Please join us for an exclusive dinner with unlimited wine in the Great Hall of Castello di Amorosa! Medieval Merriment for Multiple Milestones Saturday July 31st 6:30-10pm Castello di Amorosa 4045 St Helena Hwy, Calistoga, CA 94515 Replies requested by July 9th to britta@britta.com, including any dietary restrictions. What to wear? You are all knights and nobles so please arrive in fabulous attire worthy of visiting dignitaries dining with the queen. This is your chance to wear your favorite fantasy castle style ala Game of Thrones or Dungeons & Dragons for the best photos ever, but fair warning even with air conditioning inside the Great Hall, it may be 100F outside! You will not be turned away for wearing 21st century clothes, but Prince Glen has decreed that anyone not in proper castle couture will begin and end their tour in the torture chamber. Are children allowed? Children of any age are allowed accompanied by their guardians, and a variety of non-alcoholic beverages will be available. Please let us know any dietary restrictions with your reply. Are there any pandemic restrictions? California removed most restrictions on June 15th so anyone not fully-vaccinated is required to wear a mask except when actively eating and drinking, but fully-vaccinated are not required to wear masks. However, as of mid-July, some counties are recommending even fully-vaccinated people to wear masks indoors in public areas, and businesses are setting their own policies. Some other wineries are requiring masks of anyone indoors, so if you are extending your weekend plans, be prepared. The castle staff are masking indoors but fully-vaccinated staff are allowed no masks outdoors. Since our event areas are closed to the public and the large majority of our guests are already vaccinated, our fully-vaccinated guests are allowed to enjoy our event without masks, but please wear what makes you feel safe, preferably coordinated with your castle couture. Thankfully Napa County is not undergoing any surge of cases, but we will be in shared indoor spaces for the castle tours and using restrooms until the castle closes to the public at 9pm, so you can evaluate your own risk and prepare accordingly. We are both fully-vaccinated and will not be wearing masks unless requirements change. Is this a private event? The castle is still open for public tours until 9pm, but our event areas will be closed while we are occupying the terrace and Great Hall. The entrance gate staff will have our guest list, so if you do not bring your invitation scroll, you will still be granted entry. What can we expect at this event? The initial reception is in open air on the terrace among the castle ramparts and towers, with passed appetizers and wine served at cocktail tables. Dinner is assigned seating arranged by households at the long wood tables inside the Great Hall with stunning handpainted murals and extremely high ceilings (and air conditioning!). During the reception, there will be small group tours of the castle that include the chapel, torture chamber, and wine cellars. It is an amazing place - quite a labor of love to build a 13th-century Tuscan-style castle so authentically! What is the menu? The passed appetizers on the terrace are chef's choice so we will be surprised. For the feast, we will enjoy fresh bread, a salad of arugula, spinach, belguim endive, strawberries, candied pecans, with golden balsamic vinaigrette, then entree of boneless sterling beef short rib, caramelized spring baby vegetables, lemon-herb gremolata, and potato puree. There will also be cake plus a gluten-free chocolate dessert. If you have any dietary restrictions, please include them in your reply. Can we arrive early? Yes, and you probably should since the moat and castle gardens are lovely, but once you are inside the castle walls for our event, you won't get the chance to explore them! Our event spaces will not be ready until 6:30pm, so please stay outside the castle gates until our official start time when you will be allowed inside. We plan to arrive at 6pm and take our time taking fantastic photos in our castle couture with the castle behind us, so join us and do the same! What are local transportation options? You can try to use Uber or Lyft, but we have been warned that the return trip at 10pm will be a challenge to get someone to drive you. The Calistoga Shuttle does go to the castle, but service stops at 9pm on Saturdays, so that is not a return option. We have been told that cabs are a more reliable option, either Napa Red Cab Co 707-257-3222 or Yellow Cab of Napa Valley 707-226-3731. Anyone who would prefer a local shuttle, as long as you can get yourself to either the Golden Haven Hot Springs Resort or the Castello Victorian Inn by 5:30pm, we have room for 27 people in our private shuttle with 17 riding so far. The Castello Victorian Inn is a short walk to the Calistoga Inn Restaurant & Brewery and downtown Calistoga. This shuttle will leave the castle at 10:15pm to the same two stops. If you have more questions, please send them to britta@britta.com We are looking forward to celebrating Queen Britta's half-century and recent retirement with you! - Prince Glen of Simon, Duke of Magnolia & Queen Britta, Monarch of Multiple Milestones