Romantic Verona is an obvious choice is you are looking for Italy honeymoon packages. Road to Italy often suggests a great addition to that: the Valpolicella Wine Region. Just a stone throw away from the romantic home of Romeo and Juliet, the magnificent Valpolicella wine-making area is an exciting mix of traditions, cultural heritage, history and nature. The lush green valleys are laced with neat vineyards producing the highly prized Amarone red wine, vibrant Valpolicella, complex ripasso and aromatic recioto dessert wine.
Driving along the wine road you can discover many beautiful villages in the area. San Pietro in Cariano is surrounded by imposing Venetian Renaissance Villas, many of which were designed by the famous Andrea Palladio. Villa Serego, Villa Giona-Fagiuoli and Villa Pullè Monga are testimonies to the area’s prosperous past and present. The pretty hamlet of Fumane has been inhabited since the dawn of times. Here you can find Grotta di Fumane, one of the most important prehistoric sites in Europe that was home to ancient men for almost 40,000 years. There are many lovely churches in the area and the stunning Villa della Torre Cazzola. There are many walking trails in the area and the beautiful Parco delle Cascate (Park of Waterfalls) nature reserve attracts many nature lovers.
Most winemakers in Valpolicella are open for tastings and there are many simple osterie offering hearty cuisine of the Veneto region. Tasty traditional dishes on the menu will have any foodie’s heart racing: beef cheeks braised in Amarone wine served with creamy polenta, pumpkin gnocchi with smoked ricotta and pork, delicious fresh pastas, suckling pig roasted in honey, thick homemade soups with chestnuts and wild mushrooms. All that washed down with excellent local wines by the glass without breaking the bank.
Photos by: Ryan Opaz, Benito Roveran, Aaron Landry.
