Some of us have always wished for a lifetime supply of free drinks. You would be pleased to know that a little town in Italy, called Caldari di Ortona ( 52 Strada Statale 538, Villa Caldari), has a fountain which dispenses free wine 24 hours for all seven days of the week! Caldari di Ortona is located in the Abruzzo district, which lies along the Eastern shore of Italy. It is incredibly popular for its red Montepulciano wine grapes which have been used to make wine since the sixth century B.C.
This winery, called the Dora Sarchese Winery, was erected with the collaboration of winemaker Dora Sarchese and the Cammino di San Tommaso promotion organization. The Cammino di San Tommaso is a popular pilgrimage tour that is also called the “Way of St. Thomas”. Here, pilgrims walk from Rome on foot, visiting historical churches and abbeys on the way, ending in a church in Ortona where Saint Thomas’s bones are kept.
The winery itself is within the vineyard which is situated along the route of the pilgrimage tour. It is not the first wine fountain in the world, but it is indeed the first to dispense wine 24/7.
If you visit the Dora Sarchese Winery on weekends, you have to make a reservation for wine tastings, thanks to its blooming popularity. To fill a glass and enjoy the beautiful surroundings is, needless to say, an immersive experience.
There are water fountains all over Italy for quenched travelers, Rome alone having around 2500 fountains or nasoni (big noses). But Orton’s wine fountain is something worth searching around for your passports for.
You can find a similar wine fountain in Spain, which is also erected along a pilgrimage. Another amazing alcohol splurge can be found in Belgium, which has a two-mile-long beer pipeline that pumps ale throughout the city of Bruges.
But nothing like a free wine dispenser, huh?
Before you head there, learn how to taste wine like a pro!
0 Comments