The Italian Sundays We Grow Up Missing

There is something magical that happens in Italy around Mother’s Day.

To many people here in America, it is simply a beautiful Sunday dedicated to mothers. But for us Italians, especially for those of us who grew up in the south, this weekend quietly marks the beginning of summer life.

Back home, schools are almost finished for the year. The evenings suddenly feel longer. The air changes. You start hearing plates and glasses outside again. Families begin opening balconies that stayed closed through winter. Restaurants pull tables back onto the sidewalks. Patios fill up with laughter, espresso cups, seafood lunches and bottles of chilled wine sweating under the sun.

And every Sunday, almost without warning, little wine festivals begin appearing across Italy.

In small piazzas, near churches, in old town centers and seaside villages, people gather for what Italians do best: eating slowly, drinking together and turning an ordinary Sunday into something unforgettable.

This weekend always reminds me of Naples and the sacred tradition of the Sunday family lunch.

For Neapolitans, Sunday is not simply another day to eat. It is a ritual. A moment where the entire family comes back together around one table. Grandmothers cooking since early morning. The smell of ragù slowly simmering for hours. Someone frying vegetables in the kitchen while uncles argue over football and kids run around the house.

The food itself tells the story of the city.

A rich ragù cooked slowly all morning until the tomatoes and meat become one. Pasta alla Genovese with sweet onions melting into the sauce after hours of patience. Spaghetti alle vongole that taste like the sea. Fried seafood arriving at the table still crackling. Polpette al ragù made exactly the way nonna taught it. Roasted artichokes, battered zucchini and eggplant, pasta e fagioli, sartu di riso for special occasions.

And then the desserts arrive.

Pastiera. Sfogliatella. Babà soaked in rum.

Finally, the coffee. Always coffee. Because in Naples, coffee is not just a drink — it is the final act of hospitality.

But the beauty of these Sundays is not only the food.

It is the feeling.

The table becomes the center of life. Hours pass without anyone looking at the clock. Conversations move from wine to family stories to politics to memories. The doors stay open. Somebody always pours one more glass. You leave full, but somehow already excited for the next Sunday.

And honestly, this is exactly the spirit we are trying to recreate with the Above Wines EXPO on Sunday, May 31st in Grapevine.

Not a formal wine tasting.
Not a rushed event.
Not people walking around collecting samples.

We want it to feel like stepping into Italy for an afternoon.

A place where strangers become friends over a bottle. Where wine is connected to stories, traditions and regions. Where food and wine are meant to stay together at the table, the way they always have in Italy.

This year’s EXPO is especially meaningful to us because it is our 5th Anniversary Edition. When we started Above Wines, the dream was simple: bring the real Italy here. Not the commercial version. The authentic one. The one filled with family-owned wineries, traditions, slow lunches and human connection.

And this year, we are trying harder than ever to recreate exactly that feeling.

The incredible team at Ari’s Pantry will bring Italian traditions to life through food inspired by the flavors and comfort of real Sunday meals in Italy. Renato, Maurizio and Monica from Two Gentlemen of Verona will be serving their fantastic artisanal gelato, adding another authentic piece of the Italian piazza experience to the afternoon.

Then there are the wines the heart of everything we do at Above Wines. Wines we carefully select and personally follow because they tell the story of real families, real vineyards and real Italian culture.

And around all of this: tables filled with people, live music playing in the background, glasses clinking, conversations flowing and that beautiful happiness that only a Sunday afternoon can create.

You can find tickets here: ABOVE WINES EXPO TICKETS

Your ticket includes:

✔️ Entrance to the 5th Anniversary EXPO
✔️ Unlimited access to all featured Italian wines
✔️ All curated Italian food offerings from Ari’s Pantry throughout the event
✔️ A crystal wine glass to take home
✔️ An Above Wines branded pouch to carry your glass in style

No tokens. No upsells. No hidden extras.

Just wine, food, conversation and authentic Italian hospitality.

Throughout the afternoon you’ll experience:

🍇 Rare, small-production Italian wines from family-owned wineries
🗺️ Exploration of multiple Italian regions from north to south
💬 Real conversations with Italians about terroir, culture and traditions
🍽️ Fantastic Italian dishes curated to complement the wines
🥂 A relaxed atmosphere designed for connection, not rushing

For one afternoon, we want Grapevine to feel like one of those Italian Sundays I grew up with.

The kind where the table is full.
The wine keeps pouring.
And nobody wants the day to end.

See you Sunday, May 31st.

— Aldo 🍷

A little final note from me…

If you want to live a little more like us Italians, this is the moment when rosé season officially begins.

But I’m talking about real rosé.

Not the overly sweet, fruit-punch “Kool-Aid style” rosés that unfortunately became popular here in the USA over the years.

Great rosé should smell like summer. Fresh flowers, wild strawberries, Mediterranean herbs, sea breeze. It should be dry, elegant, refreshing and alive, with just enough acidity and minerality to accompany long lunches, seafood dinners and warm evenings outside with friends.

This is exactly the kind of rosé we drink in Italy during this season.

So to celebrate the beginning of summer, we created a small special selection with free shipping featuring some of our favorite rosés from Amalfi, Calabria and Puglia — wines that truly capture the feeling of southern Italy in a glass.

Because honestly… this is the time of year when a cold bottle of rosato belongs on every table. 🍷☀️

Try the Wine, 24hr Shipping:

Italian Quality Rose SPECIAL SELECTION - 6 Bottles

That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking about as we prepare for the

Above Wines Expo 2026

For me, it’s not just another event.

It’s a way to bring all of this, these places, these producers, these stories—into one room here in Texas. To let people taste what I’ve tasted, and maybe see Italian wine a little differently after. If you’ve ever been curious to go beyond the usual bottles…
this is where it starts.

You can find tickets here: ABOVE WINES EXPO TICKETS

Tonight, I’ll probably open something simple. Maybe from the south.
Something that reminds me why I started doing this in the first place.