Basilicata is the instep of the Italian boot. This hilly and mountainous region is located in the southwest corner of Italy. Like so many other parts of Italy this region has known a series of conquerors, each of whom has left a cultural and culinary trace. The region is known for caves that have been occupied for thousands of years and have now become trendy tourist attractions, complete with upscale restaurants.

Start your meal with some delicious vegetables. One great dish is Piatto di Erbe alla Lucana (Dish of Herbs Lucana Style) consisting of eggplants, onions, yellow peppers, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and a few other ingredients. Start by salting the eggplants to remove their bitter juices. Fry and then simmer the veggies and their accompaniments. This isn’t a quick dish, but you’ll enjoy it whether you are a vegetarian or not. The suggested wine pairing is an Italian Syrah.

Lamb is really popular in Basilicata. Make sure to try Cutturiddi o Agnello in Casseruola (Cutturiddi or Lamb Casserole) which is made from a combination of lamb breast and shoulder with pearl onions, chili peppers, ripe tomatoes, and a few other ingredients. The classic wine pairing is the local Aglianico del Vulture DOC named for the extinct Mount Vulture volcano that gives the wine its special taste.

Maybe you like your lamb baked. Try Agnello e Funghi al Forno (Baked Lamb with mushrooms), ideally made with cardoncelli mushrooms that tend to grow under thistle bushes. The other ingredients include chili peppers and olive oil. Suggested wine pairings include Italian Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Pinot Nero. I have a sneaking suspicion that Aglianico del Vulture would also work very well.

Nobody will blame us for yet another popular but different local lamb specialty, this time based on leg of lamb. Agnello Venosino (Lamb Venosino style). Other ingredients include asparagus, onions, grated Pecorino cheese, eggs, and olive oil. This delicious dish calls for an Italian Cabernet Sauvignon, or those Piedmont prizes, Barbaresco DOCG and Barolo DOCG.

Let’s not forget chicken. One local dish is Pollo alla Potentina (Chicken Potenza Style), chicken braised in white wine with onions, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and some other ingredients. Recommended wine pairings include an Italian Pinot Nero and a Barbera from Piedmont.

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So you are planning a visit to Trentino-Alto Adige, a region of northeastern Italy bordering Switzerland and Austria that features the Alps and the Dolomites. Ski resorts abound as do forests. Most residents of Alto Adige designate German as their mother tongue. Let’s start at Caldaro in the southwest of Alto Adige. Its town center hosts and the historic Church of Santa Caterina in the center of Caldaro; it’s also home to a beautiful lake and the Museo Provinciale del Vino. Naturno is home to the Seventh Century Church of San Procolo whose ancient frescoes are among the oldest in the German-speaking world. Nearby you’ll find the Thirteenth Century Castel Juval. Merano, sometimes called the city of flowers, boasts many beautiful promenades. The famous Cure Promenade splits into two, the shady Passeggiata d’Estate (Summer Promenade) and the sunny Passeggiata d’Inverno (Winter Promenade). If you’re in the neighborhood be sure to see its Christmas Market. The local capital Bolzano (Bozen) has a fine Gothic cathedral, other churches worth visiting, as is South Tyrol Archeological Museum whose star attraction is Oetzi, the over five thousand year old iceman. There’s a strada del vino (Weinstrasse-wine route), which runs mostly in Alto Adige from Salarno to Bolzano.

Trentino has many sights to see including Museo Storico Italiano della Guerra (Italian Historical War Museum) in Roverto. Its capital, Trento, was the site of the historic Council of Trent that shaped the Church in the Sixteenth Century and is home to many classical churches. Don’t miss the fresco collection at the Museo Provinciale d’Arte (Provincial Art Museum) situated in the Castello del Buonconsiglio (Castle of Good Counsel). Madonna di Campiglio advertises itself as Italy’s number one ski resort.

The region is not home to any DOCG wines and few of the DOC wines stand out from the others. Perhaps surprisingly given its northern location, this region still produces more red than white wine. Regional wine classification is different from most of the rest of Italy. The Alto Adige DOC includes dozens and dozens of grape varieties and styles. Trentino and Alto Adige share only two designations. It’s fair to say that you can’t pick a wine on the basis of its name. But isn’t that often the case elsewhere in Italy, and around the world?

Grape varieties abound. Let’s start with the whites. Gewuerztraminer may have first come from in the Alto Adige town of Termeno (Tramin). Pinot Bianco is important as is Sauvignon Blanc often called Sauvignon. The popular German Mueller-Thurgau does quite well in Trentino. Try to find Nosiola, a Trentino native. The major local red is Schiava (Vernatsch) in both Trentino and Alto Adige. Other important local Trentino varieties include Teroldego and Marzemino. Alto Adige’s second most popular local red grape is Lagrein. The popular international red grapes are Pinot Nero, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot which are also grown in Trentino. My apologies for the relative complexity of the region wine scenes.

Companies selling regional wine tours include Prime Italy, Vineria, Wine Tour Italia, and Alabaster and Clark Wine Tours Worldwide. Some of the regional wineries accepting visitors include Pojer e Sandri in Faedo, Tiefenbrunner in Bolzano, and Cantina Produttori Valle Isarco in Chiusa. A few words of warning are in order. Make sure that you check ahead of time for opening hours and whether English is spoken. Some of these places may charge admission; others may expect that you purchase some of their products.