Now in Umbria, we are gearing up for our Food and Wine tour part two, which begins tomorrow! In DC, we are busy rounding up excellent bakers, baristas, and chefs to prepare for our opening in November. But in both places, we are always taking a little pause for #spritzoclock, and we hope you are too.

Tomorrow is National Pasta Day! See our pasta recipes here, and get some truly original creations at our online store. 

Last year, on our food and wine tour, we were met with a sad sight. The olive harvest of 2014 met a combination of terrible conditions that cause the crop yield to be incredibly low, or nonexistent. This year, we can personally witness the bounce back in Umbria. The LA Times wrote an article that rejoices with us – Umbrian olive oil is back.

Starbucks is in talks to open stores in Italy. How do you feel about mega-chains (such as the Dominos plan we mentioned last week) moving into Italy?

Our Food and Wine tour kicks off tomorrow! Prepare for more fun updates from Italy! And we have some Vinopalooza spots left if this is giving you major wonderlust…

Italy is going to dig for ancient Roman treasure which fascinated the Nazis.  They are digging in the tomb of Alaric, king of the Visigoths who sacked Rome, which is thought to include gold, silver and a priceless Menorah looted from Second Temple.

Have a wonderful week!

– Via Umbria