wareontheglobe italy

Cantina di Vesuvio: A Fun Winery Lunch After Pompeii

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On the heels of my post about the wonderful Le Vigne di Raito in Raito, Italy, this post details our experience at another winery we visited on our trip to the Amalfi Coast, Cantina del Vesuvio Winery!  We visited Cantina del Vesuvio after a full morning exploring Pompeii with a private guide and after hectic and crowded Pompeii, Cantina del Vesuvio was a welcome retreat away from the crowds, complete with delicious food and a decent amount of wine. I certainly recommend a visit after Pompeii.

Cantina del Vesuvio. I love these trees.

Cantina del Vesuvio Winery is literally located on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius (or Monte Vesuvio in Italian), hence the name. Given its location, the winery offers beautiful views, including of Sorrento and the Gulf of Naples and of Mount Vesuvius. We drove about 20 minutes from Pompeii to Cantina del Vesuvio, arriving slightly early for our pre-booked tasting and lunch (there is free parking on site!). And yes, a tour and lunch is the standard package. Its reasonably priced and easy to reserve online. And on that note, reservations are required, but I don’t think you need to make them too far in advance.

Cantina del Vesuvio.

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Le Vigne di Raito: A Special Wine Pairing Dinner Overlooking The Salerno Gulf

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On our second evening in Raito, Italy (read about our whole experience here and here), we booked a very special dinner for our friend’s milestone birthday. While Raito is simply tiny without much to do aside from its sweeping views of the Salerno Gulf, Raito is home to one of only two wineries on the Amalfi Coast. And, one of them, Le Vigne di Raito, happens to be located only a five minute walk from our hotel, Hotel Raito!

Dan and I at Le Vigne di Raito.

Le Vigne di Raito is a boutique organic vineyard, founded by owner Patrizia Malanga in 2001. Specializing largely in red wines, Le Vigne di Raito priduces two flagship wines – the Ragis red and Vitamenia rose. Le Vigne di Raito also offers winery tours and tasting to the public, as well as specialty dining experiences, including that paired with lunch or dinner, a cooking or pizza making course, and picnics in the vineyard.

Le Vigne di Raito.

Grapes at Le Vigne di Raito.

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Hotel Raito – A Magical Amalfi Weekend Away From The Crowds!

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If you read my latest post, you know that the first proper stop on our big Italian family vacation in 2025 was in Raito, Italy, which is located just above Vietri sul Mare on the Amalfi Coast. Very swoon. And, we stayed at the absolute loveliest hotel, Hotel Raito. This post describes our wonderful time at Hotel Raito and provides a detailed review of our stay!

View from Room 514 (Deluxe Sea View room).

The sunrise at Hotel Raito. I’m not a morning person, but this was worth waking up to see.

Pros of Hotel Raito: Absolutely amazing views, stunning pool, our balcony was gorgeous, did not feel insanely crowded, on site parking lot.

Cons of Hotel Raito: A bit pricey, not within walking distance to much, quiet at night, some parts are a bit dated.

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Ristorante L’Altra Mezzanotte – A Delicious Dinner on the Water in Ischia Porto

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Ristorante L’Altra Mezzanotte is a long-standing restaurant in Ischia Porto’s Riva Destra, or the area to the right of Ischia Porto that is lined with waterside restaurants and bars.  Apparently the Riva Destra has been a popular evening hangout since the 1960as. Ristorante L’Altra Mezzanotte opened in 2015 when two locals reopened an older restaurant that had closed. Ristorante L’Altra Mezzanotte itself is easy enough to find, it’s located right in the line of restaurants on the Riva Destra.

Ristorante L’Altra Mezzanotte.

Ristorante L’Altra Mezzanotte offers both indoor, air-conditioned seating, as well as outdoor seating in the cutest teal chairs. The outdoor area offers port views, while the interior offers views of the wood-fired oven. The staff at Ristorante L’Altra Mezzanotte is incredibly friendly and welcoming to tourists.  Known for its fresh, local seafood, Ristorante L’Altra Mezzanotte also has a wood-fire oven for preparing pizzas and some other dishes.

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An October Wine Tour Through Tuscany (from Florence!).

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We took our second Tuscan wine tour from Florence in October 2024. Our first Tuscan wine tour was back in 2016 and we had so much fun, we booked another when in Florence last October (2024). This year’s wine tour was similar to the 2016 tour but with some notable differences, which I will explain in this article. There are many, many wine tours from Florence through Tuscany at varying price points, so do your research before booking. I highly recommend a Tuscan wine tour from Florence if you have the time, and Grape Tours is a decent outfit offering such tours.

On our wine tour back at Fattoria Corzano e Paterno in 2016.

Like our 2016 tour, we met our tour guide and group in Oltrarno outside Grape Tours’ shop and wine bar, only about a 10 minute walk from our hotel in Santo Spirito and 20 minutes from the Duomo area. We arrived right on time, so we only had time to climb into the van before departing Florence for the Tuscan countryside. I suggest leaving extra time walking to the tour, as there are many beautiful panoramas to photo graph en route along the Arno River. Our first stop was about 30 minutes from Florence proper, at Fattoria Corzano e Paterno. This was also our first stop back in 2016! Our guide provided some information on Tuscany during our drive, but most people “shut their eyes” for the drive.

Everyone woke up as we pulled into the rocky driveway of Fattoria Crozano e Paterno. Fattoria means “farm” in Italian, and Fattoria Corzano e Paterno is a winery as well as a farm producing delicious cheese and olive oil. We began our visit at Corzano e Paterno with a walk to the edge of the vineyards. We didn’t go in as it had recently rained (and the ground was muddy), and it was harvest season, so workers were busy harvesting the grapes. It was cool to see large grapes on the vines and employees working with the grapes. We also walked through the barrel room and saw more grape harvesting in action after visiting the vineyards.

Arriving at Fattoria Crozano e Paterno.

We’re ready to taste the wine.

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