Useful addresses. From the Veneto to Alto Adige, and along the shores of the Po River
A violent flood recently struck Verona and its province, causing serious damage to the vineyards in that area. As the ANSA news agency reported, 400 hectares of vineyards were damaged, about 5% of the production in the Veneto region. The area struck by the storm was rather circumscribed, but the governor of the Veneto Luca Zaia decided to declare a state of emergency. And so, in the wake of a surge in domestic tourism caused by the Covid emergency, and considering the specific critical features of this natural environment, what could be better than continuing to travel across our beautiful country, making a concrete contribution and discovering incredible scenarios.
For lovers of design and architecture, but also good wine and food, it could be an opportunity for a vacation or a long weekend, that brings all these elements together in one single place. Not limited to just tours through the vineyards, the hotellerie industry is coming forward with some brand new proposals.
In Italy, a growing number of hospitality structures, as well as farm holidays and family-owned restaurants, have begun to highlight one of Italy’s crown jewels: wine production.
The vineyards of Valpolicella are a heritage for the Peninsula. Many producers are offering their vineyards, which thus become the scenario for an escape into nature, enhanced by good food and wine and sustainable tourism, along with the possibility of staying in original or design structures.
Of all the places to discover, there is one on the hills of Bressanone: the town of Kranebitt (Bolzano), where the Hallen family has transformed their grandparents’ farmstead into a modern structure, the Haller Suites & Restaurant, 25 rooms in a three-story building with larch wood terraces and ample windows. The activities planned for the guests include wine tastings in the vineyards, to discover wines such as Kener, the typical wine of the Valle di Isarco, or Veltliner, Sylvaner, Riesling and Muller Thurgau. In the kitchen of the AO restaurant are Levin and Simon.
In Polesine Parmense (Parma) stands the temple of “river-food” cuisine by Michelin-star chef Massimo Spigaroli, with his brother Luciano who produces bottles such as Fontanella, Rosso del Motto, Strologo. The chef’s wine and recipes may be tasted in the restaurant of the Antica Corte Pallavicina (the fourteenth-century castle converted into a hotel) or the more rustic Hosteria del Maiale, which advances a cuisine that extols the traditions of the lands lapped by the Po River. All just 1.5 km from the vineyards, where you can have a picnic among the rows of Fortana grapes (a vine of black grapes characteristic of the Po Plain and the Emilia Romagna region) or bitter-peel Lambrusco, and visit the farm.
For prosecco lovers, it is worth taking a tour among the Prosecco hills, a Unesco World Heritage Site, with a view you can enjoy looking out the windows of the Romantik Relais d’Arfanta in Tarzo (Treviso). A country house that offers 7 exclusive suites, each one different, furnished with handcrafted furniture, silks, marble and wood. The services include an outdoor swimming pool overlooking the vineyards, wine tastings and promenades through the vineyards, following the Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. road.
Wine and architecture also come together in the Tenuta vinicola Eichenstein at the Romantik Hotel Oberwirt in Marlengo (Bolzano). A wood and stone structure that harmonizes with the vineyards extending across four hectares. The feather in its cap is a 200 square meter suite with outdoor sauna and swimming pool, featuring ample windows with a view over the rows of grapevines and the surrounding forest. Guided tours and focuses on winemaking accompany visitors to discover the Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Riesling varieties, cultivated and bottled by the owner Josef Waldner.
And for anyone who would like to try their hand at an enologist’s job for just one day, creating an actual blend, there is the workshop “Winemaker for a day” by Mondodelvino – the vineyard holding based in Priocca (Cuneo) – which launched the project “Wine Experience Across”. This is an interactive museum, for a multimedia and multi-sensorial experience that will introduce you to the world of wine. Further information may be found at the following link.
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translation by Olga Barmine
