La Dolce Vita Wine Tours

Amarone & Alto Adige

A wine tour spotlighting the cult reds of Valpolicella & alpine whites of Alto Adige

Trip Notes:

Airport

Venice, Milan, or Innsbruck (Austria). Although Verona has a small, national airport, the closest intercontinental airports are Venice (Marco Polo) and Milan (Malpensa). The fast train from Venice to Verona takes 1 hour; from Milan, it’s 1hr20min. (See link to TrenItalia below.)

Pre-tour

Plan to land in Italy or Austria a day before the tour begins; that’s necessary to be at our starting point on time. Most people spend the preceding night in either Verona (1 hour by train from Venice) or Trento (2 hours from Venice), where we meet on Day 1. If you land in Innsbruck, it is advisable to arrive in Trento the day before our tour begins.

Meeting point

Our meeting point is the train station in Trento [map], a charming historic city midway between Verona and Bolzano. If you’re coming from Verona that morning, you'll take a 9 a.m. train, arriving in Trento at 10 a.m. (Precise train details will be in your information packet.)

Departure day

On our final day, we’ll shuttle you to the Verona train station [map] by 11:30 a.m. During the tour, we can help you buy your return train tickets.

Italian train schedule

Click here for an English-language version of TrenItalia. Be aware that the schedule is posted only several months in advance, so if you're looking for long-range dates, try something sooner, just to get an idea of departure frequency and trip length.

Trip extensions

Venice is an obvious choice for pre- or post-tour travel. Book your hotel early, as they fill up! But if you’ve already been there, done that, you could stay a day or two in Verona. During our tour, we’ll be staying outside of town. So you might want to add an extra day in the city proper. Founded by Romans on the banks of the Adige River, Verona has layers upon layers of history. It boasts one of the largest Roman coliseums, dozens of churches laden with art, the home of Shakespeare’s Juliet Capulet, lively outdoor markets, and streets lined with elegant shops.

Travel insurance

This is recommended to protect you from needless loss caused by last-minute cancellations, lost luggage, and more. Three sources are Travelex Insurance, (800) 228-9792; CSA Travel Protection, (800) 348-9505; and Travel Guard, (800) 826-1300.

Weather

Go to KnowItal.com to find out average temperatures in Verona for any week of the year. To see the forecast when you’re packing, look at Weather.com. Go to “Caldaro sulla Strade del Vino, Italy” and “Verona, Italy” to get a general idea of temperatures and forecast.

Reading

Articles by La Dolce Vita Wine Tours cofounder Patricia Thomson:
"Venice Eats: 4 Top Spots"
"Big Purple: Amarone"
"A New Day Dawns for Valpolicella"
"Pinot Grigio: An American Infatuation"
"Gewürtztraminer, Aged by Accident"