Amarone, Garda Olive Oil, and Monte Veronese: Verona’s Food and Wine Guide

Verona province produces three protected food and wine products that are each worth making a specific detour for: Amarone della Valpolicella, one of Italy’s most powerful and complex red wines; extra virgin olive oil Garda DOP, produced from groves along the northern shore of Lake Garda; and Monte Veronese DOP, a mountain cheese from the Lessinia Prealps. Each comes from a distinct part of the province and can be visited independently or combined in a longer itinerary.

Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG

Amarone della Valpolicella received DOCG status in 2010. It is made from partially dried grapes — primarily Corvina Veronese and Rondinella — harvested in the Valpolicella hills and laid on bamboo racks or in wooden crates in well-ventilated lofts for approximately 120 days. During this appassimento process the grapes lose 30–40% of their weight, concentrating sugar and extractives. The subsequent fermentation takes 30–50 days and must ferment to dryness: any residual sugar produces the sweeter Recioto della Valpolicella, which is effectively what Amarone was before a forgotten vat in the 1930s fermented further than intended.

The production zone covers the hillside towns of the Valpolicella — San Pietro in Cariano, Negrar, Fumane, Marano, Sant’Ambrogio — as well as Valpantena, Val Tramigna, Val d’Illasi, and Val di Mezzane. The Valpolicella winery map covers the key producers and how to reach them. Cellars in the zone range from large commercial producers with tasting rooms to small family wineries requiring appointment.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Garda DOP

The northern end of Lake Garda creates a microclimate that makes olive cultivation possible at a latitude where it would not otherwise survive. The lake’s thermal mass moderates winter temperatures, and the steep hillsides that catch direct sun allow groves to flourish on both the Veronese shore (eastern side) and the Brescian and Trentino shores. Olive growing here predates Roman documentation.

Garda DOP olive oil is produced from Casaliva, Frantoio, and Leccino cultivars. The oil is characterised by a pale golden colour, low acidity, and a mild flavour with almond notes — lighter and more delicate than the oils of central or southern Italy. The Olive Oil Museum (Museo dell’Olio d’Oliva) in Bardolino, on the Veronese shore, documents the history and methods of production and is attached to a working mill. Several Lake Garda producers offer mill visits and tastings, particularly in the November harvest period.

Monte Veronese DOP

Monte Veronese is a protected designation cheese produced in the Lessinia Prealps, the mountainous area north of Verona. It is a cow’s milk cheese made exclusively from cattle raised within the production zone, and comes in two main types: latte intero (whole milk, aged at least 25 days) and d’allevo (semi-skimmed, aged from 3 months to over a year). A third category, d’allevo vecchio, is aged for a minimum of six months and has a more pronounced, savoury character. The flavour is clean and moderately grassy, reflecting the Alpine pastures.

Dairies and ageing facilities in the Lessinia zone — around the towns of Sant’Anna d’Alfaedo, Bosco Chiesanuova, and Erbezzo — can generally be visited by arrangement. The cheese is also available at Verona’s markets and in the city’s better delicatessens.

Verona and the Wider Region

Verona is reachable from Milan by Frecciarossa in around 50 minutes and from Bologna in about 35 minutes. The city itself — the Roman arena, the historic centre, the balcony associated with Juliet — is worth a day in its own right before heading into the province. For visitors based in Emilia-Romagna, the food traditions of the region — Parmigiano Reggiano, traditional balsamic vinegar, Parma ham — are also accessible on the high-speed network from Verona, with Reggio Emilia AV Medio Padana reachable in around 20 minutes.