This past Spring (late April, early May) I spent two weeks exploring food and wine in three places:  Slovenia, Friuli, and Venice.  I should not let much more time pass without sharing those delicacies with you now.  Let’s begin in Slovenia.  The capitol, Ljubljana, is absolutely charming, a mixture of old and modern, just the right scale for a small city.  Less than two hours away, up in the mountains, was Hiša Franko, a beautiful hotel/inn/restaurant, complete with wine cellar, cheese aging room, and very good food.  My last stop was in Goriška Brda, along the border with Italy and Friuli.  My hotel there was superb, a perfect place to relax for three days and explore the local wineries, mid-sized like Simčič Marjan, and small ones with young growers/winemakers like Reya and Prinčič.

grilled veggies in Kobarid

dining room at Hiša Franko

mountain cheeses aging