Day 13 - Tuesday, January 16

Lead 41 started their day with a drive to Montepulciano, Italy. They visited Terra Antica, “A corner of paradise. In the heart of Tuscany.” Home of Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano which has been open for 10 years, this agritourism spot specializes in making wine for non-traditional pairings. Lead 41 learned from the founder, Mario, about his business & his wine creation process. They were served a lunch consisting of cheese, bread, cold cuts, & the main dish, pici. They also tasted 3 red wines that are unique to the Tuscany region from Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano.

After lunch, the class then headed to Perugia, Italy, to visit Casa del Cioccolato Perugina. The time at the factory began with a short video that shared the history of the chocolate confectionery company, founded in 1907. The video also discussed the process for turning coca beans into chocolate. The three main steps are mixing, refining and conching. This specific factory makes 120 tons of chocolate daily.

After the video we went through the museum, where we learned that Casa del Cioccolato Perugina holds the world record for the biggest piece of chocolate ever made, weighing over 7,000 pounds. Our museum tour concluded with a chocolate tasting. The class had the opportunity to taste several different flavors ranging from dark chocolate to coffee.

Next, the class took a tour of the factory. As we entered the walkway above the factory there was an overwhelming smell of chocolate. When looking out the windows we observed several different stations packaging different products. The factory was clean and organized and there were large maps showing the different zones throughout the factory. 

The factory utilized robots at many stations, but some parts of the process were manual. We observed workers filling the chocolate Easter eggs with prizes. The egg molds descended down the conveyor belt, where they were filled and underwent a manual quality check before heading to a machine to be wrapped. The final step was for the label being placed by hand before loading. Although the factory was heavily automated, several workers were seen monitoring machines, loading, and transporting boxes around the factory.

Upon arrival in Spoleto several fellows visited the Albornoz Castle, which is the highest point in the city. It was a breathtaking view. To end the night, the class ended up at La taverna del Pescatore for dinner and enjoyed several local delicacies such as fresh octopus, fish, squid, mussels, clams and more. It was a unique and delicious experience.

*Today’s blog contributors are Tyler Wellman and Amanda Berg, in addition to your blog team of Kari Christenson, Jakob Burke and MiK Fox.

Photos

The welcome to Terra Antica Villa Vino.

Fellows listening as Mario, the manager of the vineyard describes why he decided to produce the wines he does and talks about his agriculture production.

Mario and the class pose inside the wine cellar. One barrel behind the fellows equates to around 2,000 bottles of wine.

Easton Eggers comparing the two wines Mario had the class try. Fellows had to taste the wines the way Mario taught them in order to detect the year and the flavor notes.

Apart from the vineyard, the winery also produces extra virgin olive oil. The class was able to try this as well.

Fellows pose with the view of the vineyard from the villa.

Lunch of pasta and pasta sauce that was served for lunch after the tasting.

The guide for the class at the chocolate factory explains the first steps in the process.

These are a few of the chocolates that the class was able to taste. There were some interesting flavors!

Escalators that the class took all the way up to the castle in the top left of the picture.

Fellows on the escalators on the way up to the castle. There were around 8 escalators the class had to take in order to reach the top.

The view from the castle overlooking the city was worth the hike.

One of the dishes the class ate for dinner. The seafood was actually brought out on a plate prior to dinner to show the freshness.