Ma ma ma ma My Verona

Our arrival into Verona was so lovely thanks to our very gracious host Alberto.  He met us on the street to help with parking so we could off load out luggage for our 3 night stay in his flat.  It was on the top floor with an elevator. 👍 He showed us around his spacious 3 bedroom home with the most awesome views of Verona.

Since we arrived on a Saturday and dinner reservations are usually necessary, Alberto was kind enough to make a reservation for us at one of his favorite restaurants within walking distance.  He also arranged for parking for our car so we could easily do day trips from the city to some wineries in the area.  Just a terrific host and a very pleasant start to our time in Verona.

 Cafe Carducci 💗💗

French Onion Soup Cafe Carducci Style

We settled in.  A short 10 min walk from the flat brought us to Cafe Carducci.  An adorable little bistro that has been operated by the family since 1928.  We were greeted like family as Alberto had made the reservation for us and they know him well there.  The ambiance was perfect.  The wine was perfect.  The food was perfect.  From beginning to end, one of my top ten favorite dining experiences ever.  Loved this place. We made a plan to eat here one more time before leaving Verona.

Crawfish Puff Pastry

Sirloin with Amarone wine sauce

Gnocchi with truffles

Our weather has been nothing short of perfect while here in Italy.  Even when rain was forecast, we seem to be have been lucky enough for it to miss us.  Our first full day in Verona was  a little overcast so we decided to take the Hop On, Hop Off bus (2 routes) around the city to get a lay of the land.  It was a Sunday and we assumed the city would be quiet. Boy were we wrong.  The crowds of people walking around were unbelievable.  The bus routes were pretty good and we got to see much of the city from the open top bus. The bus drivers ability to navigate the tiny old city streets is quite the adventure in itself.  By the time we hopped on and hopped off a couple of times, had lunch and gelato, it was a full day and we relaxed at home in the evening.

Bridge dating from the 15th century

Lovely church on our tour

Out visit to Castelvecchio

Our second day included another free walking tour, it was 3 hours of walking this marvelous city with Francesca.  She was a lively, funny guide and made the time fly by.  One of the centerpieces of the city is their Arena di Verona, built in the first century. It is still in use today and is internationally famous for the large-scale opera performances given there. It is one of the best preserved ancient structures of its kind. In ancient times, the capacity of the Arena was nearly 30,000 people. Nowadays, for security reasons, the maximum attendance is 15,000 people. It is a site to see.  Unfortunately there were no performances in the Arena during our visit, maybe next time. 

Verona arena facade

In the afternoon, our visit to Cantine Bertani.  Bertani has been a wine producer in this region since 1857.  Yes, 1857.  So much history here. We tasted and enjoyed their very fine wines.

Their cellars held bottles of wines from many very old vintages, even as old as 1964...my birth year.  Our guide said it was a very good year and we would very much enjoy a bottle of that vintage.  We thought, gee, wouldn't it be fun to buy a bottle of that year.  After consulting the catalog of their historical vintages, the price was $560 Euros. 

Well, we bought a bottle of 2009 instead, more acceptable price point.   The 1964 Bertani will remain a mystery unsolved.

One morning, I experimented making my coffee with the moka pot, which is literally in every kitchen in Italy.  I think it must come with the Ikea kitchen cabinet package. I had been eyeing them in every kitchen store window as they come in the cutest colors and sizes.  I did some research on-line to learn about how to make that little espresso shot with that caramel colored crema on top from this pot.  I was mostly successful in my experiment, the coffee shot was rich, not bitter and had a slight bit of crema on top.  I think if I had my own pot, I could continue experimenting until I get it perfect.  Or maybe I can just buy a Nespresso machine.  We will see.

Cute Italian Moka Pot

As always, certain days of our longer trips require some housekeeping chores such as laundry and haircuts.  But we still found time to enjoy another wine tour and tasting at Masi Agricola.  Owning the vineyards since the 18th century, Masi is another founding father of wine production in the Valpolicella wine region.   We took a very long tour of the grounds, the grape drying rooms, the cellar and the estate ending with a lovely tasting on the outside patio. This place was the epitome of Italian wine-making lifestyle that fairy tales are made of.  As planned, we enjoyed another phenomenal meal at Cafe Carducci on our last night in Verona.

On our way to Masi

3 grapes varietals drying in racks to make Amarone

Masi wine cellar

 

Entry door from vineyard to Masi cellars

Our time in Verona went by very quickly as there was plenty to do and see both in the city and just short day trips in the nearby wine region.  Next, the little Fiat Panda will take us to visit Lake Garda, about a 2 hours drive and worlds away from the city life of Verona.