Napa Valley, hands down, is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen and had the fortune of visiting. Even the road going there is filled with picturesque spots!

My trip to Napa is one of the highlights of my first trip to the United States in May this year. My very special friend from high school, Cedric, who’s based in the Bay Area, brought me and my colleague, CJ, to Napa on a Monday, May 13. We didn’t follow or join a particular tour, and Ced played both driver and tour guide for us that day, haha. Not that I was really particularly interested in blowing some cash on a tour. All I really wanted was to drive around Napa, experience wine tasting there, and take loads of pretty photos of the lovely landscape on the way there, around Napa, and on the way back.

So, this was the itinerary Cedric drew up for us, given my expectation: He first brought us to Yountville, a town in Napa Valley, where he showed us Bouchon, a bakery/cafe he likes; V Marketplace, where we got to roam and look at some pretty souvenirs; his favorite hotel there; and the world famous restaurant The French Laundry. We walked around a bit, and took photos in the pretty V Marketplace courtyard.

Then he brought us to V. Sattui Winery, which had a deli where we got to buy lunch, some cheese, and wine for a picnic in one of the wooden tables outside. It was such a sunny, breezy day, and I really enjoyed that lovely picnic! (Not to mention that I got to have some wine for lunch, woot!)

My favorite part of our Napa trip is our visit to the beautiful Castello di Amorosa, the amazing castle that we got to tour (by ourselves) and where we had our wine tasting (yay! As if I wasn’t already a little red at that point from finishing a bottle of wine with Ced and CJ over lunch). This vineyard is owned by Dario Sattui, who also operates V. Sattui. I really love this castle–it has all the elements of the castles of my childhood fairy tales: a drawbridge, an expansive dining hall with frescoes, a courtyard, and even a torture chamber. The wine cellar also holds a special place in my heart. We got to sample around five wines at the tasting room, all of which I selected myself and loved.

Next he brought us to his once dream school, the Culinary Institute of America. It was practically closing time for tourists, and we were only really allowed to visit the shop at the lobby.

We were supposed to go to the Coppola vineyard for more wine tasting and touring, but it was closed for an event, but our day in Napa was absolutely wonderful regardless. We dropped by Dean & Deluca to get some pasalubong, then we headed back to San Bruno, where CJ and I were staying.

Click through the photo gallery below for some of the many photos I took during our trip to Napa. All photos were taken using my iPhone 5. No filter, no editing. The place and the day are THAT beautiful.

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