Verona, a romantic city famous for its art and culture– not to mention its food. The local cuisine revolves around the tradition of rice – thanks especially to Vialone Nano, the first variety in Europe to receive PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status – the wines from the vineyards of Valpolicella, and the olives from the groves on the hills around the city. The Due Torri Hotel is an ambassador for this heritage of flavour. Today we take you on a gourmet journey through the hotel’s gastronomic pleasures, from delicacies chosen by the chef and – since the Veneto is renowned as a winegrowing region – labels selected by our head barman.

When you taste a dish, where it comes from and how it’s made are as important as what it contains. Especially if you’re in a historical building like the 14th-century Palazzo dell’Aquila, today the Due Torri Hotel. So go up to the terrace and take your seat at the beautiful open-air restaurant. From here you can admire the whole of Verona, a spectacle that takes in the Torre dei Lamberti, the Duomo, Castel San Pietro and the River Adige, which embraces the city.

 

The chef is Sergio Speca, an expert organiser of dinners, lunches and aperitifs. Born in 1979, he learned his trade in restaurants in the mountains, by the sea and on Lake Garda. In Verona itself, he was a member of the team that helped the “12 Apostoli” restaurant win its Michelin star. He adopts the same approach, based on the quality of ingredients, on the terrace and inside the hotel, at the Due Torri Lounge & Restaurant, which has a “three forks” symbol in the Michelin Guide.

While you enjoy the sunset from the terrace, let us introduce you to the head barman, Franco Capone. He has been behind the hotel bar counter for 30 years now and is something of an institution. He specially recommends one of his latest creations, the cocktail Carmen, a homage to Verona’s Arena and its opera tradition. Prime quality gin, lemon, basil, sugar syrup and a drop banana liqueur – just a few ingredients, but handled with consummate skill by a great mixologist. To make it, Franco roughly tears the basil leaves, adds the lemon and a measure of gin, the syrup and more gin, then a tablespoonful of liqueur and some ice. After shaking, he serves the finished cocktail in an old fashioned glass garnished with a sprig of basil. 

 

Up on the terrace of an evening, the bracing air whets the appetite. For your pleasure, chef Sergio Speca recommends his own special version of a classic recipe, a complex dish: duck leg en confit. When it comes to the table, the dish enwraps you in its aromas. To make it, the duck legs are browned and marinated in oil aromatised with herbs, spices, and orange and lemon zest. They are then slow-baked in the oven for 15-16 hours for perfect succulence and texture. After being browned a second time, they are ready for serving. The sauce is a reduction of the pan juices with onion, red wine, sherry and fond brun (thickened, if necessary, with cornflour). The duck is served with piopparelli (poplar mushrooms) from the nearby Alpine foothill district of Lessinia, a timbale of pureed carrots and wilted kale garnished with a sprig of wood sorrel.