On the last full day of my most recent trip to Walt Disney World, my wife and I got to enjoy the EPCOT Wind Down at Tutto Gusto in the Italy Pavilion.  We had spent the day frying like pieces of bacon on the bridge into Be Our Guest for lunch.

Minor rant: Yes, we had Fastpasses for the lunch.  Yes, it was hot out.  However, Fastpasses do not mean instant access.  Some people in the Fastpass queue did not understand this.  They went on to complain to anyone who would listen that the stand-by queue was moving faster than the Fastpass queue (it wasn’t it).  Fastpass means “faster access” not “instant access” to an attraction or, in this case, a meal.  Complaining about it isn’t going to solve the problem.  It’s only going to make things worse.

After some time in the Magic Kingdom including a meeting with Anna and Elsa, we headed back for a light dinner at Crew’s Cup Lounge in Yacht Club before heading over for the Wind Down at Tutto Gusto.

Tutto Gusto does not let people in for the Wind Down until Illuminations are completely over.  We got to Italy as Illuminations was starting and we told to come back when they were over.  We pulled up a table and watched, as best we could, to the show.  Illuminations finished up and we headed inside.

When we got inside, we were given the choice of a table or a couch to sit at.  There were three couches and a dozen or so table inside Tutto Gusto.  We chose one of the couches.  From there, a server came over a brought us the menus.

The Piemonte Hills Flight is more of a white wine flight while the Elegant Reds is fairly self-explanatory…a red wine flight.

The Vegetarian Flight is a variety of wines from white to red and the Sweet Dessert Flight is another white wine flight.

After some time looking over the menu and the server taking the time to explain the choices to us, we decided on the Elegant Reds and Sweet Dessert Flight.  We only had to wait a couple of minutes to wait for our orders.

The Elegant Reds consisted of salami, prosciutto, bread sticks, and some bread points.  The highlight of this flight was cheese which was very soft and spreadable.  It could easily be broken down with the bread sticks or spread on the bread points.

A wide variety of dessert selections in the Sweet Desserts flight.  Everything from chocolate and Nutella to strawberries.  Something for everyone.

The server recommended to drink the wines from right to left to get the most of out of each wine.  And from there, we were left to enjoy the intimate atmosphere of the wine cellar and our selections.

That was best part of the Wind Down.  At no point did we feel rushed by the wait staff.  They took the time to explain things but also knew when to back off and let the guests enjoy their selections.  My ideal pairing would be the white wines with the Italian meats selection but that doesn’t pair well for a lot of people since the white wines don’t match up well with the meats.

We spent some time enjoying our selections and each other’s company and then had to ask for the bill.  The cost of the selections is $35 per person plus tax.  After adding in gratuity, our night in Italy was just over $80.

The next best part was come.  The quiet leisurely stroll through EPCOT.  We were fully expecting a roped-off path that we had to walk through with cast members “pushing us out the door.”  We got the exact opposite.  There was no roped-off path.  No cast members asking us to hurry.  We were free to enjoy the night in EPCOT.  You can stop and take pictures along with way and not have to fight other guests for the best vantage point.  As we were walking, we could hear and, at times, see Wishes taking place off in the distance.

I would highly recommend the Wind Down especially at Tutto Gusto.  I have also heard good things about the Wind Down at La Cava del Tequila in the Mexico Pavilion as well.  There are also Wind Down events at Rose and Crown in the UK Pavilion and at Spice Road Table in the Morocco Pavilion.  It’s nice night out with the bonus of being able to walk through the World Showcase without battling the crowds.  This, I would say, was the highlight of our trip.

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Thanks for reading!