Katie Parla earned her BA in art history from Yale where her studies focused on Roman funerary art, particularly the use of Greek myths on carved sarcophagi. Since moving to Rome in 2003 she has worked leading a wide range of private didactic walking tours for Context Travel in Rome, Naples and throughout Sicily and Puglia. She has written guidebooks for Time Out, The Rough Guide and Insight Guides and is a contributing writer for the Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds. Katie is also the editor of a scholarly audio guide series and produced three episodes of the History Channel Series “Cities of the Underworld” in which she also appeared as an expert on underground Rome and Naples.

Recently Katie became an urban speleologist for the city of Rome and a certified sommelier. She also holds an MA in Italian Food History & Culture from the University of Rome-Tor Vergata.

Katie began her bi-monthly wine reviews with Rome Review in January of 2008. For more information on Katie, please visit her website at www.katieparla.com.

2004 Quintarelli Primo Fiore

October 7th, 2008

"... a medium-bodied, balanced red with a bouquet of cherries, plums, spices, oak and bell peppers... "

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Basilisco's 2003 Aglianico del Vulture

September 6th, 2008

"... a powerful red wine with aromas of cherries, black currants, and earthy tones... "

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Moroder's 2003 Rosso Conero Riserva "Dorico"

March 15th, 2008

"...The result is a ruby red, moderately tannic wine with a complex nose of ripe red fruit, spices, leather and tobacco..."

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Cusumano's 2005 Angimbe'

Villa Bucci's 2006 Verdicchio Classico dei Castelli di Jesi

February 21st, 2008

"...The wine is a deep gold color with a complex array of aromas including spices, ripe fruit, and white flowers.."

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Villa Bucci's 2006 Verdicchio Classico dei Castelli di Jesi

January 19th, 2008

"...It’s complex bouquet of apples, citrus, almonds and vanilla collaborate with the wine’s acidity and considerable alcohol (13.5%) to create a balanced product. It is an ideal aperitif, which is how we treated it, but it can also be paired with fish or poultry dishes...."

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