningconsistedofthebestofIrishBeradenga, is typical of Tuscan architecture. Pale sandstone blocks cuisine.HostedbytheIrishAmbassadorandhiswife,Bobby adorned with dark green shutters, pink potted geraniums and terra andMaryMcDonagh,weenjoydinnerandentertainmentinthe cottarooftilescompletethevisionofTuscanyatitsbest.Themagnificent Villa Spada, which houses the Irish Embassy in Italy. separate buildings, housing just a few rooms each, rest in tranquility Our second day in Rome starts with a small number of us risingamongst the vines which are just starting to turn autumnal in colorbefore dawn to experience mass in the Hibernian crypt of St. Peterssome still with luscious purple grapes clinging to the lower trellises Basilica,VaticanCityandtosavorthesquareandvastedificeasawaiting their harvest. We watch the harvester culling these last fewdawn breaks before the crowds roll in. The word which comes to mind vestiges of nectar before they are shaken and sucked, minus stems andis Ethereal! seeds, into the machine and then the press, for their journey to the The gardens at Castel Gandolfo, the Popes summer residence,wine glass.are now open to the public and we enjoy this sojourn to the outskirts of Rome for a private tour of this manicured green haven. 2 3 45 6 7connect2015 | 59'