The wonderful thing about visiting Valpolicella is that it's so scenic, so full of history, so prosperous and comfortable. That's also the most "dangerous" thing about the area. Valpolicella is the place to be in suburban Verona, and it suffers from its own version of suburban sprawl.
Compared to most American (or Italian) versions of the phenomenon, it seems relatively benign here. The scale of construction hasn't reached obnoxious levels. Yet the sheer number and density of construction cranes gives you pause. Farmland, whether of orchards or vineyards, is under strong pressures of development. Many major local routes, like SP4 near the Villa Monteleone and Masi properties, are seeing more apartments, villas and small-scale commercial buildings going up.
I've talked with some long-term residents of the area and they of course deplore all the new development. The old georgic life is falling under the weight of new money, and some of the old peace and remoteness has been lost, apparently for ever. Even an outsider like me can see it.
Still, Valpolicella remains one of those classically beautiful landscapes, one that reflects centuries of human attention and patrimonial wealth. Under pressure? But you have to hope that its wealth will somehow protect and prevent Valpolicella from succumbing to the more wretched aspects of modern overdevelopment.
We've had some lovely wines and encounters. I'll report after I get home and can liven up the posts with pictures.
A presto!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
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