WHEN Italian food is done well, it’s very hard to beat.

And while it is not perfect, Verona, which is situated off the beaten track in Roundstone Street, Trowbridge, does a very good job of bringing the authentic tastes of Italy to Wiltshire.

Sitting pretty as the second best restaurant in the town, according to Trip Advisor, Verona serves decent food at reasonable prices with friendly service, as my friend Patrick and I discovered when we visited after work on Wednesday, September 21.

To kick off, I had the Funghi con Aglio (£4.90), which was essentially a bowl of mushrooms drowning in a garlic and white wine sauce, accompanied by a simple salad garnish. I like mushrooms and I like garlic, so it would have taken something pretty disastrous for me not to like it.

This certainly wasn’t a disaster; it was in fact very tasty, although the garnish could have done with a bit of jazzing up.

Patrick went for the bruschetta (£3.90), or fresh bread topped with fresh tomatoes, olive oil and basil to those unfamiliar with the name. He commented on how well it was presented but had to add a bit of salt to enhance the flavour which was “somewhat lacking,” in his opinion.

For the main course I had the Penne Boscaiola (£7.90), a penne dish cooked with mushrooms, onion, garlic and olives in a tomato sauce. I was very impressed with this dish; the pasta was cooked well and the flavours were authentic and fresh.

I’ve never been to Verona, or anywhere in Italy for that matter, but this must have at least tasted close to what one would be served over there.

Patrick opted for the Casa Pizza (£8.90), which was topped with pepperoni, ham, mushrooms, sweetcorn, olives, tomato sauce and mozzarella. It’s safe to say he wasn’t quite as enthusiastic about his plate of food as I was, offering up a mediocre review; not bad, but not brilliant.

The two waitresses were friendly and helpful throughout our meal, checking if we had everything we needed and bringing over our drinks with impressive speed.

With the overall bill coming to £52, which included the two starters, two mains and quite a few drinks, we both felt that we certainly got value for money and were satisfied with the overall experience.