As with many of Italy's most popular destinations, it is not always easy to find a good reasonably priced meal in Verona. Visitors from all over the world throng here throughout the year, and both the medieval town centre, around romantic Piazza delle Erbe, and the imposing Piazza Bra near the Roman Arena are packed with trattorie and pizzerie. But the food at these places is unlikely to be exciting and the bill at the end even less so. But take a little time to explore the backstreets of this fascinating city and you can discover traditional osterie serving wonderful regional cuisine at prices that rarely exceed €15 a head.
1. Osteria Sottoriva
Sottoriva is the name of a medieval arcade that runs just by the bank of the Adige river, and inside each arch is a different osteria, trattoria, bar or cafe. It is one of the most popular places in town for lunch or dinner, and although you really can't go wrong whichever place you choose, Osteria Sottoriva stands out. Don't come here expecting a quick meal, as a sign warns diners of servizio lente, but when the dishes arrive - "trippa alla parmigiana" (braised tripe), creamy gorgonzola melted over polenta, crespelle (crepes) filled with ricotta and spinach - the portions are big and prices between €6 and €8.
• via Sottoriva 9/a, +39 045 801 4323
2. Hosteria La Vecchia Fontanina
The Vecchia Fontanina offers a brilliant mix of traditional Veronese cuisine, reinterpreted at very reasonable prices by a talented young chef Marco Segattini, using excellent fresh produce. While it is cosy to eat inside one of the tiny salons, in summer it is worth reserving a table on the sunny outdoor terrace. A hearty plate of pasta costs €6-7, and especially delicious is a creamy risotto all'Amarone, cooked in Verona's most famous wine, or surprisingly light gnocchi made from ricotta cheese instead of potatoes, and served with a creamy chive sauce.
• piazzetta Chiavica 5, +39 045 591159, vecchiafontanina.com
3. Trattoria Papa e Cicia
On the quieter bank of the Adige river but still ony 10 minutes' walk from the town centre, this atmospheric trattoria features classic cucina casalinga (home cooking), and has the best-value set lunch in Verona. For the grand total of €11 you can feast off a pasta, followed by a main course, dessert, water, wine and coffee. In the evening, they serve a risotto that changes each day - maybe wild mushrooms, asparagus or seafood - and a tagliata, tender slices of beef with rocket and delicate shavings of Parmesan.
• via Seminario 4, +39 045 800 8384
4. Enocibus
Tucked away in a quiet side street just behind all the touristy, over-priced trattorie that line Piazza Bra, Enocibus is a real find. Run by incredibly hospitable husband and wife team Claudio and Titty, who at the end of the evening invariably end up sitting down with customers for a drink, there is no fixed menu at lunch or dinner. But with soups and pastas costing €5.50, huge salads €6.50, and the speciality stinco di maiale (roast pork shank) the most expensive item at €13, it is impossible to spend a lot of money here unless you get tempted by something pricey from their extensive wine list.
• vicolo Pomo d'Oro 3, +39 045 594010, enocibus.com
5. Caffè Monte Baldo
The Monte Baldo used to be a genteel, old-fashioned cafe until Gianni Vesenetini became the owner, and he has transformed it into a lively osteria, packed to bursting every lunchtime and evening. Locals flock here for the irresistible mix of reasonably priced food and affordable wines by the glass from dozens of bottles lined up on a long marble counter. For €5.50 you can choose between a surprising fusilli pasta with succulent artichokes, tuna and tomatoes or the classic lasagne alla bolognese. There are also a host of tasty antipasti like polpette (meatballs), sopressa (local salami), and slices of mortadella.
• via Rosa 12, +39 045 803 0579
6. Osteria Carroarmato
One of the oldest osterie in town - its name means "The Tank" - is run by the cheerful Signora Annalisa, whose enthusiasm for the region's wines means that customers have a choice of over 40 wines by the glass, starting at just €1.50. This isn't the place for a quiet, romantic meal, as everyone sits at long communal tables. Specialities are pasta e fasoi, a rich pasta and bean soup that at €7 is almost a meal in itself, and main dishes such as baccalà alla Vicentina and funghi, polenta, asiago, a steaming plate of polenta topped with mushrooms and melted cheese, costing between €12 and €14.
• vicolo Gatto 2, +39 045 803 0175, carroarmato.it
7. Osteria Al Duca
The Duca is a foodie institution in Verona, renowned for its outstanding traditional cuisine and reasonable prices, immensely popular with locals while at the same time a favourite stop-off for tourists visiting the nearby Juliet's House (Via Cappello, 23). In fact, legend has it that this ancient osteria is actually in the house where Romeo lived. Although you can pick a dish a la carte, it is difficult to resist the €15 two-course set menu, starting with, say, delicate bigoli (fat spaghetti) with anchovies, raisins and pine nuts, followed by vitello tonnato, paper-thin slices of cold veal with a tangy tuna and caper mayonnaise sauce.
• via Arche Scaligere 2, +39 045 594474
8. Tutt'Art
Not many tourists wander over to the quiet San Nazaro neighbourhood, just by the beautiful Giusti gardens, but food lovers certainly have an excuse now with the recent opening of this brilliant new restaurant. Run by two bubbly Brazilian ladies, Jacqueline and Eliane, with a creative young Italian chef, Chiara Bertaiola, Tutt'Art is a mixture of chic modern design upstairs and a romantic medieval cellar. The cuisine is Italian but influenced by Brazilian and Asian flavours. Although a meal in the evening may run to €40, at lunch you can sample Chiara's gourmet cooking for only €10 in a set menu that features tempting dishes like pork roasted with beer and mustard, or cold pea soup with sliced fish fillets, borage and a granita of the tropical urucum fruit.
• via San Nazaro 27, tel: +39 045 803 0632, tuttart.com
9. Vini Zampiera Alla Mandola
Just a few yards from the crowds that teem around the Roman Arena, this tiny wine bar is a peaceful oasis, serving an outstanding selection of organic and natural wines, generous plates of affetati (slices of local sausage and ham) and cheeses, and three or four different pastas that change daily and cost between €6 and €7. A year or so ago, Signor Zampieri's bar was nothing more than a boozy watering hole, but then two new owners, Leonardo and Lorenzo, took over, and they have managed to clean up and revitalise the place without losing any of the unique atmosphere. Not to be missed.
• via Alberto Mario 23, +39 045 597053
10. Osteria Magna e Tasi
"Magna e Tasi" is Veronese dialect for "eat and shut up", so you don't see too many tourists here. It a popular meeting point for locals though - busy at lunchtime when a colourful mix of students, shoppers and businessmen stop off for a €6 steaming plate of tagliatelle with pesto and pomodorini, or a €7 secondo main course of bresaola (air-dried beef) with grilled courgettes and aubergines. Then on Friday and Saturday evening, the bar changes personality, livening up in the early evening when customers pay €3 for a glass of wine during aperitivo time, with a help-yourself buffet of salads, pastas and cold cuts included in the price of a drink.
• via San Michele alla Porta 4, no phone
• Verona In Love (veronainlove.co.uk) celebrates Valentine's weekend with a special programme of events including concerts, dance, movies and exhibitions.
• British Airways (ba.com) flies from Gatwick to Verona from £49 one way. EasyJet (easyjet.com) starts flying to Verona from Gatwick in June with fares from £34 one way.
• All photographs by John Brunton
