Like Wine? Here's Your Perfect Holiday. (Soave (Italy))

Member Name: louiseypees

Product:	Soave (Italy)
Date:	10/10/08 (107 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful

Disadvantages: None

I'm not usually the kind of person who goes to the same place on holiday more than once. In fact I had never done it at all until I went to Soave last August. Since then, I've revisited twice. The last time we went, I took my parents, my sister and her friend - all of them want to go back, and plan to next year. This little walled town is one of the most beautiful places in the world, in my opinion, and I just wanted to tell you all a bit more about it.

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Location and Important Information
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Soave is situated in northern Italy, in the Veneto region. The Veneto is famous as a wine region and responsible for a lot of the Italian wines we drink over here (looking at the labels surprised me - there's loads!). The Veneto region incorporates seven provinces, including Venice, Verona, Vicenza and Padua. Soave is in the Verona province, and is about 20 minutes' drive from Verona city centre.

In terms of getting there, Soave is very convenient if you have a car. With its own exit from the A4 (no, not our A4 - the toll road that runs from Venice to Milan :) you can reach it really easily from any of the airports around the area - Verona, Venice, Brescia etc - if you hire a car. These great transport links make Soave a great place to base yourself for a holiday exploring the Veneto, with all of the major cities of the region within easy reach. Nearby San Bonifacio has a well-connected train station, and it is just about walking distance from Soave - but it is a long walk. Taxis are difficult.

The name Soave refers to both the small town of 6,800 I've been talking about thus far, and the wine producing Soave area, which also encompasses a number of nearby villages. You may well be familiar with Soave wine - over here we know it as the cheap stuff in Tescos, rarely more than £3 a bottle and while drinkable, not really occasion wine. The good news about the wine you'll drink in Soave is that they export all the mass-produced stuff, keeping the really special wines for themselves. More wine talk in a moment though - let's move on to:

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Where To Stay
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As far as I'm concerned, there is only one place to stay in Soave, and that's Monte Tondo B+B (www.montetondo.it) A lot of the reason I'm so in love with this tiny town is down to Monte Tondo and the Magnabosco family who run it.

Monte Tondo is a winery and B+B which I stumbled upon when I was browsing on www.bbplanet.it (a great site, by the way - if you ever need a B+B in Italy I'd highly recommend it). Situated a short way out of the town centre, up on one of the Soave hills, the main building of Monte Tondo is surrounded by their own vineyards. In this main building you'll find the wine shop, the winery and the bedrooms of the B+B. Even if you're not staying here it's worth a visit to the wine shop for a tasting - they've been winning a lot of awards lately, one of which was for my favourite wine of theirs - the Casette Foscarin.

Our first visit here, we were absolutely knocked for six by how gorgeous this place is. The rooms are well-equipped and well-maintained, with a great little mini-bar stocked with their wines (it's such a great feeling, knowing you're drinking it in the same building that made it!) and a few snacks. There are twin rooms available at Euro70 per night and doubles (which they call suites) and mini-apartments (which sleep up to four) come in at Euro100 per night.

The best thing about Monte Tondo is the Magnabosco family. Obviously, with it being a family run place, and with us going there loads over the last year they do know us now, but even on our first visit they did everything they could to make our stay more enjoyable.

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What To Do
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Well, you're in one of the best wine regions in the world, so I would suggest you treat yourself to a wine tasting. There are a number of wineries in Soave which will quite happily let you have a tasting - Monte Tondo and Balestri Valda (which is the other side of Soave town) being two examples. I'd also highly recommend going to the Enoteca il Drago in Soave town centre, where for a very reasonable Euro9 you can get a wine tasting session. This consists of a tray of six glasses of Soave Classico wine from different vineyards in the area, a tasting notes sheet and a pen. The glasses are very generously poured and the wines are top-notch. It is fascinating to do this - I'd really recommend it - I had no idea that the same wines could be just so different.

Soave, as a walled town, is as famous for its walls as its wine in the locals' eyes. The walls are great to have a ponder at, and they connect it to the medieval castle on the top of the hill. The castle is well worth a visit. With its trademark Scaliger-style walls, a drawbridge (which I was very impressed at) and some great chunks of history in it, it's a great way to spend some time. Climb to the top of the castle and you're rewarded with some spectacular views of the local area and a lungful of some very fresh air!

Assuming you've taken my advice on hiring a car, a great few days can be had getting into it and exploring the local villages. Every one has something different to offer, and I've lost count of the amount of amazing sights and experiences that these few drives have taken me to that I'll never forget. Glorious churches; little known cafés; breathtaking views; architecture and statues you thought only existed in fairytales; acres of beautiful vineyards; rough and ready-looking restaurants that surprise you with their amazing food - it really is unforgettable.

Day trips from Soave could easily include (and have for me) Verona, Venice, Vicenza, Padua (beautiful place - try and fit it in as well as the two big Vs), Mantua and Lake Garda. Beware though - don't try to do too many big cities in too short a time - it can get really tiring and it would be a huge shame to look back and not be able to tell the difference between them.

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Where To Eat And Drink
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As Soave is such a small town, it can be a little unreliable on the restaurant front. I'm not saying that the restaurants are bad - they're not - but they do open erratic hours.

By far the best eating and drinking experience in Soave for me is the Osteria La Scala. Nestling in a corner just by the main entrance to the city walls, this place is a bar with a restaurant attached (I haven't tried the restaurant, but it's meant to be fantastic so I'd suggest that for a more formal occasion) and it is the most popular spot in town. Serving simple pasta dishes, a range of bruscetta and lots of other great basic Italian food in a great bar atmosphere, it is one of those perfect holiday dining experiences. It's always full of locals eating and drinking and is just a great spot for a night out.

Other places to eat include the Enoteca Il Drago (the place I mentioned earlier for wine tasting). This place only serves a couple of dishes, but they do them well. It is predominantly a wine bar though. Also try out the Trattoria d'Amadei (I think), which does good steak - but steer clear of the lamb. There are a couple of good pizzerias to be found - one of which is opposite the Hotel Roxy Plaza, just outside of the city walls. Avoid the Amleto restaurant though - we had a particularly bad meal in here.

If you're in Soave on the wrong day though, and everything is closed (a common problem in villages I've found!) then your best option is to go over to Verona for a slap up meal - although it might be worth checking out San Bonifacio first, as it's a bit closer.

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Wines
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Soave is a white wine region, with garganega being the main grape on offer. Soave wines include the standard Soave classico, which is a standard dry white wine - and always great quality when you drink it in the Veneto; and Recioto - the region's speciality wine. Recioto is made from grapes which are left on the vine slightly longer to become sweeter, and then dried for six months in special humidity-controlled rooms before being soft pressed and aged in barrels for upwards of a year. The result is a deliciously complex and intense dessert wine, which I personally think is at its best with cheese.

Even if you're not a wine buff (which I'm really not) but just a wine drinker, you can't help but be impressed at the standard of the house wine and prosecco in restaurants around Soave, which you can generally pick up for about Euro4 per half litre. You will have some of the best wine moments of your life in Soave, I promise.

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Summary
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Soave is a great destination for a holiday for many reasons, a few of which I hope I've covered above. As a town in itself, it has its quirks (like not being able to eat out some nights) but as a base for exploring the Veneto and as a great relaxing break, I don't think it can be beaten - especially if you stay at Monte Tondo!

Summary: A guide to Soave in the Veneto