Verona, romantic city par excellence, home of history's most famous and most ill-fated lovers, Romeo and Juliet. A timeless place, a jewel in the heart of the Veneto region that attracts tourists from all over the world not only for the Shakespearian tragedy, for the curiosity of climbing onto the balcony of the young Capulet or for its famous Arena, but above all for its beauty, its alleys, its evocative atmosphere and, last but not least, for its cuisine made up of traditional dishes with a unique taste that cannot be missed on a trip to the city of Verona.
Here are 10 things you absolutely must eat in Verona.
1 - Pasta and fasoi
A typicalmedieval dish of popular cuisine, the traditional pasta e fasoi (more commonly known as beans) was invented by the creativity of the poorest families in society during ancient times. Tasty and with a decidedly 'robust' flavour, it is a speciality that absolutely must be tasted on a trip to the Verona area. It is often enriched with pork rinds.
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €10.00
Main ingredients: egg pasta, borlotti beans, pork rind, carrots, celery
2 - Bigoli with sardines
Bigoli are a typical Veronese pasta very similar to spaghetti, but thicker. Their curious name comes from the dialect word bigat meaning caterpillar, due to their shape. Bigoli con le sarde ( bigoli with sardines) are prepared with a tasty sardine sauce. According to tradition, they were eaten on Christmas Eve and Good Friday. Besides those with sardines, there are also many other versions.
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €8.00
Main ingredients: egg pasta, sardines, onions
3 - Pastissada de Caval
Photo by PetroniusArb. More commonly known as braised horse stew, this dish seems to date back to 489 BC when, to save money in times of famine, people cut meat into pieces and soaked it in wine and spices to prolong its preservation. Excellent on any occasion, although on winter evenings when the cold is biting it is definitely appreciated more.
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €10.00
Main ingredients: horse meat, wine, spices
4 - Polenta
Atypical speciality of the Verona area, polenta used as a food seems to date back to 1500. Today it accompanies main courses, especially stews and roasts. There are numerous versions, but the tastiest and most famous is polenta infasola, prepared with cereal flour. It is usually eaten with mushrooms and cheese.
Recommended for: dinner
Average cost: €8.00
Main ingredients: maize flour, cereal flour
5 - Gnocchi
A typical dish of the Veronese carnival, potato gnocchi date back to the mid-1500s. A tasty speciality that, according to popular tales, is said to have saved the city from famine.
SEE ALSO: VERONA CARNIVAL AND GNOCO PAPA, HISTORY AND MEANING
The seasoning clearly varies depending on the recipe you follow. It cannot be missed among the things to taste on a trip to Verona.
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €10.00
Main ingredients: potatoes
6 - Boiled with pearà
A typical Veronese dish of the winter season, boiled meat with pearà is prepared with meat and vegetables, served with a breadcrumb mash and (plenty of) pepper. There are numerous variations of this recipe, although all have these ingredients cooked in different ways. Pearà is precisely the sauce with pepper.
Recommended for: dinner
Average cost: €10.00
Main ingredients: meat, vegetables, pepper, pearà sauce
7 - Tastasal Rice
A typical dish of Veneto and Veronese cuisine, this risotto is made with minced meat, salted and peppered. A recipe that was prepared to check whether the meat had been salted properly before using it for the preparation of cured meats, the name tastasal in dialect means precisely to taste the salt.
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €8.00
Main ingredients: rice, minced meat, salt, pepper
8 - Amarone Risotto
Undisputed for its delicious and full-bodied flavour, risotto all'amarone is one of the typical specialities of Veronese tradition. It is made with ingredients and products from the Veneto region such as Vialone nano, the rice used to prepare the recipe, Amarone della Valpolicella with which it is whipped and grated Monte Veronese, a cow's milk cheese produced in the area.
Recommended for: lunch, dinner
Average cost: €8.00
Main ingredients: Vialone nano, Amarone della Valpolicella, Monte Veronese
9 - Fritole
Proclaimed national dessert of the Veneto State in the 18th century, they were also mentioned in Il Campiello, a comedy by Carlo Goldoni. Fritole (fritters) are a typical Veronese carnival dessert, still prepared today not only in pastry shops but also in many Veronese families' homes. Slightly different from the Veneto fritole.
Recommended for: always
Average cost: €5.00
Main ingredients: flour, eggs, sultanas, grated lemon peel, a small glass of grappa
10 - Pandoro
As is well known, Pandoro is one of the traditional sweets of Verona and the Christmas festivities. Its origins date back to the 19th century, when Pan de Oro was served to wealthy families in the Veneto region. Its inventor was Domenico Melegatti, who first made this eight-pointed star-shaped cake. Together with the Milanese Panettone, it is the best-selling and most popular Christmas cake in Italy.
Recommended for: always
Average cost: €8.00
Main ingredients: flour, butter, sugar, vanilla
Where to eat in Verona: cheap restaurants, typical places and street food
Remembering Verona only for its Shakespearian characters would be reductive when in fact it is a mundane and ever-living city with a thousand architectural beauties and a rich traditional cuisine.
To taste the various delicacies, we can only recommend the area of the historic centre, as it is rich in historic but also modern venues, and especially Piazza delle Erbe where aperitifs in the old cafés and osterias, in which one then stops for dinner, are trendy. Here are the best places to eat in Verona.
1 - Café Mazzanti
Description: elegant venue with outdoor tables serving everything from aperitifs to creative local and world dishes.
Speciality: tortellini di Valeggio with cream and speck
Average price: from €25.00 per person
Address: piazza Erbe, 32/32A - Get directions
2 - Monte Baldo Café
Description: historic café with vintage furnishings that offers cicchetti for aperitifs and Veronese cuisine
Speciality: risotto with Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG wine and cheese.
Average price: from €18.00 per person
Address: via Rosa, 12 - Get directions
3 - Osteria del Bugiardo
Description: rustic ambience with exposed bricks, own wine cellar and varied cuisine with local products
Speciality: polenta del Bugiardo
Average price: from €25.00 per person
Address: Corso Porta Borsari, 17/A - Get directions
4 - Antica Amelia
Description: family restaurant with retro furnishings and typical Veronese cuisine served in a creative way
Speciality: boiled meatballs with green sauce
Average price: from €35.00 per person
Address: lungadige Bartolomeo Rubele, 32 - Get directions
5 - Locanda 4 Cuochi
Description: informal ambience and rustic furnishings with creative local cuisine and a wide choice of wines
Speciality: risotto with radicchio and red wine
Average price: from €30.00 per person
Address: via Alberto Mario, 12 - Get directions
6 - Osteria Al Carroarmato
Description: One of the oldest osterias in Verona, it offers a selection of over 40 wines, starting from €1.50 per glass. It offers shared tables and excellent home cooking.
Specialities: pasta and fasoi, Vicenza-style cod and mushrooms, polenta and asiago cheese
Average price: from €20.00 per person
Address: vicolo Gatto 2
7 - Enocibus
Description: Tucked away in a quiet side street away from the hustle and bustle of tourists. It offers a la carte menus with traditional dishes based on simple products, soups and pasta dishes.
Speciality: pork knuckle
Average price: from €15.00 per person
Address: vicolo Pomodoro, 3
8 - Trattoria Pane e Vino
Description: located in the centre but slightly out of the way. For 14 years expertly run by Angelo and Alessandro, the trattoria has been a point of reference for local customers and tourists who want to taste real Veronese cuisine.
Speciality: risotto all'amarone
Average price: from €25.00 per person
Address: via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 16/A
9 - Hostaria Vecchia Fontanina
Description: offers a brilliant mix of typical Veronese dishes based on fresh and genuine products, offered at a reasonable price. The restaurant is very cosy, with a delightful summer terrace.
Specialities: risotto with Amarone and ricotta gnocchi
Average price: from €15.00 per person
Address: piazzetta Chiavica 5
10 - Osteria Sottoriva
Description: Sottoriva is one of the city's most famous eateries, chosen by many customers for both lunch and dinner for the quality of the food and popular prices. Do not choose this place for a quick meal, a notice posted at the entrance warns customers of 'slow service'!
Specialities: trippa alla parmigiana, polenta and gorgonzola, crespelle with ricotta and spinach
Average price: from €15.00 per person
Address: via Sottoriva 9/a
