Publish date: 2024-02-05

Cantina Dora Sarchese has unveiled their new wine fountain (pictured), which will be open to tourists and pilgrims travelling along the Cammino di San Tommaso. Photo / Facebook, Dora Sarchese

There may be no such thing as a free lunch but in Italy, visitors can top up their bottles with wine without paying a penny.

Cantina Dora Sarchese has unveiled their new wine fountain, which will be open to tourists and pilgrims travelling along the Cammino di San Tommaso, or route of St Thomas, between Rome and Ortona.

But while the fountain might not be constantly flowing like the Trevi, it is open to visitors 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The fountain is situated in Caldari di Ortona, a commune in the Abruzzo region.
It was a joint project between the owner of Dora Sarchese winery, Nicola D'Auria, and Cammino di San Tommaso, which promotes the pilgrimage route in the region.

It's intended as a "gift" to St Thomas, one of Jesus' disciples, whose relics are kept at the cathedral in Ortona.

As such, the wine is primarily intended as refreshments for pilgrims although anyone can drink from it.

But the winery has warned would-be visitors in a Facebook post that the fountain is '"ot a place for drunks".

The structure was designed by local architect Rocco Valentini, who used recycled materials to create the installation.

Wine is dispensed from button operated taps, which are installed over a stone basin while the whole fountain is situated inside a giant wine barrel.

According to Decanter, the tipple that will be flowing from the taps will be red wine although the grape variety is not known.

Visitors will be able to access the wine fountain any time the winery is open and by appointment only on weekends.

The Abruzzo region is known for its red wines, made from the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo grape, but there are also several other varieties that can be used for red wines.

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