Every year in the month of June, the major Vermentino wineries of Liguria, Tuscany, Sardinia and Corsica meet up in Castelnuovo Magra, between La Spezia and Carrara, to celebrate and present their wine. This event is called Benvenuto Vermentino.
For the event, the village’s 18th-century residences open their doors to host the Vermentino wine makers. Here visitors have the opportunity to taste over one hundred wine labels paired to local products.
Throughout the historic centre of Castelnuovo Magra, in fact, it is possible to attend guided tastings, workshops and cooking shows. There are stalls for olive oil producers and gastronomic specialities, and at the local promotional hall, in the main square, it is possible to taste traditional dishes. The food is offered by the local restaurants which have studied dedicated menus so as to pair the dishes to the Vermentino Wine.
Highly recommended is a visit to the medieval tower of the Palace of the Bishops of Luni, from which one enjoys a breathtaking view of the Magra Valley and seacoast. Furthermore, during the year the tower always hosts extraordinary photographic exhibitions worth seeing. Nature lovers, instead, will be delighted to discover that CAI, the Italian Alpine Club, organizes walks through vineyards and olive groves, suitable for everybody, of variable length of time.
For those who wish to deepen their knowledge of Vermentino wine and its four producing regions, it is advisable to visit the Vermentino Wine Multimedia Museum. Here visitors will find digital touch system screens which will lead them to discover the appellation of this wine, the rules that govern it, its organoleptic characteristics, the territorial maps and a list of the wineries and their labels.
Not to miss, a visit to the archaeological excavations and museum of the ancient Roman city of Luni, a military stronghold whose harbour flourished with the exploitation of the white marble quarries up in the nearby Apuan Alps. Here, both a theatre and an amphitheatre are distinguishable on site.
So why don’t we all pay a visit to Castelnuovo Magra and bring our own personal Benvenuto –Welcome- to Vermentino and its makers?