Italian Vineyard Installs Free Flowing Wine Fountain

Book a flight to Italy immediately—a fountain flowing solely with red wine has appeared in the Abruzzo region, just east of Rome. A vineyard in Italy has opened a free wine fountain with local red flowing 24/7, in a bid to give tourists a warmer welcome and a literal taste of what the region has to offer. It was installed by The Dora Sarchese vineyard in collaboration with the non-profit organisation that maintains the Cammino di San Tommaso, a pilgrimage route that connects Rome and Ortona.

The “fontana del vino,” described by the Dora Sarchese vineyard as a “welcome” that is “poetry,” is located in Caldari di Ortona, in Abruzzo, along a popular pilgrimage route, the Cammino di San Tommaso. The Dora Sarchese vineyard was inspired by a similar fountain along the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in Spain.

Its launch is part of a joint endeavor with a non-profit organization that maintains the pilgrimage route, where thousands of pilgrims and tourists make the journey from Rome to Ortona each year, in order to visit the city’s cathedral where the remains of Thomas, one of Jesus’s disciples, are kept.

While other wine fountains have previously been introduced in Italy, this one is being promoted as the first “proper” one to offers a 24/7 flow. However, it was highlighted that the fountain was not a place for “drunkards” or “louts.”




It’s not the first public wine fountain in Italy. Venice has had a fountain in St Mark’s Square for its annual carnival.

So far the boozy endeavor seems to be a success, with crowds in Cammino di San Tommaso eagerly lining up to scoop themselves a glass of the good stuff. Considering that Slovenia opened a fountain dispensing beer earlier this year, free-flowing alcohol from public fountains is hopefully the start of an international trend. Champagne, anyone?