Apr. 27 - The Arena, Juliet's house, the cathedral, squares and much more: Verona fascinates and enchants with its beauty, not surprisingly called the "Gateway to Italy" (for those who enter Italy from the North). All this was at the center of a meeting that highlighted the artistic, historical and cultural offerings of the city. With a concert, a wine tasting and a video, Verona - through its Chamber of Commerce - was presented to operators and journalists in Amsterdam during an evening organized at the Italian Chamber of Commerce for the Netherlands, the Chamber of Commerce of Verona and the Valerio Catullo Airport. The perfect evening to coincide with the presentation of the direct flight connection Amsterdam-Verona by the Dutch airline Transavia. Francesco Azzarello, Italian Ambassador to the Netherlands, opened the evening by presenting the local beauties, well known to Dutch tourists, among the first to discover the charm of Lake Garda and to fall in love with the territory. In a recent mission to promote Verona’s wine organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Verona in the Netherlands, it was revealed that the Dutch consumer associates Verona’s wines to holiday moments. The hope, therefore, is that those who will taste Amarone, Soave and other wines from the hills of Verona in wine shops and restaurants of Amsterdam, will want to relive and experiment the scents, flavors and charms offered by the area’s food and wine and the Lake Garda. Amsterdam represents one of the largest pools of potential tourists, and "the new direct flight is an amazing opportunity - said Paola Arena, member of Council of the Chamber of Commerce and President of the Valerio Catullo Airport - for our territory and our companies, as well as the tourism sector, which will benefit from additional tourist flows. Each additional passenger to Verona - he concluded - creates an estimated inflow of €150-340." (Red)

THE DUTCH MARKET

The new connection will make life easier for operators and entrepreneurs: the Netherlands is Verona’s sixth market for imports (€395 million in 2014) and the ninth largest export market for local products (€232 million in 2014 ). The main exports are clothing, footwear, wine and machinery. From the Netherlands, Verona imports mainly meat, raw materials and products for the agricultural sector.