The road to hell...

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... is paved with good intentions
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My last blog entry was end of April and I had aimed at one post a week.  Since then much has happened, but at that time, I was just about to go to Verona for Vinitaly 2016 – Italy’s International Wines and Spirits Fair. Fact: Vinitaly hosts over 4000 exhibitors and counts on 156,000 visitors and delegations from over 60 countries. Believe me, it is Big; it occupies an area that positively dwarfs Olympia and it was Full, I mean, Rammed. There are free shuttle buses from Verona out to the exhibition area – also Rammed (I will stop the annoying capital letters for emphasis now) but a wonderful visitor-friendly service.
Verona is a beautiful city and its high season is during Vinitaly. Apart from the Trade Fair, the city is given over to showcasing wine: designer boutiques incorporate wine bottles in their window displays, stalls with wine-tastings abound and the hordes of visitors (both Italian and international) are milling about in very jolly fashion with wine glasses lanyarded around their necks (all part of the tasting at every corner). The main square to be is the Piazza Erbe and evenings saw it packed with stylish Italians of all ages meeting friends and being very Italian. The aperitif is a big thing and theirs was wine or Aperol out of elegant glasses. It was lovely to see and feel part of the club for the brief time we were there.
If you go, drink anywhere in the Piazza Erbe and eat here:

L’Osteria del Bugiardo, on Corsa Porta Borsari. The Buglioni family own the vineyard that makes our award-winning Valpolicella as well as three restaurants where you can just drink, snack or have dinner in a buzzy, informal, spilling-out-onto-the-street atmosphere. If you are travelling around the Veneto region, the other two restaurants can be found at Osteria Villafranca (VR) and Osteria Negrar (VR).

Osteria Locandina Cappello, Via Cappello 16. Owned by the sister of our wonderful Stefano from Serene vineyards, you can drink all our Serene wines here in a pretty, little cosy hideaway. 

Trattoria Al Pompiere, on Vicolo Regina D’Ungheria 5 (close to Juliet’s balcony). Well-established locals favourite: incredible cheese and salumi selection and, of course, Veronese wine.