I will show you what to eat and where to shop in amazing Verona,
Italian city full of Roman heritage, picturesque medieval buildings and the romantic story of Romeo
and Juliet. First I will tell you what you can find on the restaurant menus around Verona. Here
they have special local dishes that are a great choice for a nice lunch or dinner.
Then I will show you the best areas for some high-quality shopping of fashion,
antiques and local products. And lastly I will eat in unique and delicious street food places
with great local snacks that are perfect if you are slightly hungry and on the go. Hi guys. My
name is Rok and I’ve spent the last 9 years travelling around Europe as a tour guide
and I can’t wait to take you on a food tour and to the best shopping in Verona, Italy.
Verona has a lot of Restaurants and there is a wide variety from simple cheap Trattorias
to one and two Michelin star places. On the menus you will often find a dish called Bigoli
and rarely there will be a translation for it. Almost every region in Italy has its own pasta
and Veneto region, where Verona is located, is no different. Bigoli is the name for regional pasta,
which are simply thick spaghetti made from whole wheat flour and can come with various sauces.
Bigoli is usually served as the first main course, as Italians usually have two mains, although for
me this spaghetti can also be an entire meal. Besides Bigoli you will also often see a dish
called Gnocchi. These are small oblong pieces of boiled dough that has been a traditional kind of
pasta since the Roman times and is often served as a side dish, although it can also be a first main
course.A bit surprisingly, horse meat is often on the menu in Verona. It is available in various
forms, but “Pastisada de caval”, or horse meat stew is the most appreciated traditional dish.
It’s made with horse meat, marinated in red wine, onions, carrots and a variety of herbs and spices.
Its distinctive feature is very slow cooking. It is believed that the invention of this horse meat
stew can be attributed to a great battle in Verona after the fall of the Roman Empire. After the
battle people used meat from killed horses, and since they had been dead on the battlefield for
a few days, they started to smell bad, so people started to marinate the meat with generous amounts
of wine, vegetables, and onions, and that’s how this horse meat stew was born. The origin may
sound a bit disgusting by modern standards, but I assure you that horse meat stew is a delicious
traditional dish. Risotto Amarone is another great local dish, although it is fairly new. It
is made of two key local ingredients, Vialone Nano rice that is harvested around Veronese plains,
and prestigious Amarone red wine, grown just north of the city in the rolling hills of the
Valpolicella region. Risotto Amarone was inspired by the boom in the consumption of
Amarone wine in recent years, and has become extremely popular. It is a traditional risotto
cooked with a generous amount of what is now the most prestigious wine in the Valpolicella region.
After all the food it is time to do some walking around the old town. Via Mazzini is Verona’s
main shopping street that connects two of the biggest squares, Piazza Brà with Roman Arena
and medieval Piazza delle Erbe. This is one of the largest pedestrian areas of Verona, but it is
also one of the busiest streets of the city. Here are some of the biggest names of high fashion and
the better known low-cost international chains. If you are looking for the latest fashion in clothes,
shoes and accessories and you have the budget you will certainly find something for you. But before
you wander on a shopping spree it is good to know that many stores are closed on Mondays. Main
shopping street will take you to the beautiful medieval Piazza Della Erbe where you will find
a daily market with stalls selling clothes, fruit and vegetables. On this square you can also buy
dried herbs, wine, jewellery, trinkets and artisan products. If you walk towards the end of the
square where there is a big column with a winged lion you will see two streets. One is leading west
towards the old roman gate, Porta Borsari and is thus named Corso porta Borsari. This is another
beautiful shopping street that also offers amazing restaurants and cafes. The other street is leading
east towards the church of Saint Anastasia and is thus named Corso Sant’Anastasia. This
is another shoppers paradise. As well as being full of stylish boutiques and historic stores,
this street is particularly well known for its antique shops. But if you are after the best
Antique barging then you will have to time your visit to Verona, as the best antique deals can be
done in Piazza San Zeno on the third Saturday of the month, when there is a vibrant flea market.If
you get slightly hungry after all the shopping and walking and you don’t want to waste too much time
for a meal you can still have an authentic, quick and tasty lunch. I will show you three Verona
street food options in three different places, close to three major attractions. First is this
small and popular shop with fresh food products and ready-made meals. It is located just 3 minutes
walk from the very heart of Verona, the beautiful Piazza della Erbe square. Their specialties are
delicious, home made and hand made pasta, like tortellini and gnocchi for reasonable prices.
Pasta is produced and cooked in front of you. They have two small tables or you can have take away.
I took a mixed pasta plate and it was absolutely beautiful. Your efforts for
finding this place will be greatly rewarded. Popular fast food in Verona is also a Panuzzo,
a big sandwich. If we put in the romantic Verona perspective, you can say that Panuzzo
is the love child of a pizza and a sandwich, born in southern Italy in the 1980s. Panuozzo
is a flatbread made of warm pizza dough, sliced lengthwise and stuffed with whatever you like,
usually three or four ingredients. In this fast food place just on the corner from the beautiful
Castelvecchio castle you can choose from a long list of Panuzzo sandwiches offered in
two sizes. A 20 cm or 8 inch Panuzzo and 40 cm or 16 inch for the starving ones. Verona has numerous
charming old streets where great architecture houses beautiful shops, restaurants and cafes.
Of course I didn’t forget about the most iconic Italian fast food.
Just 3 minutes walk from the most famous landmark, the impressive Roman Arena,
you can hop in this pizza place, where you will get delicious slices of pizza. As you can see
this is not a prominent spot as here is actually a parking lot. But this place is so popular with
locals and so good that on TripAdvisor it ranks as the second best restaurant in the
entire city of Verona and it is not even a proper restaurant, but a pizza takeaway. Here is no menu
and you simply point your finger to the pizza slice you want as they don’t speak much English.
But they sure know how to make amazing pizzas. But if you want to see what else Verona has to offer,
you should check my video about the best things to do in Verona in the top corner. If you like this
video please give it a thumbs up. You can share your questions, suggestions or experience about
Verona in the comments below. And don’t forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell to
be notified about my future travel videos. Thanks for watching, Buon appetito and see you next time.