Remember Sideways, road-movie of some time ago set between vineyards and Californian wineries? An excellent point for those who love travel on the road, good wine and California. To relive the atmospheres of the film is enough a rental car and a good company, among which does not spoil some asteroid friend who will be the official driver of this California on the road.
What about the route? We suggest that: five days from San Francisco with wine tasting, gourmet stops in restaurants, visit to San Francisco Sausalito, the Muir Woods National Park, the lovely coastal town of Mendocino, Sonoma and the different wine regions.
First day California on the road. A nice walk along Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, taking a look at the shops and the panorama of Golden Gate Bridge and the island of Alcatraz, in the center of the famous Bay. With a little luck maybe you can see the fog rise.
Heading north, on Highway 101 you reach the picturesque village Sausalito, on the other side of the bay. A light lunch, accompanied by Californian wine, then continue towards Muir Woods National Park where there are centuries-old giant sequoias with flaming leaves. After visiting this national park, head north for about an hour, reaching Santa Rosa in Sonoma County. The town offers a historic Railroad Square, which overlooks restaurants and shops and the California Welcome Center to receive information about the destination. In Santa Rosa you spend the first night.
California on the road. From Santa Rosa, there are numerous opportunities for hiking. Moving from Railroad Square, you can visit Peanuts museum – Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, after a pleasant lunch in the bucolic valley called Russian River Valley. A visit to Bodega Bay (where Hitchcock filmed Gli Uccelli) to retrace the scenes of the film.
Heading towards the picturesque towns of Occidental, Freestone, Graton or Sebastopol for a lunch accompanied by a glass of Pinot Noirs wine, produced in the cold climate of the Sonoma coast.The town of Sonoma offers shops and restaurants all around its famous square, to desinate outdoors sipping wines from the area. The vineyards of the Sonoma valley, also called Valle della Luna, offer the possibility to taste wines produced locally.
Healdsburg and its surroundings are known for the production of Cabernet Sauvignon in Alexander Valley while in Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel DOC wine is produced. Overnight in Santa Rosa.
