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A trip to Italy’s Verona opened Campbell Mattinson’s eyes to one of the country’s most underrated regions. Expect great wine, a fascinating history, stunning scenery and excellent food.

APOLOGIES TO SHAKESPEARE, but every time I’ve visited Italy, I’ve made a beeline for everywhere other than Verona. Rome, Tuscany, Venice; sure. Piedmont, Etna, Sicily; all on the list. But Verona – within the Veneto, the home of Romeo and Juliet, the historic city with the 2000-year-old arena at its centre and the Adige River carving dramatically through it – has, quite frankly, never crossed my mind.

That was until I went there, for a couple of days only, on a trip thanks to the Great Wine Capitals Global Network. And boy did it open my eyes. As our city guide says, “Everyone puts Verona last on their list, and then puts us first for their return trip.”

In the warmer months, Italy is so tourist-drenched that it’s impossible to label anything as hidden or secret. But in that context, Verona comes close. It’s just so scenic, so charming, so Euro and so chock-full of everything you could hope for in an Italian sojourn – great food, great wine, great street after great street. All with one killer extra: convenience. Verona is a gateway to some of the best wine experiences in Italy. It is part of the Veneto, which is to Italian wine what South

Australia is to Australia – the biggest of the Italian wine-producing regions. Verona is at the heart of the western Veneto, which means it’s within a 30-minute drive from the regions that are famous for Soave (crisp, characterful whites), amarone (rich reds), Valpolicella (gluggable young reds) and Bardolino (a different take on valpolicella with terroir at play). As the icing on this cake, you have the wines and views of Lake Garda, which is also a destination in itself.

To put it more simply, stay in Verona and you have access to a wide variety of distinctive wine styles, all within reach of the Italian Alps. We’re talking rich, green, rolling hills with views at every turn. No wonder people re-book as soon as they arrive. Plus, it’s all in easy reach of a diverse range of kicking-breathing cellar doors, where you can taste the wines and do so without having to make an appointment or be in the know.