Episode 6 Itinerary: Explore Lesser-Known History (Dining and Gathering Places)
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Episode 7 Itinerary: Explore Lesser-Known History (Wine and Architecture)
In the seventh episode of Founding Footprints: Tracing America’s Journey in Charlottesville & Albemarle County, Benjamin Bernard chats with Luca Paschina, winemaker and general manager at Barboursville Vineyards. Their conversation reminds us that connections between Italy and Virginia are deep and centuries old.
We’ve put together an itinerary that highlights how the exchange of ideas, particularly through immigration and travel, influences wine culture, architecture, and of course food here in Central Virginia. 250 years ago. 50 years ago. And today.
Listen to the Founding Footprints podcast HERE or on your favorite audio streaming platform.
Itinerary Length: 2.5 – 3 days
Day 1: 50 Years of History
Barboursville Vineyards was founded in 1976 when Gianni Zonin, of Familigia Zonin, decided to expand into the United States. The Zonins were well established – since 1821 – in Gambellara in the Veneto region of Italy. Their friend Mario di Valmarana, who had just established the Vicenza Program at UVA’s School of Architecture, encouraged them to consider Virginia. Vines were planted that first year, focusing on European varieties and launching a standard for grape-growing in the Commonwealth.
In 1982, eight vineyards, including Barboursville, submitted an application to form the Monticello American Viticultural Area or AVA. The Monticello AVA is physically defined by the Blue Ridge mountains, historic rural highways, and the Rapidan, Rivanna, James, and Tye Rivers. The appellation of origin was granted in 1984 by the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB); thereby, firmly and officially recognizing the burgeoning local wine industry. Luca arrived at Barboursville six years later. From the beginning, he drew inspiration from this landscape and the property’s 200+ years of agriculture, reminiscent of piedmont regions of Italy. He also brought with him an understanding of how farming and cuisine interconnect and a love for the sociability of wine.
1. Visit the Tasting Rooms at Barboursville Vineyards
2. Dine at Palladio Restaurant
Experience Northern Italian cuisine at this fine dining restaurant located on the Barboursville estate. The menu allows you to curate your own cheese board from a special section devoted to formaggi, house made jams, and local honeys. In addition to by-the-glass wine recommendations and an extensive by-the-bottle wine list, the Barboursville sommelier develops wine flights for each season. Lunch reservations are strongly encouraged, and dinner reservations are required.
3. *Bonus Attend a Themed Dinner*
If you’re looking to add an extra special dining experience to your stay, we recommend attending one of Barboursville Vineyards’ amazing food events. These multi-course meals are crafted by Executive Chef Michael Clough and paired with the finest Barboursville wines.
The Barboursville property includes the ruins of a mansion built for James Barbour, between 1817 and about 1821, based on designs by Thomas Jefferson. The focal point of the elegant building was an octagonal reception room. Although a generation or two younger than those we consider founding fathers, Barbour maintained a lifelong friendship with Jefferson and James Madison and took guidance from them. He too served in public office, first in the Virginia legislature, then as Governor during the War of 1812, and finally in the U.S. Senate and Cabinet. His political career coincided with the growth of the federal government and establishment of institutions we recognize today. However, it also shifted his ideas away from those of Jefferson and Madison, except when it came to agriculture. The Barbour home caught fire on Christmas 1884 and was never rebuilt.
4. Tour James Madison’s Montpelier
Learn more about Dolley and James Madison, the enslaved people who lived and labored on the plantation, and the U.S. Constitution via Montpelier’s guided tours, gallery installations, and special events. An on-site trail system meanders through landmark forest and Civil War encampments, takes you past gardens and cemeteries, and connects with The Market at Grelen.
5. Head to Downtown or Midtown
Explore wines from around the world at Crush Pad Wines, where you can order pasta and pizza from Luce, or Bottle House, which is conveniently located between Smyrna and Orzo. These restaurants celebrate Aegean and Mediterranean cuisines.
Day 2: Virginia Wine Old and New
Thomas Jefferson was a fan of Italian wines, and he believed America could develop its own wines on par with those from overseas. Enter Philip (Filippo) Mazzei, an Italian winemaker, merchant, horticulturalist, and physician, who arrived in Virginia in 1773. He was part of an influential Tuscan family who still produces wine, including a blend named in his honor. Through his friendship with Jefferson, Mazzei started experimenting with growing vitis vinifera grapes and Mediterranean plants at Monticello and nearby estates. In 1774, he established a Virginia Wine Company, whose shareholders included colonial leaders like Jefferson, George Washington, George Mason, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., and even Lord Dunmore, then the Royal Governor of Virginia. Unfortunately, Mazzei’s efforts in Albemarle County were interrupted by the Revolutionary War, and he was often called away on diplomatic work to support the Patriots.
Two hundred years later another Italian Gabriele Rausse, Barboursville’s original viticulturalist, picked up the torch from Mazzei. In addition to Barboursville, he participated in the creation of vineyards across the Monticello AVA. He also led the Grounds and Gardens team at Monticello from 1995 to 2023 first as Assistant Director and then Director, recreating Jefferson’s vineyard plantings of 1807.
1. Start Your Day at Monticello
Experience Monticello via a Highlights or Behind the Scenes Tour. Allow time for a guided tour of the Grounds and Gardens. Check out the exhibits under the mansion, including the wine and beer cellars, which tell how enslaved families served the Jefferson family and its many visitors.
2. Discover Where It All Began
Enjoy award-winning wines in the tasting room or beautiful outdoor spaces at Jefferson Vineyards. Considered the birthplace of American wine, the vineyards are part of the original estate Jefferson gifted to Mazzei in 1773. Starting with these 193 acres, by 1778, Mazzei had purchased an additional 700 acres and named the property Colle for its prospect on the hill. In 1981, the modern iteration of the vineyards was founded by the Woodward family and Gabriele Rausse. In 2023, history came full circle when the vineyards were purchased by Monticello.
3. Stop at Other Nearby Wineries
4. Swing by Mona Lisa Pasta and Dairy Market
Stock up on Italian kitchen staples and indulge in fresh deli sandwiches and scrumptious desserts at Mona Lisa Pasta! Dine on house made pasta and cannoli at Basta Pasta at Dairy Market.
Day 3: Palladio and the Italian Influence
Thomas Jefferson was a self-taught architect informed by three major influences. As early as 1767, he had read Palladio’s Four Books of Architecture, which guided initial construction at Monticello. Andrea Palladio was a 16th century architect prolific in the Veneto region of Italy. His 1570 treatise created a system of rules, using elements of classical architecture that could be adapted for modern structures, whether homes or public buildings. Think symmetry, columns, pediments, and domes. Palladianism found new life during the Ages of Enlightenment and Revolution.
Jefferson was greatly affected by his travels in Europe. Arriving in 1784 to serve as U.S. Minister to France (1785 – 1789), he was able to make extended trips to England, southern France, and northern Italy. During these tours, he visited ancient and Renaissance sites, as well as contemporary buildings constructed in the neoclassical style. Jefferson also looked to the Virginia landscape – both physical and social – and his own opinions of how buildings should function. Much like Palladio, Jefferson borrowed architectural motifs from the “Old World” to define a new, in this case, American style of architecture.
1. Stroll Around UVA’s Academical Village
Designed by Thomas Jefferson and built at the end of his life, the Academical Village includes the Rotunda, ten Pavilions, divided by student rooms, surrounding a terraced Lawn. Behind each Pavilion are gardens, most of which are open to the public. Beyond the gardens are another row of buildings called the Range. This collection of buildings is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation along with Monticello.
Did you know? Each Pavilion is a different style. Jefferson believed they were lessons or textbooks in architecture. In fact, he successfully fought the expensive import tax on the Italian marble used for the columns on Pavilions III and V. By emphasizing the educational purpose of the columns, he argued they were more than decorative!
2. Tour the Rotunda
3. Pause at the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers
This monument honors the lives and legacies of the enslaved workers – estimated at 4,000 individuals – who brought Jefferson’s ideas into reality by building and maintaining the University of Virginia between 1817 and 1865. It is the same diameter as the Rotunda.
4. Book a Tour
If you prefer guidance, contact Roots and Vistas to reserve a private tour: UVA – Thomas Jefferson’s Model for America’s Future, offered year-round.
*Bonus: Learn with the Virginia Guides Service*
Take advantage of free, student-led tours during the academic year. Standard history tours leave at 11 AM from the Rotunda steps, Friday-Sunday, when regular UVA classes are in session, and last about an hour. No reservation needed.
5. Plan to View Legacies of Independence
This slate of four exhibits at The Fralin Museum of Art explores the legacies of Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence. On display from August 29, 2026, to January 3, 2027.
More about the Monticello AVA
In the 1980s and 90s, additional farm wineries opened within the AVA including what is now Michael Shaps Estate Vineyard and King Family Vineyards – both of which have become leaders of Virginia wine. From the very beginning, Monticello AVA vineyards shared information with one another – successes and challenges – and made a commitment to being collaborative and active stewards of the land and historic landscape. This has continued to be a hallmark of the local wine industry and Virginia as whole. In 2023, Monticello AVA’s collaborative nature was recognized internationally when Wine Enthusiast named it Wine Region of the Year.
6. Taste the Future
See how local wineries continue to shape the American wine industry, including
- Loving Cup Vineyard & Winery, the only certified organic winery in Virginia, and only one of three on the East Coast;
- The Virginia Wine Collective, a production facility and tasting room led by Eastwood Farm and Winery that provides space and incubator support for independent winemakers;
- Horton Vineyards, which revived the Virginia-native Norton grape for modern wines; and
- Montifalco Vineyard, which introduced Garanoir, a Swiss hybrid, as an authorized grape for American wines.
7. Andiamo a mangiare!
Dine in Italian American style at Vivace, Sal’s Caffe Italia, Lampo, or Amici’s.
Virginia is for History Lovers. Listen to all 10 episodes of Founding Footprints and make your travel plans now. Charlottesville and Albemarle County offer a variety of places to stay including resorts, inns, B&Bs, hotels, and vacation rentals – so you can book the lodging that aligns with your travel preferences.