Two Nights at Brunelli Wine in Valpolicella.
During last week’s dreamy trip to Italy, I truly got the best of both worlds. I got the city buzz with the late night wanders along tiled streets in Verona, spotting people who cooled down with crisp white wines and ordered yet another pizza at one o’clock in the morning. And of course I got this - the lush green hills, the clean air, the slow paced lifestyle and surreal sunsets. And the vino, let’s not forget that.
As we drove out of Verona, we only needed a short few minutes before the narrow alleyways and hectic traffic were a distant memory. The green hills rose around us and the farms & vinyards looked like little dots in the distance. It was so perfect it looked like a real life moment from the movie Letters to Juliet. If you haven’t seen the movie; it’s an American romcom and it’s just like what you’d expect - cheesy, shows Italy through rose tinted glasses, and has a perfectly perfect ending where you sit and grin & bawl your eyes out at the same time.
About the Winery & where we stayed
As many other wineries in Valpolicella, the Brunelli one is family run, and has been since the very start in 1936. Their passion for wine-making and preserving local traditions, together with respecting & caring for the environment, are all things close to their hearts - and it shows.
Nowadays, the winery is more than just a place where they make wine and where you can drop by for a tasting, it’s also a part of what the Italians call ”agriturismo”. A place where you can come and stay in the countryside - away from the city.
At the Brunelli property they have three lovely (and I do mean lovely) apartments you can rent. They’re complete with kitchens and bathrooms. So, it’s just like your place back home - but I dare to say that this is probably better *wink wink*. The place was impressively clean, the kitchen had some lovely breakfast bits in the refrigerator for us upon arrival, a fresh bunch of flowers on the table and there were several different ways for us to make coffee. If that doesn’t tell you all you really need to know about the place, I’m not sure we can be friends…
The bathroom was all in marble (all the millenials out there, I know you're drooling right now) and the bathtub was standing in the middle of the bathroom - with the most amazing view over the wine fields.
After a long day of exploring - you can wind down with some aperitivo and a glass of something you love in the beautiful garden, before moving on to dinner at the local restaurant. Here we enjoyed some goodies we picked up from the local (tiny) village supermarket together with a chilled glass of the winery's own rosé Overnight.
So, shortly put; if you’re looking for the perfect Italian mini break I couldn’t recommend this little place enough. It's a beautiful part of the world and I'm sure you will be just as wow:ed as I was.
I recommend spending a night or two in Verona first, and to after that, get into a taxi and land in this paradise 20 minutes later. We went away as a family for my dad’s 70th birthday but this would obviously be the perfect romantic getaway for you and your significant other, too. Wine, views & sunsets - sounds good, ey?
