Savor the History and Delicacies of Verona, Lake Garda, and Valpolicella on a 5-Day Tour
I tried to make a Verona, Lake Garda, and Valpolicella wine and food tour as flexible as possible, mixing wine, relaxation, and olive oil tasting with cultural excursions.
This is a possible schedule with all the activities and some wineries to visit, so you can adapt it to your needs to make the most of each area. Wine and oil tasting, of course, are the most interesting foodie activities.
Garda Lake
I think it’s better to split all the attractions and cities around the lake. You have plenty of time, so you can spend 2 days near the lake to visit Bardolino, Lasize, and Peschiera del Garda, make some evoo tastings, and of course take some time to relax on the shores of the lake, where you can swim or rent a boat for a little bit of sailing.
Day 1
We will start from Bardolino, where is produced a delicious red wine, also in a pink version, light and perfect for fish and vegetables. The village is small and you can walk along the shore just to relax watching the lake and then explore the village.
Do not miss in Bardolino
Saint Zeno, among the most important monuments from the Carolingian period.
Saint Severo, too, with lovely frescoes from the VIII-XIV centuries.
Wine Tasting near Bardolino
Le Fraghe of Matilde Poggi. An organic winery, with a delicious Bardolino and a great Cabernet Sauvignon. Località Colombare 3 37010 Cavaion Veronese. Phone 0457 236832.
Lunch
The best, but it’s a little expansive, restaurant in town: La Veranda, fish, meat, vegetables. The menu is about 50 €.
Going north you will reach Garda, a nice, old city, with a lovely fortress that you can visit. The fish market and Santa Maria Maggiore church are lovely and a little walk, while you waiting for dinner is a pleasant activity.
Do not miss in Garda: the fortress and Villa Guarienti’s garden, one of the most beautiful places around.
Dinner. Regio Patio: traditional dishes in modern style. Menu costs around 50 €.
Day 2
Valpolicella: Amarone’s kingdom
You can visit the Mazzi winery, which is one of the boutique wineries where you can find excellent products like Amarone, Recioto and an incredible Valpolicella. Olive oil is delicious too.
Another great winery to not miss is Serego Alighieri. Possessioni di Serègo Alighieri, Gargagnago di Valpolicella, 37015 Verona. Phone: +39-045-7703622. The visit is very detailed and interesting with some final tasting of some of the best Amarone from different vintages. Look for Claudio if you want to book.
If you want to try a traditional Veronese lunch, I recommend El Pendola (25-30€). Via Volta 18, Fumane, Verona, tel. +39 045 7701134. Excellent quality/price ratio.
And it’s Quintarelli time, probably the best producer of Amarone and one of the most iconic Italian wineries. They are a family-run winery, and the wines are among the most precious and artisanal. Call and ask for Francesco. Negrar, via Cerè 1. Phone 0457 500016.
Then you can reach Verona by car for a walk. Don’t worry; you can find a Verona walking guide further down the page.
Day 3
Peschiera del Garda, a lovely fortified town, built in the sixth century, then the Venetian empire conquered it and it became a focal point of their empire.
The San Martino church and the historic center are must-sees in Peschiera.
Lunch
Luisa: a nice trattoria with meat and lake fishes. Good quality and reasonable prices.
Piccolo mondo: seafood and a lot of fish. Not bad at all.
Afternoon in Lasize, the pearl of the Garda Lake. You can take it easy, visit the center, relax on the beaches, etc.
In the afternoon a great olive oil tasting is scheduled: Turri farm, an organic producer of the famous Garda DOP. 37010 Verona, Strada Villa n.9 Cavaion Veronese Phone 045 7235598.
If you want to have dinner near Lazise I suggest “Alle Grotte” restaurant, for some good fish and a salad.
Day 4
Verona
Verona is a great city if you like walking into history. A lot of churches, the Arena, a couple of museums, a lovely Giardino all Italiana a much more. The beauty of this city is that you can reach it by car, park it and just walk.
The center develops around the Arena, near piazza Bra’. So from here, you can reach easily all the most beautiful places. All around the center, you can hear the Adige river, it will accompany you on your journey.
Suggested restaurants
Il Desco: 1 Michelin star. The most elegant and classic restaurants in Verona. Fish and meat, very fancy and classy. Gianduiotto di foie gras is pure brilliance. The menu ranges from 90 to 130 €.
Restaurant Due Torri They make delicious Amarone risotto!
Osteria la Fontanina. 1 star Michelin. Near Santo Stefano, Veronese cuisine is a good choice.
Al Bersagliere is best known for its Baccalà alla Vicentina. Very easy-going restaurant.
Verona city tour
Let us begin with the Arena, one of the largest structures in the Roman empire; only Rome’s Colosseum and the one in Capua are larger.
After that, you can visit or just appreciate the Palazzo Della Gran Guardia and all the nice shops and cafès around if you want to just sit down and relax.
Now you have two options.
Going left, you will reach Castelvecchio and its amazing painting gallery. If you keep going west, you’ll see San Zeno, the most stunning church in Verona, a Romanesque masterpiece.
If you come back and go east, through Via Mazzini, the best street for shopping, you will reach Piazza Delle Erbe, the real center of the city.
Here you can take an aperitivo at Caffè Filippini, a must-visit place, and then explore Piazza Delle Erbe, the old city forum. A point of interest is the Berlina, wherein the Podestà sat for the official ceremonies.
Then you can reach the Lamberti Tower (elevator/phone: 0458032726; 9.30 am–7:30 pm), where you can see all of the city from the top, and it’s simply marvelous!
The house of Giulietta is near, if you like. San Fermo South is a nice church that deserves a visit.
Going north, you will reach the Duomo, mighty and elegant, with some precious paintings inside, also by Tiziano.
If you cross the Stone Bridge, you can reach the Roman Theater and Castel San Pietro, which bring you to the old medieval castle. It’s a lovely walk, and you can see the city kissed by the river as you go up the hill.
Another thing you should visit is the Giusti Gardens (tickets are 6€). near Giusti Palace. They are incredible, and if you are tired or want to meditate, you can stay there and relax a little bit in a luscious garden. Via Giardino Giusti 2, phone 045 8034029, visit 9 a.m.–8 p.m. This garden is out of the center, not too far, but a little bit east. Maybe you can go there by taxi or bus.
A night opera is always an incredible show.
Day 5
For your last day, we have lots of options.
1) If you enjoy hiking and outdoor walking, Monte Baldo is only 40 kilometers away. You have to go to Malcesine, a nice castle (Goethe loved it), where you can take the cable car to reach the top and wander around with lots of “Into the Wild” itineraries.
From the top, you can see the lake and all the mountains around. The landscape is amazing; do not forget to take with you a wide-angle lens.
2) You can spend another day in Verona, and you could try the opera.
You can visit more wineries in Valpolicella like Tommaso Bussola, Stefano Accordini, Lorenzo Begali, Nicolini, and Vogadori.
4) Or you could reach Soave, a wonderful medieval town east of Verona, 25 km more or less. Great place with a stunning white wine, called Soave, of course!