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Verona, a mouth-watering city of art
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| Normally one chooses to visit Verona for its art, opera and literature. Yet browsing amongst the stalls in Piazza delle Erbe, the shop windows of the pastry shops and the old osterias, one discovers that the city also offers irresistible "bitter sweet" culinary temptations in the form of typical products and wines. |
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A visit to Verona might begin at the monument that symbolises the city: the Arena. Only slightly smaller than Rome's Coliseum, the perfectly preserved Roman amphitheatre sits right in the centre of the old part of the city, dominating the vast Piazza Bra. The Romans built the amphitheatre in 1 AD to stage clashes between gladiators and ferocious, exotic animals. Following the games of the Roman period, the Arena was used in medieval times to host fairs and tournaments.
Today the enormous stage, stalls and long steps (with a capacity of 22 thousand spectators) make it the most important open-air opera theatre in the world. With the arrival of the summer, the opera season brings the Arena to life, made famous by the great names of opera and the sumptuous productions which draw an enormous public from both Italy and abroad. The de rigeur opera staged each year is Giuseppe Verdi's Aida, the production of which has even been known to involve the appearance of real elephants in the Arena.
Piazza Bra sees the start of Via Mazzini, a street full of shops and elegant shop windows. From here, by following Via Roma one comes to the imposing medieval fort of Castelvecchio, construction of which was ordered on the banks of the river Adige by Cangrande II della Scala. Today it houses the Museum of Civic Art and preserves countless examples of art ranging from early-Christian period to the eighteenth century.
Continuing along Corso Cavour and past Porta Borsari takes one to the oldest and most charming part of Verona. After visiting the complex of the Duomo (which includes the Cathedral, the Church of S. Elena, the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte and Piazza del Vescovado), one might pause for a break in the lively Piazza delle Erbe (the favoured meeting place for the people of Verona) dominated by Torre dei Lamberti, or the more elegant Piazza dei Signori framed by porticoes and arcades; a statue of Dante Alighieri has been erected in the middle in memory of the poet's stay at the court of Cangrande, magnificent Lord of Verona.
Palazzo Forti, home to the Modern Art Gallery, is also of note; from here it is possible to continue the tour of ancient churches that harbour famous masterpieces. Sant'Anastasia is a splendid example of Gothic architecture that houses Pisanello's fresco portraying St. George freeing the princess from the dragon; the church of San Zeno is another renowned church and one of Italy's finest examples of Romanesque architecture. Amongst other things, this houses Andrea Mantegna's triptych Madonna enthroned with Saints.
Another church worth visiting is that of San Giorgio in Braida, where it is possible to see the Martyrdom of St. George by Paolo Veronese.
To conclude, the classic "Shakespearian" tour is recommended; this takes in the house of the Capuleti family where the famous balcony of Juliet is located along with the bronze statue of Juliet, the House of Romeo and Juliet's Tomb, situated near an ancient convent. |
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It is not by chance that Vinitaly, the most important Italian wine fair, is held in the city of Verona. Home of dry wines, the area of Verona produces excellent whites such as Soave as well as important reds, including the highly prestigious Amarone, a full-bodied wine with an almond nose and a velvety, warm flavour. Sparkling wines and delicious sweet wines for meditation are also typical of this area.
The wine features alongside the extra virgin olive oil produced in the Lake Garda area (delicate and fruity with a slightly bitter note that makes it ideal for fish, sauces and white meats) and garlic salami (aromatic, softer and fattier than salamis from the regions of Lombardy and Emilia though it is drier than Vicenza's soppressa).
Verona is also home to the softest of Christmas cakes: pandoro was conceived towards the end of the nineteenth century, drawing inspiration from nadalin, another Christmas-time cake.
Verona's cuisine features dishes that are typical of the Po Valley plains: mixed boiled meats, nervetti and risotto which in Verona is personalised with a sprinkling of Amarone wine.
Wine is also use to prepare another local gastronomic speciality, namely pastissada de caval, a horse meat stew marinated with red wine enhanced with a number of herbs.
To uncover and savour these and other aspects of "mouth-watering Verona", one need go no further than Piazza delle Erbe, where the colourful stalls of the legendary market offer just about everything from local fruit and vegetables such as red radicchio or Rivoli asparagus to those typical of the mountain community of Lessinia, such as honeys and cheeses.
Heading into the medieval alleyways that all lead off from Piazza delle Erbe, the visitor will stumble across plenty of old restaurants that have preserved their atmosphere of days-gone-by and are to this day the heart of Verona's restaurant trade. |
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 Hotel Europa
Address: via Roma 8, Verona
Tel: +39.045.594744
Internet: www.veronahoteleuropa.com
Prices: double from 100 to 160 Euros
Three-star hotel situated in the heart of the old town in the area between Castelvecchio and the Arena. Modern rooms with all comforts.
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