With the 57th edition of Vinitaly kicking off this weekend, Louis Thomas rounds up some of the best spots in the city of Verona for some post-fair refreshment.
Vinitaly is not a show lacking in alcoholic beverages – some 4,000 producers are expected to exhibit their drinks – however, tasting wine-after-wine at a trade show is not the same as drinking for the purpose of relaxation.
Finding a place in Verona to rest your feet and recuperate after a long day of running between halls and constant meetings, subsisting on only small morsels of cheese and salami and the occasional shot of espresso, is no mean feat. The off-show event Vinitaly and the City means that the streets are thronging with lanyarded wine lovers, and some bars and restaurants have lines longer than that to see the Juliet balcony.
This is by no means an exhaustive guide, but rather a list of a few of the spots you should consider, and strategies to escape some of the crowds.
Signorvino
Wait, hear us out – yes, Signorvino is a wine bar chain with a presence across great swathes of Northern and Central Italy, but its ubiquity is precisely why the Signorvino in the centre of Verona, by Piazza Bra, is a good option: it's seen as 'too obvious' by many visitors, and therefore it is often not as busy as other spots nearby.
At the end of the day, Signorvino is reliable, fairly affordable, has a decent number of inoffensive gluggers, and, perhaps crucially, is just a short stagger away from a taxi rank.
Osteria Enoteca Zero 7
Just a stone's throw away from Signorvino, Osteria Enoteca Zero 7 has a truly enviable, 900-label-strong wine list – even just reading what is in the sweet Italian wine selection could revive the most exhausted of trade show attendees. The abundance of Amarone is another added bonus: when in Verona, drink as the Veronese do.
Terrazza Bar al Ponte
With commanding views of the River Adige, this would be the perfect spot for a (hopefully) sun-soaked pre-show brunch – and it is conveniently close to the stop for one of the shuttle buses to Veronafiere.
And, if you particularly need to unwind after a long day of meetings, it stays open until 3am, though how any visitor has the energy for that defeats me.
Bar Chiosco
If you are one of the thousands who make the daily Vinitaly pilgrimage from Veronafiere towards the city centre, an endless line of smartly-dressed wine professionals snaking its way along the Viale del Lavoro, you will be well-aware of how endless that march can feel.
But deliverance can be found along this road, deliverance in the unassuming form of Bar Chiosco, located just south of the Porta Nuova gateway, close to the petrol station, and roughly equidistant between the show and the centre.
Go to the counter and ask for "birra alla spina", and you will be greeted with a cold, golden half litre of pure joy, perfect for preparing you for the next leg of your arduous journey. To describe this spot as a "lifesaver" during hot days at Vinitaly might be an understatement. The panini are also meant to be good.
Re Carlo da Barca
You wouldn't necessarily come to this spot for authentic Veronese food or vibrant Valpolicella wines, it's more of a onion rungs and lurid cocktails kind of place, but what it does have over the other bars in Verona is an abundant supply of screens showing Italian football.
There a few Serie A matches to keep your eye out for, although unfortunately not all of them have timings which suit attendance at the trade show, but Roma hosting Juventus on Sunday night and Bologna versus Napoli on Monday evening should both be fun fixtures, though if you're hoping to catch a Hellas Verona game while you're in town, they are actually playing at the mighty Torino on Sunday afternoon.
Bar Stadio
Given that Hellas Verona will be playing away this weekend, it might actually be a smart move to take advantage of a lack of football fans in town and head towards the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi for a bit of respite from the centre.
There are plenty of bars in that neighbourhood, all of which seem very no nonsense and with frills at a delightful minimum, and it's also very close to Verona Porta Nuova station, making it handy for any libations before the commute back to wherever you may be staying.
Wherever's available
The best piece of advice we can offer is try not to be too picky when there are tens of thousands of other visitors to Verona with the same idea – you can and indeed should be discerning about what you try while at the show, but when you're outside of it, just take the first table you can find and hope that the beer is cold. In bocca al lupo!
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