What is in season in Verona. and what to order when the market changes.
Spring
- Asparago bianco di Verona: White asparagus from Rivoli Veronese (DOP since 2007) is the spring icon. April through May; served bollito with butter and Parmigiano, or with the local egg sauce at Trattoria al Pompiere and Antica Bottega del Vino.
- Bigoli in salsa: The lean-Friday bigoli in salsa, the thick whole-wheat pasta with anchovy-and-onion sauce, peaks during Lent and through the spring runs of fresh anchovy.
- Carciofo violetto di Sant'Erasmo: Lagoon-grown purple artichokes from Venice arrive on Veronese menus from late March, raw in salads at Maffei or fried whole at Osteria al Duca.
- Vinitaly week (mid-April): The country's biggest wine fair (12 to 15 April 2026 at Veronafiere) takes over the city; restaurants book out and Vinitaly and the City spills tastings into 20 palazzi.
Summer
- Pesce di lago dal Garda: Lake Garda fish (lavarello, persico, trota, sardina) is the summer protein from June through September; the lake shore restaurants in Bardolino and Lazise serve it grilled with polenta.
- Pesca di Verona: The white-fleshed peach from the Veronese plain, IGP-protected, runs July through August; the canonical pairing is a glass of Recioto di Soave at Antica Bottega del Vino.
- Anguria di Mantova: Watermelon from the Mantovan plain south of Verona is the August street fruit, sold at the Piazza delle Erbe market and at every stand around Lake Garda.
- Arena opera season: From mid-June to early September the Arena di Verona runs nightly opera; pre-performance dinners book out around Piazza Bra and post-opera dinners stretch to midnight at Antica Bottega del Vino and the Via Sottoriva osterias.
Autumn
- Risotto all'Amarone (new-pressing season): The September grape harvest in Valpolicella feeds the autumn risotto rotation; new-pressing Valpolicella Classico and the year's Amarone arrive on lists by November at Trattoria al Pompiere and Bottega del Vino.
- Tartufo nero dei Monti Lessini: The Lessinia black truffle peaks October through December; shaved over tagliatelle or eggs at the upland restaurants in Bosco Chiesanuova and Erbezzo, or in Verona at Il Desco.
- Castagne and chestnut soup: Roasted chestnuts from the Lessinia uplands run November stalls in Piazza Bra and Piazza delle Erbe; chestnut polenta and chestnut-flour gnocchi appear at the Cimbri-influenced upland trattorias.
- Pastissada de caval (cool-weather peak): The wine-marinated horse-meat stew is best from October to March when the city's trattorias run it as Sunday lunch; Osteria al Duca, Tre Marchetti and Al Pompiere all cook it daily through winter.
Winter
- Pandoro Melegatti: The buttery star-shaped Christmas cake, patented in 1894 by Domenico Melegatti, runs from mid-November through Epiphany at Flego, Castelletto, Dolce Locanda Perbellini and the Melegatti factory outlet in San Giovanni Lupatoto.
- Bollito misto with pearà: The Sunday-lunch boiled-meats platter with peppery bone-marrow bread sauce is October through March only; Trattoria Tre Marchetti and Al Pompiere both run it weekly.
- Bacanal del Gnoco (Carnival): Veronese carnival peaks on the Venardi Gnocolar parade (13 February 2026) with the Papa del Gnoco distributing gnocchi in Piazza San Zeno, plus 10 days of frittelle (Carnival fritters) at every pasticceria.
- Radicchio di Verona IGP: The bitter winter chicory from the Veronese plain (IGP since 2002) is December through February; grilled with olive oil, or in risotto with smoked Monte Veronese cheese at Bottega del Vino and Trattoria al Bersagliere.