On Thursday evening, we waved London goodbye and begun our departure for one of the most exciting Cigar events in the world - the XIV Amigos de Partagas in Matelica, Italy. The EGM team arrived successfully in the seaside town of Ancona, in the Marche region of Italy. It took us only a few minutes until we released the mildly warm atmosphere surrounding us. Among many other things, the city of Ancona has a popular port where many ships pass by during the day, establishing the city as one of Italy's biggest trading centres.
"WE FINISHED THE DAY WITH COFFEE AND CIGAR"
DINNER - One of the things we enjoy the most every time we are in Italy is, of course, the cuisine. However, this was our first time we had the pleasure to visit Il Falcone Restaurant and Pizzeria and we can certainly now say that it won't be the last. As the kind stuff suggested, we chose to enjoy some of the restaurant's specials, tagliatelle with mushrooms, aromatic herbs and pecorino cheese, lemon-scented gnocchi with shrimp, rocket, and tomatoes, and mixed grilled fish platter, paired with local Ancona wine. We finished the evening the best way possible, with a cup of coffee and the El Rey del Mundo La Reina (Ex. GB 2018).
Dinner at Il Falcone in Ancona, Italy.
"POOL PARTY AT BORGO LANCIANO"
CASA RASTIA - Not long after we finished our dinner, we hit the road again. This time for Casa Rastia, our home for the next few days. The heavenly Rastia house, where we will be staying for the XIV Amigos de Partagas is located approximately twenty minutes away from Borgo Lanciano, the venue for this year's festivities. The scenery reminds a Mediterranean fairytale. The rolling hills of the Italian countryside turn into liquid gold as the hot sun hits the warm, dry greenery. Olive trees and several vineyards surround the area while oleanders and bougainvillaeas add the necessary pops of colour in this serene and peaceful environment.
XIV AMIGOS DE PARTAGAS - The fourteenth anniversary of Amigos de Partagas is, if anything, full of surprises. Amongst our highlights is, of course, Friday's pool party at Borgo Lanciano, where we'll have the chance to meet other like-minded aficionados and attend many of the seminars and food tasting events. The evening will follow in an exotic vibe, with singer and performer Haila Mompié taking us on a trip to Cuba with her son and timba sounds. The event we are mostly looking forward to, however, is no other than Saturday's Gala Dinner where we will all have the chance to experience first hand on of this year's Edicion Limitadas, the Montecristo Supremos.
The sunkissed hills outside Ancona, Italy.
Despite the excessive heat, we, at EGM Cigars, will be covering all of the events taking place at this year's Amigos de Partagas. Make sure to follow us on Instagram for exclusive insights reported to you directly from the popular cigar event. Visit our Cuban Cigar Blog now and learn more about the enticing world of cigars: