Enchanted places: Valpolicella

In the heart of Veneto, nestled between Verona and the first heights of Lessinia, Valpolicella is a sinuous land with a profile that cradles the soul. Not only the homeland of some of Italy's most famous wines like Amarone, Recioto, and Ripasso, but also a mosaic of vineyards, pastures, villages, and authentic flavors. The territory is a perfect balance between vine-covered hills and high-altitude pastures, where cheeses such as Monte Veronese DOP and other intense, buttery, herb-scented alpine cheeses are produced: true traveling companions for a good glass of red.

Valpolicella among marogne, pieve churches, and mountain cheeses

One of the great charms of Valpolicella is its layered landscape, where nature and human labor have intertwined for centuries. The vine-covered hills, organized with the typical Veronese pergola, are crisscrossed by dry stone walls made of local stone – the marogne – which shape an agricultural but at the same time aesthetic territory. This rural system, still active, is a perfect example of a cultural landscape, made not just to produce, but to last, to tell stories.

Walking among the vineyards or climbing towards the heights of Valpolicella Superiore also means coming across Romanesque pieve churches like that of San Giorgio Ingannapoltron, historic Venetian villas, and rural courtyards where time has a different rhythm.

But this landscape is not just about wine. In the foothill area bordering Lessinia, Monte Veronese DOP has been produced for centuries, a symbolic cheese of the territory, in its two versions: fresh whole milk (sweet, soft, delicate) and aged cheese (saltier and more intense, excellent paired with a good Ripasso or Amarone).

Alongside Monte Veronese, there are other dairy gems to discover in the malghe of Lessinia: like the cheese aged in natural caves, and the Cimbro cheese, rich in aromas of grass, hay, and mountain flowers. These cheeses are not only excellent on the table: they tell the landscape as much, if not more, than wine.

Visiting Valpolicella, therefore, means immersing oneself in a system of taste and beauty, where every element – architecture, nature, vineyards, cheeses – is connected. A landscape to be experienced on foot, by bike, or simply... at the table, with the right glass.

3 typical dishes not to be missed

1. Risotto all’Amarone
   Creamy, enveloping, pleasantly bitter: an identity dish, where wine becomes a noble and central ingredient. Every region has its risotto al vino; if you want to know more, read the in-depth exploration of pairings.

2. Pastissada de caval
   Ancient Veronese recipe: horse meat stewed for a long time with wine, spices, and vegetables. Intense, deep, perfect with Amarone or Ripasso.

3. Lesso con pearà
   Mixed boiled meat served with a hot sauce of bread, pepper, and marrow. Comfort food in winter, ideal with a Valpolicella Classico Superiore.

3 reasons to visit it

1. Wineries to discover
   From large historic labels to small artisan winemakers: guided tastings, vertical tastings, visits to the drying fruit cellars… it’s a living laboratory of wine culture.

2. Landscape and rural architecture
   Hills, marogne (the art of dry stone walls is recognized as UNESCO intangible heritage), Romanesque pieve churches like San Giorgio di Valpolicella, Venetian villas: a heritage to be explored on foot, by bike, or at a slow pace, glass by glass.

3. Close to everything, but with a very strong identity
   Verona is just a stone's throw away, Lake Garda too, and Lessinia is just above. You can build a trip that combines wine, culture, nature, and cuisine without ever leaving the range of just a few dozen kilometers.

Curiosities

• The “Ripasso” is created by passing Valpolicella over the pomace of Amarone/Recioto: more body, more complexity, more charm.

• Recioto “the father” of Amarone: legend has it that a fermented Recioto “beyond” became dry… and Amarone was born. For more information read the in-depth article on Recioto.

• “Valpolicella” contested etymology: for some it derives from Vallis polis cellae (“valley of many cellars”); for others, it has different Lombard or Latin roots. In any case, wine is in the name.

• Prun stone and marogne: the local stone has shaped houses, courtyards, and walls. The landscape is not only agriculture: it is country architecture.

Do you want to know more about the wines and cheeses of Valpolicella?

Read our in-depth articles:

•  The Wines of Valpolicella: excellence to serve at your table!
• Amarone of Valpolicella: the wine of lovers 
• What is alpine cheese? Alpine cheese or malga cheese 
• Corrado Benedetti, the taste of Lessinia and Valpolicella

S&M