Steve Decina

Steve Decina is an environmental biologist, educator and sommelier specializing in artisanal Italian wine. He conducts Italian wine events in the United States and takes small groups on wine excursions throughout Italy. He currently works at the University of Pennsylvania and lives outside Philadelphia with his family. For more, visit offthebeatencask.com.

Kissing the Stone

Photos by Rebecca Branconi A century after his great-grandparents left a small Laziale town for America, Steve Decina has reversed the voyage, choosing to raise his children in the land of his forebears. I will never forget the first time I saw San Donato. I had just crossed the Apennines from Pescara and descended into the Val di Comino. I drove, awestruck, into the gently lit village nestled into a notch between two snow-dusted mountains. It was incredibly beautiful — it reminded me of a presepe, the elaborate Italian Nativity scene that often sets the Holy Family among life in …

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