Working for ABC has given me the opportunity to visit many of the world's top wine regions. The trips, however, can be grueling. They often involve little sleep, tasting barrel samples from early morning until evening and enduring constant sales pitches. Despite these horrible working conditions [have I convinced anyone to feel sorry for me yet?] I always try to fit in a little sight seeing and absorb the local culture.

Tomorrow I'm off to one of my favorite European cities,Verona, Italy. Verona happens to be the site of one of the world's largest wine fairs every year, Vinitaly. It has been a few years since I've gone to Vinitaly, but with its tasting sessions, courses and seminars, this fair offers a unique occasion to deepen one's knowledge of wine.

OK, enough about work, back to Verona. Rome, Florence and Venice are the three cities most tourists seem to want to visit when traveling to Italy. I suggest you take a look at Verona.

Verona is much smaller and more quaint than its more famous siblings. It does have a wealth of Roman sites and medieval buildings and more in the way of sights than any other place in the Veneto except Venice. Unlike Venice, though, Verona is not overwhelmed with tourists. If you want to see Venice, I suggest you stay in Verona and then take a short train ride into Venice and then get out.

For those looking for romance, it's hard to imagine a more romantic city. It is Shakespeare, after all, who brings most people here. Verona is the setting for Romeo and Juliet and many tourists come to see the scene of the great, albeit fictional, romance.

Lake Garda, Italy's largest lake, is a short drive to the west. The ancient fortified town of Sirmione, located on the south end of the lake is a must see destination. It has numerous restaurants, bars, hotels, fashion stores and a market. Plan on spending a whole day.

I would love to write more but I promise to come back with a full report on Vinitaly in the coming weeks. Now I have to prepare to endure body scans and airline food...I'm guessing still no sympathy.

Ciao,

Paul Quaglini