The Best Sparkling Wine Region In Italy Is A Wildly Underrated Mountainous Vineyard Paradise

Wine and Italy go hand-in-hand. It's hard to imagine dining in Rome, Naples, or Florence without a glass of the delicious beverage next to the wonderful Italian meals this part of the world offers. If you're a fan of sparkling wine, there is a region in Italy to visit that you may not know about, that has some beautiful vineyards and sights to see. Even if you don't know the area, you may know the style of wine named after it. Welcome to Franciacorta, a region with over 100 wineries to visit. It sits around 60 miles west of the walkable food and fashion capital of Milan, and around 110 miles east of the gorgeous, slowly-sinking city of Venice. It's also south of Lake Iseo and the mountains, which is one of the best destinations to honeymoon Italy. 

The wine made here is also called Franciacorta, which is a sparkling white wine held to strict standards. There is a wide variety in the product that comes from these grapes and harvesting techniques, but one version that is particularly prized is "satèn," or satin, which is a smooth, bubbly vintage. The region also features hiking in the Torbiere del Sebino nature reserve, lake activities, and ancient Roman ruins in the nearby town of Brescia. 

The moderate climate in northern Italy is perfect to create the sparkling Franciacorta wines, and if you'd like to watch the harvest, the best time to visit is between mid-August through the end of September. These wines vary in taste from dry to smooth (in the case of the satèn), so you'll just have to try several to find your favorite. Like champagne, Franciacorta is double-fermented. It's done first in a stainless-steel tank, and then in the bottle. The rules around the creation of Franciacorta include using the correct grapes at the right quality, and a fermentation of between 18 and 60 months. 

Many of the wineries in the region are open for visits and tastings, like Cavalleri, which creates wines take up to 120 months to be ready. (You can find a winery map of the Franciacorta region here. Reservations are always recommended.) One unique winery to visit in Adro, one of the region's towns, is Ferghettina, which bottles their wine in square bottles. They do this to give more contact space between the wine and yeast. You can do tastings there and even get married at the winery.

Berlucchi is another one to check out in the region's Borgonato di Corte Franca It's been making this type of wine since 1961 using the "metodo classico," or the regulated method of making Franciacorta, with many wines receiving awards, like the Cuvée Franco Ziliani reserve that nabbed Lively Wine of the Year from Doctor Wine.

You don't have to stick to wine alone in Franciacorta. You can wander the trails of the Torbiere del Sebino nature preserve just south of Lake Iseo in Brescia. One great hike is an easy 1.9-mile point-to-point called Percorso Pedonale Sud, which takes you from the Monastery of S. Pietro in Lamosa, through woods, meadows, and over some of the wooden walkways over the water. Another is Percorso Pedonale Nord, that brings you through some of the vineyards. This one is 3.3-miles and also considered easy. (Easy is good if you've been wine-tasting all day.)

While you're in southeast Brescia in the southeast of the area, take a walk through the past in the largest Roman archaeological area of northern Italy. You can visit the Capitolium Temple (above) from the first century C.E., commissioned by Emperor Vespasian. The temple has been restored, and you can tell which parts are old because they're white, with darker pinkish-orange parts added later. There is also a Roman theater to explore, which hasn't been restored yet. 

In Franciacorta, you have the lovely Lake Iseo to enjoy, whether you take a bike trip around it, or rent a boat from Nautica Bertelli to explore the water. You can use it to visit one of the inhabited islands in the lake called Monte Isola, full of shops and places to eat. Make sure you stop by one of several giant "Big Benches" around the lake for some fun social media shots. Another spot you shouldn't miss is the charming little town of Lovere,  and its Basilica of Santa Maria in Valvendra from the 15th century, which has incredible ceilings that will take your breath away.