The Castello di Formigine, its ristorante and great wine

Imagine our delight when we strolled with our friends Marco and Petra through the village of Formigine, watched the medieval games, toured the ancient castle and its archaelogical sites, then stopped for a glass of wine and salume under the arches in the Ristorante Il Calcagnino.

Through the drawbridge and across a brick courtyard, you'll find Il Calcagnino.  The restaurant is relatively new, but the owners have done a beautiful job. Service was exceptional, recommendations were perfect and the atmosphere was incredible.  My favorite portion of the meal?  Tagliatelle with a sauce of white wine and seasonal porcini mushrooms.  Delicious!

We were so relaxed that we decided to return to the castle for dinner after a stroll through town.  So with the moonlit castle as our table backdrop, and through many, many courses of superbly prepared food and several bottles of very good wine, we enjoyed Marco and Petra's company so much we did not realize it was nearly 1:00 a.m. before we left the restaurant.  Isn't it wonderful to have friends who share so many interests?


Two wines in particular were memorable.  If you can get either of these in the United States, by all means do so.  For a crisp white wine we enjoyed the Gavi di Gavi, made in the Piedmont region of Italy.  It is fruity and dry with a well-balanced finish. 

If your tastes run toward red wines, we enjoyed a Sangiovese blend called Noi.  Now I'm not usually a red wine drinker, but this smooth wine was excellent.  Noi includes the Sangiovese grape, along with merlot and cabernet sauvingon grapes, all produced on the vineyard's land.  For more specific information on this particular label, visit here.  The wine is produced by San Patrignano in Rimini near the Adriatic sea.

The story of San Patrignano is quite interesting.  San Patrignano is a free a residental community for teens and adults suffering from drug-related issues.  The organization offers professional training for careers in the food and wine industries, along with counseling and other services. 

And their wine is sensational!

It's not too often that you glance across the restaurant tables to find a courtyard filled with medieval archers!