A hub of auto Americana

To leaven the wine touring with a bit of folk humor, stop at Litto’s Hubcap Ranch -- California Historical Landmark No. 839 -- 6654 Pope Valley Rd. near Aetna Springs. Litto Damonte (1896-1985) was a retired San Francisco contractor turned self-proclaimed Hubcap King. He collected hubcaps and other automotive artifacts, which he built into walls, roofs and trees. In the heat of a Pope Valley morning, the Hubcap Ranch is evocative, with its detritus of American auto culture superimposed on a pioneer homestead. You pick up the sly sensibility behind the placement of this old Coke bottle and that Chevy hood ornament, and you can almost hear Litto chuckling.

-- Rod Smith