Verona- an introduction

Yes yes......it has been AGAIN a very long time....however...as always there is an explanation....mainly...I am studying at the moment because I am taking my MBA entrance exam this coming Monday....so please bear with me another few days.....so....yes...I think it has been almost 10 weeks that I have not written....I know this because I wrote the last time when my husband was finally home from work and today he departed to work again...and normally that is a 10 week period....so I guess over the next few blogs there will be some catching up of what we have been up to the past 10 weeks....

My husband's 10 week holiday started with a wine course in Verona. In fact we decided to do our WSET Level 2 (Wine and Sprit Education Trust). This course would be three full days and it would be held at a winery in Verona called Masi, one of the largest ones in the area. Our wine course was starting on a Wednesday but we had to leave home on Tuesday because the course started rather early on Wednesday and it was a 4 hour drive......we stayed just outside the historic area of Verona, so very convenient for us in the evening to walk to a bar or restaurant.

Tuesday evening we met some friends in Verona for some drinks and then ended up having dinner together and some Pizzeria called Ca' dei Mercanti.....our friends had their two year old son with them, so we opted for something casual.....the inside of the restaurant looked like a typical, wooden chalet. The food was good....Kim and I both had Pizza and for dessert we shared an apple struddle....let me share some pics....

Pizza with salami, speck and mushrooms

Apple struddle

The next day our course started at 9am....and man....I LOVED the entire course....we tried about 50 different wines from red to white to sparkling and from all over the world....it was phenomenal....at the end of the three days we also wrote an exam (which I can now say I passed with distinction). It was definitely not an easy exam and they are extremely strict when it comes to cheating, books had to be outside the room....during the three days we also received traditional food every day (local to the region). We also received a bottle of red and white wine (their own) every lunch time. The one time it was wine from their vineyard in Argentina, we really enjoyed it. The lunches were really substantial...true Italian style...a pasta, then a meat dish followed by dessert....I think it is time to share some pics....

Table setting at lunch

Ravioli stuffed with local cheese

Amarone risotto

Beef cheek 

I guess I need to give a little explanation on the last two....the Amarone risotto....one could say a red wine risotto....Amarone is just the name of the type of wine produced in the Verona area. It was delicious, even my husband, who normally does not like risotto enjoyed it. The beef cheek, I have had before (you might remember my New Year's blog 2015-2016) and it was phenomenal, it just fell apart as soon as you entered the knife...yummie...I would most definitely recommend both dishes. 

I will also share a pic of the wines we tasted on the first day.....have a look...

Wine tasting on the first day

Of course we also ate in the evening, and in fact the one night we did a romantic evening at a place called Antica Bottega del Vino...and that was phenomenal...I leave that for the next blog though.....and of course we also explored Verona a little bit (not too much because in all honesty the weather was not great and by the time we ended the wine course in the evening, the touristic sites like Juliet's balcony from Romeo and Juliet was already closed). The arena where the opera is sung of course is only open in summer...so no, it was not a very exploring few days in Verona but rather a few studying/ learning days in Verona...but nevertheless a lot of fun and we did LOVE it.....so next blog I will tell you a little bit more about Antica Bottega del vino...for now...goodnight.