La Bottega is my favorite place for Italian food in Vail.  I stumbled upon the sunny patio I love a few years ago while covering the then Teva Mountain Games.  When I was in Vail for an afternoon of GoPro Mountain Games and shopping recently, I got to introduce my friend Christy to this lovely spot with the motto “Celebrando La Vita!,” which in Italian means “Celebrate Life!”  We “celebrated life” with a delightful happy hour on the patio.

First up sangria.  I’m really picky with sangria so rarely drink it.  But, at La Bottega I’ll drink it all afternoon long!  They have red and white.  It was a very warm sunny day in Vail so I opted for the white.  With tiny chunks of apple, it was crisp, light and went down way too fast so I had two!  Homemade sangria on a patio with yummy Italians bites – that’s a little bit of heaven to me.

Two things…well if you include the sangria it’s three…you must try at La Bottega – bruschetta and pizza.

Tomato, thinly sliced basil, and mozzarella on lightly grilled bread is simply bruschetta heaven.

The pizza is thin crust and done in a stone oven.  It’s the classic Italian pizza with just a little sauce, the cheese perfectly melted, the crust charred slightly in spots, and topped with shredded basil.  It’s comfort Italian food at its best.

Dining, or in our case apres shopping, at La Bottega is like zipping off to Naples, Italy in a bite while enjoying the stunning surroundings of the Gore Creek and the Gore Range of the Vail Valley.