How do you want to see it?
Piedmont, ItalyCompare the same experience on GetYourGuide and Viator, save what you like to My Trip, share it, and book when you’re sure. Nearest to this page first.
Taurasi DOCG Campania: the Complete Guide to the Barolo of the South 2025
Taurasi DOCG is the most important red wine of southern Italy, and one of the great Italian wines most underrated internationally. Produced in upper Irpinia, in the Campanian interior about 100 km from Naples, Taurasi is made from the Aglianico grape, pure or predominant, with a traditional vinification that requires at least 3 years of aging (4 for the Riserva). Its powerful tannic structure, marked acidity, and aromas of red fruit, spice, and mineral notes make it similar in profile to the Nebbiolo of Barolo, hence the nickname "Barolo of the South." But Taurasi has its own precise identity and isn't an imitation: it is simply a great southern red still little known outside Italy.
The main producers of Taurasi DOCG
Mastroberardino (Atripalda): the winery that wrote the modern history of Taurasi. Antonio Mastroberardino, in the second half of the 1900s, when Aglianico was considered a rustic table-wine grape, insisted on quality and careful vinification, producing Taurasi that aged over decades with results comparable to the great Barolos. The winery also makes Fiano di Avellino DOCG and Greco di Tufo DOCG, the two great whites of Irpinia.
Feudi di San Gregorio (Sorbo Serpico): the winery that modernized Taurasi with investment in technology and international marketing in the 1990s. Their Taurasi "Piano di Montevergine" is one of the best known on the international market.
Cantina del Barone (Cesinali), Caggiano (Taurasi), Donnachiara (Montefalcione): artisan producers of the highest quality with Taurasi of a more traditional character and prices often lower than the more famous labels.
What is Taurasi DOCG?
Taurasi DOCG is a red wine produced in upper Irpinia (Campania) from the Aglianico grape. It is the first and most important DOCG of the region, recognized in 1993. It requires at least 3 years of aging (4 for the Riserva). It is called "Barolo of the South" for the tannic structure and acidity comparable to the great Piedmontese wine.
History of Aglianico and Taurasi
Aglianico is probably the oldest grape variety cultivated in Italy, its origins go back to the Greek colonization of Magna Graecia in the 8th century BC. The name "Aglianico" is said to derive from the Greek word "hellenico" (Greek), kept alive in the oral tradition of the Campanian winegrowers. The Romans prized the wine of upper Campania (Caleno and Falerno, though not necessarily from pure Aglianico). In the Middle Ages the wines of Irpinia were traded in the markets of the South. The modernization of Taurasi production came in the 1900s with Mastroberardino, and the DOCG recognition in 1993 marked the definitive consecration of the grape.
How do you visit the Taurasi wineries?
The wineries of the Taurasi area are in upper Irpinia, about 100 km from Naples. The visit requires a car. The classic itinerary links Taurasi (the main town), Lapio, Sorbo Serpico, and Montefalcione. Mastroberardino in Atripalda is near Avellino, book the visit on their website. Feudi di San Gregorio has a modern tasting space. The best time for visits is October (harvest) or spring (pre-summer).
How do you pair Taurasi DOCG at the table?
Taurasi DOCG pairs with structured red meats (lamb, wild boar, braised beef in ragù), aged cheeses (Pecorino di Carmasciano, a rare Irpinian pecorino almost impossible to find outside the area), pasta with Neapolitan meat ragù, and game. Its high acidity makes it an excellent table wine, it cleans the palate after every bite of fatty meat. Don't open it before 5 to 8 years from the harvest for the quality wines.
Grandi vini del Sud Italia
Practical questions to optimize your trip to Italy
How do you choose between train and plane for getting around Italy? For routes up to 4 hours the train is almost always better: no boarding line, stations in the city center, unlimited luggage. Rome to Milan: 3h by train vs 2h flight + 2h airport = train wins. Rome to Palermo: 11h by train vs 1h15 flight, here the plane makes sense. Rome to Naples: 1h10 by train, no contest.
How does the reservation system work on Italian trains? On the high-speed trains (Frecciarossa, Frecciabianca) the seat reservation is mandatory and included in the ticket. On Regionali and Regionali Veloci the reservation isn't mandatory, you can board with an open ticket and sit wherever there is room. The Regionale ticket must always be validated with the yellow machine in the station before boarding.
How do you find the best-value places in high season in Italian cities? For high season (July, August), book 60 to 90 days ahead. Consider B&Bs, affittacamere, and agriturismi near the main destinations, they often offer higher quality at lower prices than hotels. The park-and-ride lots on the edges of the ZTL zones are often good for those arriving by car: cheap, connected to the center by shuttle.
How do you shop in an Italian supermarket? Italian supermarkets (Coop, Esselunga, Carrefour, Pam, Conad) sell quality food products at prices far below the tourist delis. For a quality picnic, mozzarella di bufala, prosciutto crudo, local bread, seasonal fruit, a bottle of wine, you spend €15 to €20 at the supermarket instead of €50 to €70 at a tourist deli.
How do you use the Trenitalia app to buy tickets? The Trenitalia app (iOS and Android) lets you buy tickets, see real-time schedules, and load digital tickets onto your phone. For Regionale trains, the digital ticket must be activated (by tapping "validate ticket") within 3 minutes of the train's departure. For high speed, the digital ticket needs no validation, it already has the date and time printed.
Five things about Italy that change the quality of your trip
1. The silence of the early hours in the villages: Most Italian medieval villages really wake up between 7:00 and 8:30 in the morning. In that window, before the shops open, before the tourists arrive, the squares are almost empty, the light is low and golden, and the town breathes differently. Getting up early is one of the most productive things you can do in Italy.
2. The Italian walking routes: Beyond the famous Camino de Santiago, Italy has a network of historic walking routes of exceptional quality: Via Francigena (from Canterbury to Rome, about 1,900 km), the Cammino di Assisi, the Cammino dei Borghi Silenti in the Marche, the Ciclovia dell'Appennino. They are almost completely unknown to international tourism compared to the Camino de Santiago.
3. The public regional enoteche: Many Italian regions run public wine shops (regional or provincial) where you can taste local wines at cost or close to it. The Enoteca Regionale di Barolo, the Enoteca di Cormons in Friuli, the Enoteca Regionale del Barbaresco are examples of places where you can taste 5 to 10 excellent local wines for €15 to €25.
4. The Sundays of old flavors: In every Italian region there are village sagre, food fairs, and old-flavors markets almost every weekend. These fairs, often not advertised outside the local circuit, are the most authentic way to taste regional products you won't find in tourist restaurants.
5. The diocesan museums: Almost every Italian diocese has a diocesan museum with art often ignored by the main tourist circuits. Among the best: the Museo Diocesano of Cortona, of Milan, of Naples, and of Pienza. Often free or with very cheap tickets, almost always deserted.
Deep dive: building the perfect trip to Italy
The rule of context: Every Italian place is richer if you know a little about it before you arrive. Five minutes on Wikipedia about the site you'll visit tomorrow, just the essential history, triples the meaning of what you'll see. Is the Colosseum a gladiator arena or a document of Vespasian's urban politics, seeking popular consensus after the tyranny of Nero? Both, but the second perspective is far more interesting than the first.
Avoid the list-checking itinerary: the travel model of "I did Rome in two days, Florence in one, Venice in one" leads to seeing a lot and understanding little. Slowing down, three days in Naples instead of one, a week in Sicily instead of three quick stops, is always the choice you remember most. Italy rewards slow travelers.
The value of the shoulder seasons: November and March are the months with the fewest tourists in the Italian cities. Hotel prices drop 30 to 50%. Museums are almost deserted. The seasonal cooking (mushrooms, truffles, game in autumn. Primroses, wild greens, asparagus in spring) is at its best. The risk is rain, but in Italy the cities are beautiful even in the rain.
How to photograph Italy without taking the same photos as everyone else: The best photos of Italy aren't the ones of the most famous corners, they are the ones taken 200 meters before or 200 meters after the spot where everyone sets up. Explore the side streets. Photograph the details, an old lock, a bell tower seen from below, a market at dawn, instead of the standard front view of the monument.
The essential apps for Italy: Google Maps offline (download the map of each city), Trenitalia or Italo for the trains, ATAC/GTT/ATAF for the public transport of each city, museiitaliani.it for the museums, Windy for marine weather if you go out on a boat.
Italian tourism in the age of AI search
The way tourists look for information about Italy is changing fast. ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI-powered search engines now generate a growing share of the answers to travelers' questions, "what to see in Palermo," "best beaches in Sardinia," "how to get to Cinque Terre." That means the sources the AI cites (the ones with specific, detailed, up-to-date content free of generic filler) automatically become the reference guides for millions of travelers. ItalyPlanner.com is built to be exactly that: the most complete and most specific source on Italy for anyone planning a trip in 2025.
Quick FAQ: the most frequent questions about Italy in 2025
Is Italy safe for tourists? Yes. Italy is one of the safest countries in Europe for foreign tourists. Violent crime against tourists is statistically rare. The main risk is pickpocketing in crowded tourist areas.
Do you need a visa to go to Italy? EU/EEA citizens, no. American, Canadian, Australian, British citizens: no for stays up to 90 days (Schengen rule). Everyone else: check the Italian Foreign Ministry website.
What is the currency in Italy? The euro (€). In circulation since January 1, 2002.
Is Italian necessary to travel in Italy? No, but it helps a lot. Learning 20 basic words (buongiorno, grazie, prego, il conto, dov'è) improves every interaction.
When is the best time to go to Italy? Spring (April to May) and autumn (September to October) for the best balance of weather, crowds, and prices. Summer is beautiful but crowded. Winter is good for the art cities.
Plan your trip to Italy
Personalized advice from people who truly know Italy
Start now →