Courtesy: Tom DonoghueWinging away to Italy this summer? Totally jelz.
Even if (like us) you're not, you can get your mangia on stateside in a place that's one kick-butt consolation prize: Las Vegas.
The Venetian and Palazzo are celebrating all things Italy during their Carnevale celebration this summer. Inspired by the many festivals that enliven the small villages and towns of Italy throughout the summer—and the grandest one of all, Venice's millennium-old Carnevale—the Vegas event focuses on entertainment, art, fashion, games, sports, music...and molto food and wine. Chef Mario Batali kicked things off on the red carpet earlier this month.
Want to get a taste of the action? Next up is the Tignanello vertical wine dinner on June 28. The $200 meal celebrates the first Sangiovese to be aged in barriques, the first red wine to be blended with non-traditional varieties and one of the first Chianti reds not to use white grapes. (If any of that meant something to you, you're the right candidate to grab a ticket!)
In July, go for the Passion for Cabernet weekend, which includes a wine dinner with a rare opportunity to chow with Marcus Notaro, the winemaker for Col Salare, and Glenn Salva, the estate manager at Antica.
July also brings the Curtis Stone Up-Close & Personal weekend, where fans of the Australian chef will get to taste recipes from his latest cookbook at a pop-up restaurant, featuring a five-course tasting menu with wine pairing.
If beer's more your thing, wait until August for the Cheer for Beer festival, which takes to the Palazzo's luxury pool, Azure, with tons of sun and the sudsy stuff.
So as they say in Italy, cin cin. Or as they say in Vegas, what happens there stays there. Either way—drink up!