OSIMO: Wine and walking in a truly pleasant place

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Andiamo Nelle Marche staff writers have vacated the region for a few days, opting to see the exotic sites of nearby Croatia - land of beaches, wines, Roman ruins and excellent night life.

Uh, doesn't that remind you of another region?

Anyway, the editor will be handling travel updates for the next few days ...

THE UMANI RONCHI WINERY distributes 4.5 million bottles of wine per year to locations around the world, with only 20% of their delicious product staying in Italy.

And if you visit the facilities, conveniently located on SS16 (one of the major roads), they'll let you drink a lot of tasty wine.

For free.

It's a great way to pass the hot summer days here in Le Marche.

In the evening, you can stroll the cobblestone streets in the lively medieval city Osimo.

You can find old men sitting along the wall of City Hall near the main piazza, younger people relaxing at Bar Diana's outdoor cafe, children playing soccer near the Diocese Museum and a whole varity of people wandering near the sculpted garden by the scenic overlook.

The scenic overlook, with its cool sea breeze wafting in, is probably about 15 degrees cooler than in the city center.

With tons of shops, restaurants, cafes, gelaterias and friendly people (the gelato seller tried to teach us Italian), Osimo is a wonderful place to visit.

- G. Miller